HS 


m 


msSm 


LIBRARY  OF  THE        \ 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS  V 
AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


977.359 
D88g 


I.H.S. 


THE 


GOOD   OLD   T      rES 


McLEAN  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS, 


CONTAINING 


Two  Hundred  and  Sixty-one  Sketches  of  Old  Settlers. 


A    COMPLETE 


Historical  Sketch  of  the  Black  Hawk  War 


And  descriptions  of  all  matters  of  interest  relating  to   McLean    County, 


Written  by  Dr.  E  DUIS, 

LATE    PROFESSOR    OF    GERMAN    IN    THE    BLOOMINGTON    PtTBlilC    SCHOOLS. 


BLOOMINGTON : 

THE    LEADER    PUBLISHING    AND    PRINTING    HOUSE. 

IS74 


5 


Entered,  according  <      V  <  in  the  year  1874,  by 

H.   Dl  IB, 
Tn  the  office  of  the  Libr:  ran  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


?  77  3si 


THIS  VOLUME 

OLD  SETTLERS  OF  McLEAN  COUNTY,  ' 
Whose  virtues  as  citizens,  and  as  pioneers  in  the  cause  oi  civilization  and  progj    - 
will  be  remembered  with  gratitude  by  all  the 

a  iii  their  footsteps, 
In  the  fulfillment  oj  !  .  ■■  ppily  inatti  by  theh 

BKAVJ   RY,    [SiDUSTKI     ANH   INTEGRITY, 


170987 


PREFACE. 


t  The  author  of  this  volume  does  not  wish  to  impose  on  the 
public  a  narrative  of  his  trials  in  collecting  information  and  in 
writing  the  sketches  contained  herein,  although  the  difficulties 
have  been  very  great.  Notwithstanding  all  of  his  troubles,  it 
has,  on  the  whole,  been  a  pleasant  task.  It  has  brought  him  in 
contact  with  the  pleasantest  and  most  freehearted  men  with 
whom  it  has  been  his  lot  to  be  acquainted.  They  are  men  whose 
ideas  were  formed  in  the  days  when  neighbors  were  few  and 
friendships  were  more  highly  prized  than  silver  and  gold. 

It  is  possible  that  some  mistakes  have  been  made  in  this  work 
on  account  of  the  great  variety  of  facts  to  be  collected,  but  the 
author  has  taken  extraordinary  pains  to  verify  the  matters  herein 
narrated,  and  he  believes  the  mistakes  are  few. 

He  is  under  many  obligations  to  old  settlers  for  favors  ren- 
dered, and  had  it  not  been  for  the  exertions  of  Judge  J.  E.  Me- 
Clun  and  John  Magoun,  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  author  would 
have  had  sufficient  courage  to  have  brought  the  work  to  comple- 
tion. He  is  also  under  many  obligations  to  Mr.  Jesse  "W".  Fell, 
President  Richard  Edwards,  W.  H.  Hodge,  J.  W.  Billings  and 
others. 

It  has  been  impossible  to  obtain  the  sketches  of  all  of  the 
settlers  who  came  to  McLean  County  before  the  year  1838.  The 
greater  number  of  them  are  dead;  ma^7  have  moved  away; 
some  could  not  be  seen,  and  a  few  were  unwilling  to  have  the 
incidents  of  their  lives  put  into  print.  Nevertheless  the  sketches 
of  two  hundred  and  sixty-one  old  settlers,  and  eight  gentlemen  of 
McLean  County  holding  prominent  positions  are  given.  Various 
other  short  biographical  sketches  appear  in  different  parts  of  the 


Viil  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

Capture  of  Black  Hawk. 
Conclusion  of  Peace. 
Distinguished  soldiers  of  the  Black  Hawk  War. 
General  Harney. 
Colonel  Baker. 
John  T.  Stuart. 

General  Albert  Sidney  Johnson. 
General  Zachary  Taylor. 
General  Robert  Anderson. 
Jefferson  Davis. 
Abraham  Lincoln. 
General  Scott. 

THE  OLD  SETTLERS  OF  McLEAN  COUNTY. 

Allin-  Township. 

date  of  settlement.  page. 

Presley  T.  Brooks Winter  of  1830  125 

1001  J27 

Greenberry  Larison 


Rev.  Robert   E.  Guthrie 

Adam  Guthrie 

David  Cox 

William  McCullough 

Dr.  Isaac  Baker 3*lJ>  ls-7 

George  Hinshaw.  jr 

Dr.  W ill i am  Lindley 


135 

136 


Richard  A.   Warlow Fall  of  1834 

Arrowsmith. 

John  B.  Thompson October,  1829 

Jacob  Smith 1833  U0 

Bloomington. 

John  Hendrix Spring  of  1822 

John  W .  Dawson 

John  Dawson Time'  1822 

William  Orendorff Spring  of  1823 

Thomas  Orendorff  

John  B.  OrendorfF  

James  K.  Or endorff 

Oliver  H.  P.  Orendorif 

Rev.  Ebenezer  Rhodes  Spring  of  1824 

John  H.  S.  Rhodes • " 

Jeremiah  Rhodes 

William  H.  Hodge  

William  R.  Goodheart Fal1  of 

William  Evans,  sr, 


141 
143 
14". 
14'.' 
151 
157 
158 
163 
1 66 
168 
173 
"  177 

182 
1824 


1825 

William  Piiiimitt  

Robert  Guthrie H»»  190 


193 
197 

IMS 
201 
206 
208 
1828      211 


Hon.  James  Allin  1829 


William   H.  Allin 

Jonathan  Maxson September,  1830 


215 
216 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  IX 

IUTE   OF    SETTLEMENT.  PAGE. 

David  Simmons Fall  of  1830  22] 

Hon.  John  Moore  October,  1830  225 

AmasaC.  Washburn  1831  228 

Dr.  Stephen  Ward  Noble •'  236 

Abraham  Stansberry 1832  236 

James  0.  Harbord October,  1832  239 

Ephraim  Platte Spring  of  1833  242 

Hon.  James  B.  Price October,  1833  245 

George  Price "           ■"  246 

John  J.  Price  "            "  251 

Lewis  Bunn 1833  252 

William  C.  Warlow ••  255 

John  Lindley ••  256 

Allen  Withers "  258 

Dr.  John  F.  Henry "  261 

General  A.  Gridley Fall  of  1831  262 

Judge  David  Davis 1835  276 

Elder  William  T.  Major  "  288 

Chastine  Major "  290 

Dr.  Laban  S.  Major ••  292 

Dr.  John  M.  Major "  200 

Thomas  Fell October,  1835  298 

John  Magoun 1835  301 

Thomas  Jefferson  Karr "  306 

Hon.  James  Miller •'  308 

William  H.  Temple  "  309- 

James  Depew. "  312 

Matthew  H.  Hawks  "  314 

1  Samuel  Lander Fall    1835  318 

William  Thomas Spring  1836  320 

Thomas  Williams  •'           ••  326 

Kersey  H.  Fell  "           ■'  330 

William  F.  Flagg  1836  336 

Judge  John  E.  McCluu Spring  1837  338 

Abraham  Brokaw "           •'  348 

Andrew  W.  Scoggin 1837  351  < 

Dr.  C.  Wakefield "  354 

William  O.  Viney August,   1837  358 

John  T.  Gunnel! "  361 

John  W.  Billings "  364 

Henry  Richardson •'  369 

Joshua  Fell •■  371 

Jonathan  Glimpse "  373 

Dr.  Henry  Conkling Fall  1838  376 

Cheney's  Grove. 

Jonathan  Cheney 1825  383 

Hon.  William  Haines  Chene.y "  387 

George  Cheney "  389 


X  TABLE    OF   CONTENTS. 

DATE  OF  SETTLEMENT.  PAGE. 

James  Vanscoyoc 1829  390 

Thomas  Cunningham "  393 

King  Solomon  Cunningham "  394 

James  11.  Means March  1830  395 

Ephraim  S.  Myers April     1830  399 

William  Riggs 1830  403 

Snowden  Ball 1831  407 

Hilleary  Ball "  408 

Williani'K.  Stansberry October,  1833  410 

Otha  Owen Sept.  1834  413 

Joseph  Newcom 1835  415 

Isaac  Stansberry 1836  419 

Dale. 

Robert  H.  Johnson December,   1828  422 

William  Beeler Fall   1830  424 

William  Beeler,  jr "         "  427 

Jesse  Hill October,    1830  430 

Abram  Enlow Fall  1835  434 

•     Richard  Rowell October,  1836  436 

Dahvers. 

EbenezerB.  Mitchel March,  1825  438 

Hon.  Matthew  Robb Spring  1827  344 

Thomas  McClure Spring  1827  446 

Robert  McClure "           "  449 

Jonathan  Hodge "           "  454 

,             Uriah  S.  Hodge , "           "  457 

William  F.  Hodge "           "  457 

James  O.  Barnard March.  1828  460 

James  G.  Reyburn Sept.    1828  462 

Levi  Danley Feb.   1829  466 

The  Conger  Family 1829  469 

Israel  W.  Hall 1834  471 

JeremiahS.  Hall "  472 

John  Hay "  474 

George  F.  Hay ''  475 

Jonathan  B.  Warlow "  478 

Downs. 

Lawson  Downs 1829  480 

William  Weaver 1832  482 

William  Bishop 1833  484 

Elias  H.  Wall "  486 

John  Price 1834  491 

Rev.  Sylvester  Peasley Fall    1834  497 

Alexander  P.  Craig "         "  500 

Henry  Welch March,   1835  502 

Hon.  John  Cusey Fall    1836  505 

Samuel  Troop  Richardson Summer  1838  510 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS.  XI 

DATE  OF  SETTLEMENT.  PAGE. 

Dry  Grove. 

Henry  Vansickles 1826  514 

Stephen  Webb July,   1827  516 

George  M.  Hinshaw July,   1827  520 

8enjamin  S.  Beeler October,   1830  521 

Oriuond  Robison 1832  523 

John  Enlow Fall  1835  524 

Eleazar  Munsell ( Spring  1837  525 

Empire. 

R.  Franklin  Dickerson 1825  528 

Henry  C.  Dickerson "  531 

Thomas  Buckles 1827  533 

James  H.  Conaway February,  1828  537 

Esek  E.  Greenman July,   1829  538 

Otho  Merrifield 1829  546 

Henry  Crumbaugh March,   1830  547 

Daniel  Crumbaugh '•           "  550 

James  H.  L.  Crumbaugh "           "  553 

Silas  Waters November,  1830  555 

James  Bishop  May,   1831  557 

Thomas  Jefferson  Barnett April,   1832  561 

Abram  Buckles 1832  564 

James   Kimler 1832  568 

Hiram  Buck 18:;:;  570 

Hon.  Malon   Bishop 1834  574 

Thomas  D.  Gilmore 1836  578 

Funk's  Grove. 

Hon.  Isaac  Funk April,  1824  580 

Robert  Funk 1824  590 

Robert  Stubblefield December,  1824  596 

Absalom  Stubblefield "             "  599 

John  Stubblefield "            "  602 

Gridley. 

William  M.  McCord 1827  604 

John  B.  Messer March,   1829  607 

John  Sloan November,  1835  611 

Jonathan  Coon April,   1836  615 

Isaiah  Coon  Tuly,   1837  619 

James  S.  Coon "         "  621 

George  W.  Cox * 1837  »12) 

Hudson. 

Young  Bilbrey 1827  625 

Joseph"  Messer March,   1829  628 

Jesse  Havens December,  1829  629 

Hiram  Havens "              "  631 

Benjamin  Wheeler 1836  *■:'>! 

John   Smith "  637 

Albert  Y.  Phillips "  640 


Xll  TABLE    OJ     (  OXTEXTS. 

s  . 

Isaac  Tumipseed  fcsprii  a     '-  ■!  G43 

Elijah   Priest Iuly,    : 

Samuel   Lewis.. May,    1836  646 

Samuel  H.  Lewis "        "  648 

James  T.  Gildersleeve ..Fall   l 

Joseph*  D,  Gildersleeve "   1836 

Jacob  H.  Burtis Winter    L836 

Enoch  A.  Oastman March,    16 

Lawndalb. 

David  Henliae Fall  1828 

William  B.  Henline " 

Via     in  Henline "       " 

'  Martin  Batterton Fall   1833 

Lexington. 

Jacob  Spawr Fall  1826 

■  Spawr Fall  1827 

ph  Brumiiead  1828  671 

Hens. >;\  B.  Downey " 

John  Haner Fall  1828  7:; 

Benjamin  Patton 182s 

Patrick  Hopkins 1830  677 

Peter  Hefner 1830 

John  Dawson December,  1832  683 

Ji  mi   Dawson 

-  Adams  Fall  1834  687 

I    Smith ••         •'  689 

It  on  Smith ••       1835  692 

McMackin ]..     "       1838  694 

l  Wiley "       1835  69G 

Lytic  It.  Wiley  ■• 

I  urtis  Batterton Spring  1837  699 

MOK  :    REEK. 

Be  Trimmer June,  1826  701 

Henry  Moats Fall  1829  708 

William  Sh-cteh Fall  1830  703 

Albert  Ogden  ....  Fall  1831  704 

William  V5  ilcox June.  1832  705 

John  Ogden - Fall  1832  709 

-       MoAferty  ! December,  1832  710 

McAftSrty "  "  711 

muel  Ogden Fall  is:;:;  712 

Jonathan  Ogden "       ••     •  714 

Madison  Young ■•  715 

James  R.  Wiley "     1835  716 

•  Weeley  F.  Bishop "     I  718 

William  Crose ;7  720 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  Xlll 

DATE  OF  SKTTI.EMENT  PAGE. 

Mount  Horn. 

Geo                   bblefield December,  1824  722 

Id L825  727 

1 1 1 -• ; i :  Hieronymus  Fall  lS2s  728 

Enocb    Hieronymus. "        ;«  7:;o 

John   Hougham "     1831  732 

VVeatley  Hougham "       "  734 

John  Longworth , 1836  7:;.") 

Old  Town. 

Lewis  Case July,  1833  738 

Harvey  Bishop 1833  74() 

F.  R,  Oowden 1834  741 

Padua. 

William  Evans,  jr 1825  743 

Daniel  Jackson October,  1830  745 

Jeremiah  Greenman, Fall  1831  746 

John  Bishop March,  1832  747 

Idolphu     Dimmick Fall  is:;:!  749 

Josiah  Horr : October,  1836  750 

Randolph. 

Alfred  M.  Stringfield Spring  1*23  752 

Thomas  0.  Rutledg    Fall  1824  759 

Robert  II.  Rutlcdgi "         "  765 

Jesse  Funk December,  1824  769 

George  C.  Hand "          182".  775 

Nathan  Low 1829  776 

Purnel  Passwa.ters Spring   1830  77'.' 

Richard  Passwaters '•             "  780 

Purnel  Passwaters,  jr '•             '•  782 

Enoch  J.  Passwat  ers  "              "  783 

clement  Passwaters ••             "  784 

Jacob  Bishop September,  1830  784 

Matthew  Covardale Fall  1830  788 

Samuel  Stewart Fall  1831  790 

John  If.   Stewart '<          ••  .792 

David  Noble '•         "  795 

William  C,  Noble.. > "         "  7'"; 

Joseph  E.  Noble V "         "  798 

Dr.  Harrison  Nobl  ■ 1833  son 

Walter  Karr March,  1834  802 

William  Rust ' Fall   1831  805 

John  F.  Rust Spring  1834  806 

William  M.  Rust Fall  1834  so'.' 

Harvey  J.  Rust '•         ••  810 

Campbell  Wakefield Juu«>,   1835  812 

Dr.   Thomas  Karr ..'  Icto  ■   1.   IS:;.",  SI  | 

William   Karr ••         "  817 

George  Martin '•        "  819 


XIV  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

DATE  OF  SETTLEMENT.  PAGE. 
TOWANDA. 

Jesse  Walden Fall  1828  820 

White  Oak. 

John  Benson,  Br., 1823  823 

John  Benson,  jr "  827 

James  Benson "  831 

William  T.T.Benson •. "  833 

Elisha  Dixon 1828  835 

Smith  Dennian September.  1829  837 

Abraham  Carlock Spring  1831  838 

Stephen  Taylor Fall  1837  841 

PERSONS  HOLDING  POSITIONS  OF  HONOR  OR  TRUST. 

Dr.  Thomas  P.  Rogers  '. 846 

Judge  Thomas  F.  Tipton 852 

Judge  Amasa  J.  Merrimau 863 

Judge  Reuben   M.  Benjamin 854 

General  John  McNulta 857 

Hon.  John  L.  Routt 858 

Henry  Honscheidt 863 

John  Hull,  Superintendent   of  Schools 864 


THE  OLD  SETTLERS. 


The  old  settlers  of  McLean  County  are  one  by  one  passing 
beyond  the  shores  of  the  unknown  river,  and  in  a  few  years  not 
one  will  be  left  of  the  noble  band  of  pioneers  who  made  their 
homes  in  what  was  then  a  wilderness,  inhabited  only  by  red  men. 
Their  descendants,  and  those  who  come  after  them,  will  live  to 
enjoy  the  full  measure  of  happiness  and  prosperity  built  upon  the 
solid  foundations  laid  by  the  old  settlers ;  and  may  the}-  ever 
hold  in  grateful  remembrance  those  fathers  and  mothers  whose 
daring  and  hardihood  were  the  source  of  our  present  greatness. 
May  the  good  actions,  the  intrepidity,  and  the  daring  of  the  old 
settlers,  remain  green  in  the  memory  of  coming  generations,  for- 
ever ! 

Since  this  wTork  has  been  in  preparation,  five  old  settlers  have 
passed  away.  Their  names  are  :  James  C.  Harbord,  of  Bloom- 
ington  township ;  Alexander  P.  Craig,  of  Downs  township  ;  Dr. 
John  F.  Henry,  late  of  Burlington,  Iowa;  Patrick  Hopkins,  of 
Lexington  ;  and  Daniel  Crumbaugh,  of  Empire  township.  Peace 
to  their  ashes ! 

The  present  generation  of  McLean  County  is  so  near,  in  point 
of  time,  to  the  old  settlers,  that,  as  a  rule,  sufficient  importance 
is  not  attached  to  their  early  struggles,  their  fortitude,  and  self- 
sacrifice,  which  has  resulted  in  the  astonishing  progress  of  the 
county.  While  the  pioneers  are  deservedly  held  in  high  esteem 
by  all  who  study  the  local  history  of  Illinois,  it  will  remain  for 
future  generations  to  bestow  upon  them  the  full  degree  of  grati- 
tude and  veneration  to  which  they  are  entitled.  In  the  same 
manner  we  now  look  back  to  Revolutionary  sires  with  a  pride 
we  do  not  care  to  conceal. 


Xvi  THE    OLD    SETTLEllS. 

The  old  settlers  were  ardent  believers  in  the  future  greatn 
of  Illinois,  where  they  had  found  a  rich  soil,  a  beautiful  country, 
and  everything  that  could  promise  a  wonderful  development. 
How  well  their  anticipations  have  been  fulfilled  need  not  be  told. 
Doubtless  they  did  not  believe  that  the  very  next  generation  after 
them  would  reap  such  golden  returns  from  the  original  invest- 
ments, but  thev  knew  too  well  that  such  returns  could  not  be 
delayed  many  years  after  the  first  inhabitants  should  pass  away. 

In  a  few  years  the  War  of  Rebellion  will  be  the  great  dividing 
line  between  early  and  late  times  in  McLean  Countv.  Even  now 
it  is  thirteen  years  since  that  bloody  storm  commenced  to  sweep 
over  the  land,  and  many  who  were  engaged  in  its  sanguinary 
encounters  have  left  the  scene  of  action.  How  important,  there- 
fore, that  the  incidents  connected  with  the  first  settlers  should  be 
preserved  and  kept  fresh  in  the  recollections  of  their  descendants. 
The  records  in  old  times  were  few  and  imperfect,  but  that  which 
they  reveal  should  be  cherished  with  all  the  wealth  of  affection 
owing  to  souvenirs  and  relics  handed  down  from  a  sturdy 
ancestry. 


M'LEAN  COUNTY. 


Illinois  was  made  a  State  in  the  Union  in  the  year  1818,  when 
it  had  a  population  of  about  forty-five  thousand.  At  that  time 
the  settlements  made  were  in  the  southern  part,  and  the  first 
legislature  met  at  Kaskaskia.  But  a  new  State  Capital  was 
selected.  The  town  of  Vandalia  was  laid  out  for  this  purpose 
in  the  wilderness  on  the  Kaskaskia  River.  The  town  received 
its  name  by  means  of  a  practical  joke  played  upon  the  commis- 
sioners who  made  the  location.  In  Ford's  History  of  Illinois 
we  find  :  "  Tradition  says  that  a  wag,  who  was  present,  sug- 
gested to  the  commissioners  that  the  Vandals  were  a  powerful 
nation  of  Indians,  who  once  inhabited  the  banks  of  the  Kaskas- 
kia River,  and  that  Vandalia,  formed  from  their  name,  would 
perpetuate  the  memory  of  that  extinct  but  renowned  people !" 
Vandalia  was  made  the  capital  of  the  State  and  also  the  seat  of 
justice  of  the  county  of  Fayette.  This  county  included  a  large 
territory,  and  the  present  county  of  McLean  was  within  its 
boundaries.  Before  the  spring  of  1822  not  a  single  white  per- 
son had  made  a  settlement  within  the  boundaries  of  the  present 
McLean  County.  For  thousands  of  years  the  country  had  be- 
longed to  the  Indians,  the  wolves,  the  deer  and  the  rattle 
snakes.  The  rich  soil  had  each  year  produced  luxuriant  crops 
of  prairie  grass,  which,  on  the  lowlands,  grew  from  six  to  eight 
feet  in  height.  In  the  fall  of  each  year  the  prairie  fires  swept 
over  it,  leaving  it  black  and  bare  and  desolate.  These  fires  pre- 
vented the  growth  of  timber,  except  occasionally  on  the  high- 
lands or  in  broken  country  formed  by  streams  of  water. 

In  the  fall  of  1821  John  Hendrix  and  John  W.  Dawson 
came  with  their  families  to  Sangamon  County  from  Ohio.  In 
the  spring  of  1822  they  came  to  what  is  now  called  Blooming 
Grove  and  made  a  settlement,      At  that  time  not  a  single  house 


2  SKETCH    OF 

was  to  be  found  between  Blooming  Grove  and  Chicago.  A  few 
men  were  then  engaged  in  making  salt  at  Danville  and  a  few 
miners  were  at  ( ralena. 

After  the  first  settler  conies  and  the  country  is  heard  of. 
others  soon  follow.  In  about  the  year  1822  Gardner  Randolph 
settled  at  Randolph's  Grove.  In  the  spring  of  1823  John  Ben- 
son, the  old  soldier  of  1812.  and  his  family  came  to  Blooming 
Grove  and  made  a  settlement,  living  first  in  a  linn  bark  camp. 
During  the  same  year  the  Stringfield  family,  consisting  of  the 
widow  Stringfield  and  her  sons  Severe  and  Alfred  M.,  came  to 
Randolph's  Grove,  where  they  lived  at  first  in  a  half-faced 
camp.  Absalom  and  Isaac  Funk  and  Mr.  Brook  came  during 
the  same  }-ear  and  settled  in  Funk's  Grove.  On  the  second  of 
May,  1823,  the  OrendorfYs,  William  and  Thomas,  came  to  Bloom- 
ing Grove.  It  was  during  this  year,  too,  that  William  II.  Hodge, 
the  pioneer  schoolmaster,  came  to  Blooming  Grove  from  Sanga- 
mon County.  Blooming  Grove  was  the  favorite  spot  for  the 
new  settlers,  and  the  most  of  them  came  there;  but  the  other 
groves  were  not  long  neglected.  In  about  the  year  1824  the 
old  Quaker,  Ephraim  Stout,  and  his  son  Ephraim  Stout,  Jr., 
made  a  settlement  in  Stout's  Grove.  During  this  year  Robert 
Stubblefield  and  family  came  to  Funk's  Grove  and  Thomas  0. 
Rutledge  came  with  his  mother  and  the  Rutledge  family  to 
Randolph's  Grove.  The  first  sermon  preached  within  the  limits 
of  the  present  McLean  County  was  delivered  by  Rev.  James 
Stringfield  from  Kentucky.  He  was  an  uncle  of  Squire  String- 
field  of  Randolph's  Grove.  The  little  congregation  was  gath- 
ered at  the  cabin  of  John  Hendrix  and  there  the  services  were 
held.  In  June,  1S24,  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rhodes  came  with  his 
family  to  Blooming  Grove.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Separate 
Baptist  denomination,  but  afterwards  joined  the  Christian 
Church.  Wherever  two  or  three  families  could  be  gathered 
together,  Mr.  Rhodes  delivered  to  them  a  sermon.  lie  was  the 
first  regular  preacher  in  McLean  County,  and  for  a  long  while 
the  only  one.  He  often  traveled  with  Rev.  Mr.  Latta,  and  they 
both  preached  at  the  same  place. 

When  the  first  settlers  came  to  the  country,  the  Indians 
were  plenty.  The  Kickapoos  ruled  the  country.  They  had 
made  a  treaty  sometime  previous,  by  which  the  whites  acquired 


M  LEAN   COUNTY.  6 

all  their  land  ;  but  when  the  whiles  came  in  to  settle  and  occupy 
it  the  Kickapoos  were  angry,  and  some  of  them  felt  disposed  to 
insult  and  annoy  the  settlers.  When  John  Ilendrix  came  to 
Blooming  Grove  the  Indians  ordered  him  to  leave.  Not  long 
afterwards  they  frightened  away  a  family  which  settled  on  the 
Mackinaw.  Old  Machina,  the  chief  of  the  Kickapoos,  ordered 
the  Dawson  family  away,  by  throwing  leaves  in  the  air.  This 
was  to  let  the  bootanas  (white  men)  know  that  they  must  not  be 
found  in  the  country  when  the  leaves  of  autumn  should  fall.  In 
182-3,  when  the  Orendorffs  came,  Old  Machina  had  learned  to 
speak  a  little  English.  He  came  to  Thomas  Orendorff,  and 
with  a  majestic  wave  of  his  hand  said,  "  Too  much  come  hack, 
white  man,  t'other  side  Sangamon."  The  Rhodes  family  was 
likewise  ordered  away.  These  things  appeared  a  little  threat- 
ening, but  the  settlers  refused  to  leave  and  were  not  molested. 
It  is  the  almost  unanimous  expression  of  the  settlers  that  the 
Indians  were  the  best  of  neighbors.  They  were  polite  and 
friendly,  and  Old  Machina  was  quite  popular  among  the  whites, 
especially  with  the  women,  lie  was  particularly  fond  of  child- 
r<  n,  and  this  touched  their  motherly  hearts. 

The  year  1825  was  marked  by  some  accessions  to  the  little 
band  of  settlers.  On  the  third  of  March,  during  that  year,  Rev. 
Peyton  Mitchel  came  with  his  family  to  Stout's  Grove.  Mr. 
Mitchel  was  a  member  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church 
and  was  a  zealous  and  earnest  Christian.  In  the  fall  of  this  year 
Jonathan  Cheney  made  a  settlement  with  his  family  at  Cheney's 
Grove.  His  stock  lived  during  the  winter  on  the  twigs  of  trees 
and  came  out  in  good  condition  in  the  spring.  This  food  was 
liked  by  the  cattle,  and  the  settlers  often  fed  their  stock  in  this 
way.  During  this  same  year  the  family  of  William  Evans  came 
to  Blooming  Grove  and  made  a  settlement.  This  year  was 
marked  by  some  few  improvements.  The  settlers  were  obliged 
to  go  long  distances  to  mill  and  took  large  loads.  They  went 
first  to  Attica  on  the  Wabash,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
distant.  Afterwards  they  went  to  Green's  mill  on  Fox  River, 
near  where  Ottawa  now  stands,  about  eighty  miles  distant.  But 
during  the  year  1825  Ebenezer  Rhodes  built  a  mill  at  Blooming 
Grove.  The  stones  for  grinding  were  the  "nigger  heads''  or 
boulders  from  the  prairie.      His  mill  was  of  the  kind  which  be- 


4  SKETCH    or 

came  afterwards  <juite  common  and  was  called  a  "corn  cracker.''" 
The  most  curious  of  these  mills  was  the  one  afterwards  built  by 
Major  Baker.  The  stones  were  "nigger  heads"  cut  in  the  shape 
of  a  coffee  mill, and  while  in  motion  the  lower  stone  was  the  one 
which  revolved. 

In  August,  1826,  the  Trimmer  family  came  to  Smith's  Grove. 
Here  John  Trimmer  died  and  his  widow  settled  with  her  family 
during  the  same  year  in  Money  Creek  timber.  Jacob  Spawr 
came  about  the  same  time  and  lived  with  the  Trimmer  famil}^. 
It  is  pretty  hard  to  bring  clearly  before  the  mind  the  circum- 
stances of  the  early  settlers.  Everything  was  different  in  their 
surroundings.  In  those  days  the  green  head  flies  became  very 
numerous  and  were  almost  an  Egyptian  plague.  They  became 
so  troublesome  that,  during  about  six  weeks  of  the  vear  in  fly- 
time,  travelers  were  obliged  to  go  on  their  journeys  at  night  r 
and  even  then  their  horses  or  oxen  were  troubled  by  the  flies,  if 
the  moon  wTas  shining  brightly.  Their  bite  was  so  severe  that 
a  horse,  if  turned  loose  during  that  season  of  the  year,  was  liable 
to  be  goaded  to  death  with  pain,  loss  of  blood  and  incessant 
kicking  to  become  rid  of  the  flies.  They  were  the  most  numer- 
ous and  troublesome  on  the  routes  where  travelers,  usually 
passed  with  their  teams. 

The  devices  used  by  the  settlers  were  of  every  kind  and 
description,  and  a  particular  account  of  them  would  fill  a  volume 
On  Greenberry  Larison's  place,  at  Brooks'  Grove,  was  for  many 
years  a  wooden  grindstone,  made  by  Josiah  Harp.  It  was  a  large 
wooden  wheel,  and  the  outer  edge  or  rim  was  pounded  full  of 
sand  and  fine  gravel.  This  was  done  while  the  wood  was  fresh 
and  green,  and  when  it  dried,  the  sand  and  gravel  wTere  tightly 
held.  By  the  revolution  of  this  wheel  an  ax  could  be  sharpened 
or  scratched,  and  something  of  an  edge  given  to  it.  Thesettlers 
were  obliged  to  go  long  distances  to  have  their  tools  sharpened. 
Isaac  Funk  and  Robert  Stubblefield  often  carried  their  plough 
irons  on  horseback  fifty  or  sixty  miles  for  this  purpose. 

The  prairie  grass  in  the  early  days  grew  very  high,  and  its 
roots  wrere  tough  and  fibrous.  It  was  therefore  very  hard  for  the 
settlers  to  break  their  prairie.  A  good  breaking  team  consisted 
of  five  or  six  yoke  of  oxen,  and  the  plow  was  an  old  fashioned 
Barshear,  which  cut  a  furrow  twenty-two  inches  in  width.    This 


m'lean  county.  5 

plow  would  now  be  really  a  curiosity.  It  had  a  shear  of  cold 
hammered  steel  and  was  attached  to  a  wooden  raouldboard.  It 
went  out  of  use  many  years  ago.  The  prairie  grass  with  its 
librous  roots  has  also  given  way  to  civilization,  and  the  pretty 
blue  grass  has  taken  its  place.  The  settlers  were  so  far  from  mar- 
ket, and  the  cost  of  transportation  was  so  great  that  they  could 
buy  but  few  articles  of  every  day  use.  They  were  obliged  to 
make  them  or  do  without.  They  raised  their  own  wool  and  flax 
and  spun  and  wove  their  own  cloth.  They  wore  home-made 
jeans  and  linsey  woolsey.  Their  shoes  were  of  their  own  make, 
and  sometimes  their  leather  was  of  their  own  tanning.  They 
raised  their  own  sheep,  of  course.  The  earliest  settlers  say  that 
it  was  easy  to  raise  sheep  at  first ;  that  the  wolves  would  not 
molest  them.  But  the  wolves  soon  acquired  a  taste  for  mutton 
and  became  the  most  vicious  and  troublesome  enemies  with 
which  the  settlers  had  to  contend.  It  became  as  much  the  duty 
of  settlers  to  chase  wolves  as  to  plow,  sow  and  reap.  They 
caught  the  wolves  in  traps  and  in  pens,  killed  them  with  clubs 
while  chasing  them  on  horseback,  made  ring  hunts  for  the  pur- 
pose of  exterminating  them,  poisoned  them,  offered  bounties  for 
their  scalps  and  made  warfare  on  them  in  a  thousand  different 
ways.  Sometimes  when  a  wolf  became  very  troublesome  the 
settlers  offered  bounties  for  its  particular  scalp.  More  than  a 
thousand  bushels  of  corn  were  once  offered  for  the  scalp  of  a 
single  wolf.  It  was  killed  by  John  Price  of  Downs,  but  he  re- 
fused to  accept  the  bounty.  The  legislature  at  last  raised  the 
bounty  on  wolf  scalps.  A  grandiloquous  speaker,  named  Hub- 
bard, once  expressed  the  feelings  of  the  settlers,  though  in  a 
laughable  style,  when  he  said : 

"  Mr.  Speaker,  from  all  sources  of  information  I  learn  that 
the  wolf  is  a  very  noxious  animal ;  that  he  goes  prowling  about, 
seeking  something  to  devour;  that  he  rises  up  in  the  dead  and 
secret  hours  of  the  night,  when  all  nature  reposes  in  silent  ob- 
livion, and  then  commits  the  most  terrible  devastations  among 
the  rising  generation  of  hogs  and  sheep." 

The  stock,  which  the  settlers  raised,  was  collected  by  drovers 
and  taken  to  market  toPekin,  Peoria,  Galena  or  Chicago.  The 
Funks  were  the  greatest  drovers  and  did  by  far  the  largest  busi- 
ness. They  led  a  hard  life,  and  the  difficulties  they  encountered 
and  overcame  seem  almost  beyond  belief. 


(.  SKETCH  OF 

In  182(1  a  man  named  Smith  came  to  Dry  Grove,  made  a 
claim  and  lived  for  a  while  in  a  tent.  In  October  of  that  year 
Peter  McCullough  came  from  Tennessee,  bought  Smith's  claim 
and  put  up  the  first  house  in  Dry  Grove. 

By  this  time  the  settlers  in  this  section  of  the  country 
thought  they  ought  to  have  a  new  county.  Everyone  was  anx- 
ious; petitions  were  circulated,  and  the  legislature  of  1826  and 
'27  formed  the  county  of  Tazewell  from  a  part  of  Fayette. 
This  action  of  the  legislature  was  ratified  at  an  election  held  in 
April,  1827,  at  the  house  of  William  Orendorff  of  Blooming 
Grove.  William  Orendorff  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  ; 
William  II.  Hodo'e  was  elected  sheriff  and  Thomas  Orendorff 
was  elected  coroner.  The  first  court  of  Tazewell  County  was 
held  at  the  house  of  Ephraim  Stout  of  Stout's  Grove.  But 
Mackinawtown  was  made  the  seat  of  justice,  and  here  the  pub- 
lic buildings  were  to  be  erected.  The  jail  was  built  of  logs  by 
Matthew  Robb  and  others,  and  in  order  to  test  its  strength  this 
gentleman  was  placed  inside  and  the  door  locked.  But  lie  suc- 
ceeded in  o-etting  out  of  the  little  establishment. 

The  season  of  1827  was  remarkably  early.     Bv  the  middle 

\j  %f  \j 

of  March  the  grass  was  ankle  deep  in  the  marshes,  and  the  prai- 
rie had  a  greenish  tinge.  This  season  was  remarkable,  too.  for 
the  great  storm,  which  passed  through  Blooming  Grove  and  Old 
Town  timber.  It  was  the  twenty-third  of  June  when  it  came. 
Everything  fell  before  it;  the  largest  trees  were  uprooted  and 
twisted  and  broken,  and  in  some  places  the  logs  were  piled  up 
twenty  feet  in  height.  For  many  years  afterwards  the  track  of 
this  terrible  storm  was  plainly  seen. 

During  the  summer  of  1827,  which  was  very  wet,  Stephen 
Webb,  William  McCord  and  George  and  Jacob  Hinshaw  came 
to  the  county.  Stephen  Webb  settled  in  Dry  Grove  and  the 
Hinshaws  settled  in  Blooming  Grove,  but  afterwards  moved  to 
Dry  Grove.  In  March  of  this  year  Matthew  Robb  and  Robert 
McClure  settled  at  Stout's  Grove. 

During  the  early  days  the  West  was   thickly  inhabited   bv 
snakes,   and   the   settlers  tell  great  stories  of  the   number  they' 
killed.      Nevertheless  the  settlers  often  went  to  the  field  and  did 
their    ploughing   barefooted.      Mr.  Peasley   of   Down   says   that 
while  ploughing  around  a  patch  of  ground,  the  snakes  continu- 


m'lean  county. 


ally  crawled  away  from  the  furrow  to  the  center  of  the  un- 
plowed  patch,  and  when  it  became  very  small  the  grass  was 
fairly  alive  with  the  wriggling,  squirming  reptiles,  and  they 
would  at  last  break  in  every  direction.  The  rattlesnakes  fre- 
quently bit  the  oxen,  but  the  latter  seldom  died  on  account  of 
snake  bite.  The  poison  of  the  rattlesnake  is  most  virulent  and 
dangerous  in  August. 

One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  with  which  the  settlers  were 
obliged  to  contend  was  the  fire  on  the  prairie.  In  the  fall  of 
the  year  they  prot  ected  their  farms  by  ploughing  furrows  around 
them,  and  sometimes  by  ploughing  furrows  wride  apart  and 
burning  out  the  grass  between  them.  But  in  spite  of  all  pre- 
cautions the  settlers  often  suffered.  The  tire  sometimes  came 
before  preparation  was  made,  and  sometimes  it  leaped  over  the 
furrows  and  burned  up  fences,  fields  of  corn,  stacks  of  hay  and 
stacks  of  wheat.  It  moved  so  rapidly  that  very  little  time  was 
given  to  prepare  for  it.  It  drew  currents  of  air  in  after  it  to  feed 
the  flames,  and  the  wind  drove  it  on  faster  and  faster.  A  prairie 
tire  moves  with  the  central  portion  ahead,  while  the  wings  hang 
back  on  each  side,  in  the  shape  of  a  tiock  of  wild  geese.  Some- 
times the  settlers  protected  not  only  their  farms  from  fire  but  a 
considerable  prairie.  The  prairie  so  protected  soon  became 
covered  with  a  growth  of  timber. 

In  March,  1828,  the  family  of  Francis  Barnard  came  to  Dry 
Grove.  During  the  same  year  the  Henline  family  came  to 
Mackinaw  timber  and  settled  on  the  north  of  the  Mackinaw  on 
Henline  Creek.  In  February,  1829,  Levi  Danley  came  to 
Stout's  Grove,  and  in  October  of  the  same  }'ear  entered  the 
farm  where  he  settled  and  which  he  still  owns.  The  Conger 
family  also  settled  at  Stout's  Grove  during  the  same  year.  In 
March  of  this  year  the  Messer  family  came  to  Mackinaw  tim- 
ber. During  this  year  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rhodes  organized  the 
first  church  in  McLean  County  at  his  house  in  Blooming  Grove. 

It  may  be  a  matter  of  curiosity  to  readers  to  know  how 
Blooming  Grove  received  its  name.  It  was  called  Keg  Grove 
and  Hendrix  Grove  and  sometimes  Dawson's  Grove.  There  is 
a  story  that  the  Indians  found  a  keg  of  whiskey  which  had  been 
cached,  and  that  this  gave  the  name  which  the  grove  bore  for 
many  years.     But  this    story  is   not   well   authenticated.     The 


J 


8  SKETCH    OF 

name  was  afterwards  changed  to  Blooming,  on  account  of 
the  flowers  and  foliage  of  the  maple  trees  in  spring-time. 
This  name  was  suggested  by  two  different  parties  at  about  the 
same  time.  Mrs.  William  Orendorff  suggested  to  some  ladies, 
who  were  visiting  her,  that  the  grove  should  be  called  Bloom- 
ing Grove.  At  nearly  the  same  time  John  Rhodes  and  Thomas 
Orendorff  were  out  in  the  woods  writing  letters,  and  Rhodes 
asked  what  name  they  should  write  at  the  head  of  their  letters. 
Thomas  Orendorff  looked  up  at  the  maple  trees  and  said  :  "It 
looks  blooming  here,  I  think  we  had  better  call  it  Blooming 
Grove." 

At  the  opening  of  the  year  1830  the  country  was  sparsely 
settled,  indeed  it  could  hardly  be  said  to  be  settled  at  all. 
There  were  only  three  houses  between  Blooming  Grove  and 
Mackinawtown ;  and  between  the  latter  place  and  the  present 
village  of  Pleasant  Hill  were  no  houses  at  all.  At  that  time 
the  most  hopeful  of  the  old  settlers  only  dared  to  think  that  the 
country  would  be  settled  in  the  edges  of  the  timber,  that  a  cor- 
don of  farms  would  be  made  around  each  grove. 

In  January,  1830,  Jesse  Havens  and  family  settled  in  what 
has  since  been  called  Havens'  Grove.  In  the  fore  part  of  the 
same  year  Benjamin  "Wheeler  also  settled  there.  In  the  spring 
of  1830  John  Smith  settled  at  Smith's  Grove,  and  two  years  af- 
terwards moved  to  Havens'  Grove.  During  the  previous  spring 
of  1829  James  Allin  came  to  Blooming  Grove  from  Vandalia 
for  the  purpose  of  merchandising.  This  was  a  great  accession, 
for  the  influence  which  this  man  exerted  was  of  the  greatest 
importance  to  McLean  County. 

In  the  year  1830  the  people  of  Blooming  Grove  and  many 
surrounding  settlements  determined  to  have  a  county  cut  off 
from  Tazewell.  The  idea  was  not  favored  by  the  people  of 
Mackinawtown,  the  county  seat  of  Tazewell  County.  But 
James  Allin  and  many  others  were  active  in  circulating  petitions. 
These  petitions  were  taken  to  Vandalia  during  that  same 
year  by  Thomas  Orendorff  and  James  Latta.  The  speaker  of 
the  house,  William  Lee  D.  Ewing,  interested  himself  in  the 
matter,  but  Orendorff  and  Latta  were  obliged  to  wait  several 
days  before  their  petitions  could  be  attended  to.  At  last  Mr. 
Ewing  called  the  two  gentlemen  to  his  room  and  asked  what  the 


m'lean  county.  9 

name  of  the  county  should  be.  James  Latta  wished  it  called 
Hendricks  County  after  Mr.  Hendricks  of  Indiana.  But  Mr* 
Ewing  remarked  that  it  was  dangerous  to  name  it  after  any  liv- 
ing man;  for  no  one's  reputation  was  safe  until  he  had  gone  to 
his  grave.  The  man  whom  they  chose  to  honor  might  do  some- 
thing mean,  and  the  people  would  wish  the  name  of  the  county 
changed.  Mr.  Ewing  then  proposed  to  call  it  McLean  County 
after  John  McLean,  who  had  been  speaker  of  the  lower  house 
of  the  Assembly,  had  been  a  representative  in  Congress  and 
United  States  Senator.  This  proposition  was  agreed  to,  and  the 
bill  passed  the  lower  house  in  the  forenoon  of  that  day  and  the 
Senate  in  the  afternoon.  Ford's  History  of  Illinois  says  of  John 
McLean:  "He  was  very  prominent  in  the  politics  of  Illinois. 
He  was  several  times  elected  to  the  legislature,  once  elected  to 
the  lower  house  of  Congress,  and  twice  to  the  United  States 
Senate,  and  died  a  member  of  that  body  in  1880.  He  was  natu- 
rally a  great,  magnanimous  man  and  a  leader  of  men.  The 
county  of  McLean  was  named  in  honor  of  him."  McLean 
Countj-  was  at  that  time  much  larger  than  at  present.  It  was 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Illinois  River ;  on  the  east  by 
Range  six  east  of  the  Third  Principal  Meridian ;  on  the  south 
by  the  south  line  of  Township  Twenty-one  north,  and  on  the 
west  by  Range  One  west  of  the  Third  Principal  Meridian. 

The  winter  of  1830  and  '31  was  the  celebrated  winter  of  the 
deep  snow.  The  weather  during  the  fall  had  been  very  dry, 
and  continued  mild  until  late  in  the  winter.  But  at  last  the 
snow  came  during  the  latter  part  of  December;  and  such  a 
snow  has  never  since  been  known.  The  settlers  were  blockaded 
in  their  cabins  and  could  do  very  little  except  pound  their  corn, 
cut  their  wood  and  keep  their  fires  blazing.  A  great  deal  of 
stock  was  frozen  to  death  during  this  terrible  winter.  The  deer 
and  wild  turkeys,  which  had  been  very  numerous,  were  almost 
exterminated.  The  wolves,  on  the  other  hand,  had  a  pleasant 
time  of  it.  They  played  around  over  the  snow,  caught  all  the 
deer  they  wished,  and  were  bold  and  impudent.  The  stories  of 
this  deep  snow  would  fill  a  large  volume,  and  in  the  sketches 
of  this  work  are  found  the  experience  of  many  pioneers,  who 
lived  during  the  cold  winter  in  their  snow-bound  huts.  It  has 
been  impossible  to  learn  precisely  the  depth  of  the  snow  during 


10  SKETCH    OF 

tliis  winter.  As  the  Bnow  fell  it  drifted,  and  other  snows  fell 
and  other  drifts  were  made.  Many  measurements  were  taken 
in  the  timber,  but  even  here  great  errors  were  likely  to  occur, 
for  the  snow  after  falling  soon  settled.  The  settlers  vary  in  their 
statements,  some  of  them  placing  the  depth  at  a  little  less  than 
three  feet,  and  some  at  more  than  four  feet.  In  the  spring  of 
1831,  when  the  snow  melted,  the  face  of  the  country  was  cov- 
ered with  water.  The  little  creeks  became  great  rivers,  and  all 
intercourse  between  the  settlers  was  stopped;  for  people  could 
have  traveled  better  with  steamboats  than  with  ox  teams.  The 
spring  was  backward  and  the  crops  were  sown  late.  Xeverthe- 
less  a  fair  crop  of  wheat  was  harvested;  but  the  corn,  upon 
which  the  settlers  depended  most,  was  bitten  by  the  early  frosts 
in  the  fall. 

In  1831  the  seat  of  justice  of  McLean  County  was  located 
at  the  north  end  of  Blooming  Grove,  on  land  given  by  James 
Allin  for  the  purpose  of  founding  the  town  of  Bloomington. 
The  location  was  made  by  commissioners  appointed  by  the  legis- 
lature. These  commissioners  also  appointed  Thomas  Orendorff 
the  first  assessor.  His  assessment  was  made  roughly  on  what 
each  person  was  worth,  without  specifying  the  property  particu- 
larly, and  it  was  completed  in  thirteen  days. 

The  business  of  McLean  County  was  transacted  by  a  board  of 
three  commissioners.  The  first  meeting  of  the  Commissioners" 
Court  was  held  May  16,  1831.  The  members  present  were  Jona- 
than Cheney,  Timothy  B.  Hoblit  and  Jesse  Havens,  [saac 
Baker  was  appointed  first  clerk  of  Court  and  held  this  office  for 
many  years.  The  first  tax  levied  by  this  Court  was  one-half  of 
one  per  cent.  But  though  this  tax  was  small,  it  was  severely  felt 
by  the  settlers,  much  more  so  than  heavy  taxes  at  the  present 
day.  Thomas  Orendorff  was  appointed  the  first  treasurer  of 
McLean  County.  It  may  perhaps  interest  the  curious  to  know 
of  the  first  marriage  solemnized  in  McLean  County  after  its  or- 
eanization.  It  was  between  Robert  Rutledee  and  Charity  AVeed- 
man,  and  the  ceremony  was  performed  on  the  ninth  of  June, 
1831,  by  Nathan  Brittin,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

The  year  1831  was  particularly  celebrated  for  the  fever  and 
ague.  A  great  deal  of  rich  soil  was  turned  over  for  the  first 
time,    and    the    vapors    and    exhalations  made  the  climate    nn- 


m'lean  county.  11 

healthy.  Mr.  Esek  Greenman  says  that  out  of  twenty-four  per- 
sons belonging  to  three  families,  twenty-three  had  the  ague.  It 
was  as  much  to  be  expected  as  harvest  or  the  changes  of  the 
seasons.  It  was  a  disease  to  be  dreaded  because  of  its  effect 
upon  the  mind  as  well  as  upon  the  physical  system.  It  induced 
a  feeling  of  despondency,  and  took  away  that  spirit  of  enter- 
prise and  that  strong  will,  which  bore  up  the  settlers  under  mis- 
fortune. For  many  years  the  fever  and  ague  was  the  scourge  of 
the  West,  and  was  one  of  the  severest  hardships. 

In  September,  1831,  the  Methodists  held  their  first  camp- 
meeting  at  Randolph's  Grove.  Rev.  Peter  Cartwright,  Rev. 
Mr.  Latta  and  others  preached  there.  Mr.  Cartwright  was  very 
sensitive  to  the  criticisms  of  Eastern  men,  and  said  :  "  They 
represent  this  country  as  a  vast  waste,  and  people  as  very  ignor- 
ant; but  if  I  was  going  to  shoot  a  fool,  I  would  not  take  aim  at 
a  Western  man,  but  would  go  down  by  the  sea-shore  and  cock 
my  fusee  at  the  imps  who  live  on  oysters."  Mr.  Latta  preached 
directly  at  popular  vices  and  was  particularly  severe  on  horse- 
racing.  He  said  :  "  There  is  a  class  of  people,  who  can  not  go 
to  hell  fast  enough  on  foot,  so  they  must  get  on  their  poor,  mean 
pony  and  go  to  the  horse-race.  Even  professors  of  religion  are 
not  guiltless  in  this  respect,  but  go  under  the  pretense  that  they 
want  to  see  such  a  man  or  such  a  man,  but  they  know  in  their 
own  hearts  that  they  want  to  see  the  horse-race." 

The  year  1832  was  the  one'  in  which  the  Black  Hawk  War 
occurred,  a  full  account  of  wdiich  is  given  in  this  volume. 

Among  the  old  settlers  were  to  be  found  some  soldiers  of 
the  Revolution.  The  following  is  taken  from  the  records  of 
the  County  Commissioners'  Court  for  December,  1832  : 

"John  Scott  came  into  'open  Court  and  on  his  oath  made  a 
declaration  purporting  to  prove  himself  a  revolutionary  soldier, 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  benefit  of  the  act  of  Congress, 
passed  June  the  7th,  A.  I).  1832.  The  Court  is  of  opinion, 
after  the  investigation  of  the  matter  and  putting  the  interroga- 
tories prescribed  by  the  war  department,  that  the  said  Scott's 
declaration  is  correct  and  that  he  is  a  revolutionary  soldier." 
Eight  other  revolutionary  soldiers  were  certified  by  the  Court  as 
being  such.  They  were  Ebenezer  Barnes,  William  MeGhee, 
Thomas  Sloan,  Edward  F.  Patrick,  Charles  Moore,  William 
Vincent,  Edward  Day  and  John  Toliday. 


12  SKETCH    OF 

The  records  of  the  Court  also  show  another  peculiar  law, 
which  has  been  done  away  with.  The  following  is  taken  from 
the  record  of  the  June  Term,  1835  : 

"This  day  William  T.  Major  presents  a  bond  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars,  payable  to  T.  B.  Hoblit,  Setli  Baker  and  Andrew 
McMillin,  County  Commissioners,  and  their  successors  in  office, 
conditioned  that  a  negro  girl  named  Rosanna  Johnson,  late  a 
slave  in  the  state  of  Kentucky,  shall  not  become  a  charge  on 
any  county  in  this  state,  &c.  The  Court  accepts  of  the  said 
bond  and  orders  the  same  to  be  put  on  file  for  the  benefit  of  the 
said  counties  and  also  for  the  said  Rosanna." 

James  Miller  also  gave  his  bond  for  a  mulatto  boy,  Henry 
Clay,  whom  Miller  had  brought  from  Kentucky. 

In  1832  the  accessions  to  McLean  County,  and  especially  to 
Bloomington,  were  so  great  that  a  second  addition  was  made  to 
the  latter  place  by  James  Allin.  In  1833  the  first  race  track 
was  laid  out.  Four  horses  wTere  ridden  in  the  first  race.  They 
were  the  Bald  Hornet,  owned  by  Henry  Jacoby  and  ridden  by 
Esek  Greenman;  the  Gun  Fannon,  owned  by  Jake  Heald ; 
Tiger  Whip,  owned  by  Peter  Hefner  and  ridden  b}-  James  Paul, 
and  Ethiopian,  owned  by  a  man  near  Waynesville.  The  race 
was  won  by  Tiger  Whip. 

The  prices  of  produce,  of  wheat,  corn,  &c,  were  in  early 
days  sometimes  very  high,  and  at  other  times  correspondingly 
low.  Corn  was  sometimes  a  dollar  a  bushel,  and  sometimes 
only  ten  cents.  In  1833  prices  were  very  low.  Corn  sold  for 
ten  cents  a  bushel,  oats  for  eight  cents,  wheat  for  thirty-one 
cents,  flour  for  $1.50  per  hundred  weight,  pork  for  §1.25,  and 
wood  for  one  dollar  per  cord. 

In  1834  the  settlement  of  the  country  was  such  that  people 
began  to  calculate  where  to  lay  out  the  villages,  which,  with  the 
development  of  the  countrj-,  would  one  day  become  towns  and 
cities.  The  village  of  Clarksville  was  laid  off  in  July,  1834,  by 
Joseph  and  Marston  C.  Bartholomew.  During  this  year  the 
census  of  Bloomington  was  taken  by  Allen  Withers,  and  the 
little  town  numbered  one  hundred  and  eighty  inhabitants.  In 
1835  the  influx  of  settlers  continued.  The  state  of  Illinois  had 
in  1818  a  population  of  about  45,000  ;  in  1830  it  had  a  popula- 
tion of  157,447;  but  in   1835  the  people  of  the  state  numbered 


m'lean  county.  13 

about  250,000.  In  November,  1835,  the  town  of  LeRoy  was 
laid  out  by  Covel  and  Gridley.  The  year  1836  was  marked  by 
a  grand  rush  of  settlers  to  Illinois.  Many  pamphlets  had  been 
circulated  among  the  people  of  the  Eastern  States,  and  the  great 
resources  of  the  West  became  everywhere  known.  The  settlers 
came  in  every  possible  way.  They  crowded  the  steamboats  on 
the  rivers;  they  came  en  horseback,  with  ox  teams,  or  on  foot; 
everywhere  they  were  coming.  Scarcely  any  accommodations 
could  be  prepared  for  them,  and  they  lived  in  their  wagons  or 
tents,  or  crowded  into  the  little  log  cabins,  which  were  hastily 
built.  They  made  settlements  singly  or  by  companies.  It  was 
during  this  year  that  the  Hudson  and  Mt.  Hope  Companies  were 
formed.  The  Hudson  Company  was  formed  at  Jacksonville, 
and  the  articles  of  agreement  were  drawn  up  in  February,  1836. 
Horatio  1ST.  Pettit,  John  Gregory  and  George  F.  Pufkitt  were 
chosen  a  committee  to  enter  and  locate  the  land.  Twenty-one 
sections  were  entered  in  the  name  of  Horatio  N.  Pettit,  and 
through  him  the  colonists  trace  their  title.  The  land  was  loca- 
ted  at  Haven's  Grove,  and  was  surveyed  by  Major  Diekason, 
the  county  surveyor,  assisted  by  John  Magouu  and  S.  P.  Cox. 
The  town  of  Hudson  was  laid  out,  and  the  choice  of  lots  was 
made  on  the  fourth  of  July,  1836.  During  this  year  little  towns 
were  laid  out  everywhere.  In  January  the  town  of  Lexington 
was  laid  out  by  A.  Gridley  and  J.  Brown,  and  in  December  fol- 
lowing an  addition  was  made  by  Edgar  Conkling.  In  February, 
1836,  Concord  (now  Danvers)  was  laid  out  by  Isaac  W.  Hall 
and  Matthew  Robb.  During  the  same  month  the  town  of  Lytle- 
ville  was  laid  out  by  John  Baldwin,  and  an  addition  was  made 
in  the  following  March.  Wilkesborough  was  laid  out  in  June 
by  James  0.  Barnard.  The  growth  of  Bloomington  kept  pace 
with  the  development  of  the  country  and  its  population  increased 
to  four  hundred  and  fifty.  During  this  year  additions  were  laid 
out,  known  as  White's,  Miller  and  Foster's,  Allin,  Gridley  and 
Prickett's  and  Evans'. 

The  Mt.  Hope  colony  was  formed  by  a  company  chartered  by 
the  state  of  Rhode  Island,  under  the  name  of  the  Providence 
Farmers'  &  Mechanics'  Emigrating  Society.  In  December,  1836, 
the  company  entered  eight  thousand  acres  of  land  very  nearly 
in  the  shape  of  a  square,  and  as  it  had  twenty-five  shares,  each 


14  SKETCH    OF 

share-holder  was  entitled  to  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land.  The  land  entered  by  the  Mt.  Hope  colony  comprises  near- 
ly all  of  the  present  township  of  Mt.  Hope.  In  the  summer  of 
1837  General  William  Peck,  one  of  the  originators  of  the  scheme, 
came  out  and  surveyed  the  land  and  laid  out  the  village  of  Mt. 
Hope. 

The  month  of  December,  1836,  was  marked  by  a  sudden 
change  in  the  weather,  more  remarkable,  perhaps,  than  the  great 
winter  of  the  deep  snow.  The  weather  had  been  mild  for  some 
time,  and  rain  had  been  falling,  changing  the  snow  to  slush, 
when  suddenly  a  cold  wind-storm  came  and  lowered  the  temper- 
ature instantly  from  about  forty  degrees  above  zero  to  twenty 
degrees  below.  The  face  of  the  countrj7  wras  changed  from 
water  to  ice  immediately  and,  as  Rev.  Mr.  Peasley  said,  appeared 
like  a  picture  of  the  Polar  regions.  Squire  Buck,  of  Empire 
township,  took  some  notes  of  this  wind-storm,  and  says  that  it 
came  from  the  west  to  the  Mississippi,  which  it  reached  at  ten 
o'clock  a.  M.,  that  it  continued  eastward  and  reached  Leroy  at 
three  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  Indianapolis  at  about  eleven.  It  there- 
lore  moved  from  the  Mississippi  River  to  Leroy  at  the  rate  of 
thirty  miles  an  hour,  and  from  Leroy  to  Indianapolis  at  the  rate 
of  twenty  miles  an  hour. 

After  the  year  1836  the  great  rush  of  settlers  to  the  West  was 
over.  In  1837  the  United  States'  bank  suspended,  and  the  spirit 
of  enterprise  was  checked.  The  rage  for  laying  out  towns  was 
stopped,  for  the  little  villages,  which  were  brought  into  being, 
refused  to  grow.  In  February,  1839,  Conkling  and  Wood  laid 
out  an  addition  to  Leroy,  and  in  April,  1840,  Pleasant  Hill  was 
laid  out  by  Isaac  Smalley. 

The  great  coon-skin  and  hard  cider  campaign,  when  General 
Harrison  wras  elected  President,  was  in  1840.  The  Democratic 
party  was  represented  by  the  cock,  and  the  Whigs  by  the  coon. 
During  that  campaign  the  Whigs  took  an  enormous  canoe  to  a 
mass-meeting  at  Springfield.  The  excitement  rose  to  the  highest 
point. 

The  failure  of  the  United  States'  bank  and  the  closeness  of 
money  did  not  affect  the  West  as  soon  as  the  East ;  but  the  com- 
mereial  distress  slowly  and  surely  worked  westward.  In  1842 
the  condition  of  things  was  frightful,  worse  than  has  ever  since 


m'lean  county.  15 

been  known.  During  that  year  Judge  McClun  took  to  the  East 
some  pork,  which  he  had  received  in  payment  for  goods,  and  he 
says:  "If  the  West  was  prostrate,  the  East  was  in  even  a  worse 
tix.  Commercial  distress  was  everywhere  seen.  Failures  were 
an  hourly  occurrence,  and  the  only  reliable  money,  gold  and  sil- 
ver, was  locked  up.  Factories  had  stopped  and  their  goods  were 
thrown  on  the  market  at  ruinous  prices.  My  pork  could  not  be 
sold  to  realize  even  the  cost  of  transportation."  During  this 
year  a  number  of  the  settlers  concluded  to  collect  their  pigs  in 
a  "bunch"  and  drive  them  to  Chicago  themselves,  for  they  could 
not  believe  that  the  price  offered  by  drovers  was  really  that  of 
the  Chicago  market.  But  these  misguided  settlers  received  for 
their  pork,  after  paying  expenses,  about  twenty-five  cents  per 
hundred.  They  were  much  wiser  after  this  experiment.  The 
settlement  of  the  country  was  for  many  years  at  a  stand-still.  A 
great  deal  of  land,  which  had  been  entered  for  a  dollar  and  a 
quarter  per  acre,  was  thrown  upon  the  market  and  could  be 
bought  for  seventy-five  cents  or  a  dollar  per  acre.  It  was  not 
until  about  the  year  1846  or  '47  that  the  condition  of  things  was 
very  greatly  improved.  Nevertheless  the  country  was  still  un- 
settled to  a  great  extent,  except  around  the  groves.  Prairie  land 
could  be  entered  until  the  land  office  closed  to  allow  the  com- 
pany, which  was  to  build  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  to  se- 
lect its  land.  This  was  in  1850,  when  the  charter  was  granted. 
It  was  then  seen  that  prairie  land  would  rise  in  value,  and  as 
soon  as  the  land  office  was  re-opened,  all  the  prairie  within  many 
miles  of  the  railroad  was  entered  immediately.  After  the  build- 
ing of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroads 
the  country  became  rapidly  settled.  Cars  were  running  on  both 
of  these  roads  in  1852,  and  soon  little  towns  sprang  up  and 
grew  rapidly.  The  town  of  Towandawas  laid  off  by  Peter  H. 
Badeau  of  St.  Louis,  and  Jesse  W.  Fell,  in  December,  1854. 
The  town  of  Ileyworth  was  laid  off  in  1855.  In  June  of  the 
same  year  the  town  of  McLean  was  laid  off  by  Franklin  Price. 
In  March,  1856,  the  town  of  Saybrook  was  laid  off  by  Isaac  M. 
Polk.  Some  indication  of  the  rapid  development  of  the  coun- 
try is  seen  in  the  censuses  of  Bloomington.  In  1850  the  city 
contained  sixteen   hundred   and  eleven   persons;  but  in  1855  it 


16  SKETCB    OF 

contained  five  thousand.     The  growth  of  the  county  in  numbers 
and  wealth  has  been  continuous  and  steady. 

On  the  third  of  November,  1857,  McLean  County  voted  to 
adopt  township  organization  by  a  large  majority.  The  hard 
times  of  1857  gave  a  temporary  check  to  the  growth  of  the 
country,  but  it  was  only  temporary. 

The  presidential  campaign  of  1860  and  the  war  which  fol- 
lowed are  so  recent  and  fresh  in  the  mind  of  the  reader,  that 
it  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  upon  them  here. 

The  building  of  the  Indianapolis,  Bloomington  and  Western 
and  the  Lafayette,  Bloomington  and  Mississippi  Railroads  as- 
sisted very  greatly  in  developing  the  country  by  bringing  the 
markets  nearer  to  the  people  along  their  routes. 

Since  the  organization  of  McLean  County  in  1830,  it  has 
been  much  reduced  in  size  as  other  counties  have  been  formed. 
It  now  contains  about  eleven  hundred  and  forty-seven  square 
miles  of  land.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Woodford  and 
Livingston  Counties,  on  the  east  by  Livingston,  Ford  and  Cham- 
paign Counties,  on  the  south  Irv  DeWitt  County  and  a  small  part 
of  Logan,  and  on  the  west  by  Tazewell  County  and  a  little  of 
Woodford.  The  Toledo,  Peoria  and  "Wabash  Railroad  cuts 
through  the  northern  edge  of  the  county,  forming  the  enter- 
prising villages  of  Gridley,  Chenoa  and  Weston.  The  first 
mentioned  was  named  in  honor  of  General  Gridley  of  Bloom- 
ington. The  Gilman,  Clinton  and  Springfield  Railroad  cuts 
through  the  south-eastern  corner  of  McLean  County,  and  the 
station  of  Bellefllower  has  sprung  up  on  the  line.  The  county 
is  now  well  supplied  with  railroads,  and  if  it  could  keep  down 
the  pace  of  transportation  the  people  would  indeed  be  blessed. 
The  "  railroad  question  "  is  the  one  upon  which  the  people  must 
exercise  their  wits  for  many  years  to  come.  The  future  pros- 
perity of  the  people  of  McLean  County  is  not  doubted  for  a  mo- 
ment. All  the  opportunities  for  acquiring  wealth  are  here,  and 
the  people  are  disposed  to  take  advantage  of  them. 

As  a  part  of  the  history  of  McLean  County,  the  following 
statistics  of  the  schools  are  given  as  furnished  by  John  Hull, 
County  Superintendent  : 


M  LEAN    COUNTY. 


17 


SCHOOL  STATISTICS    OF    McLEAN  COUNTY,   FOR  THE  YEAR  ENDING 

SEPTEMBER  301I1,  1873. 


a; 

1 

H 

<6 

O 

Name  of 
Township. 

<t-i  G> 

r3   O 

W  0 

c  O 

£  ft 
Ha 

c  a 

ftft 

n  00 

£ 
0 

T  ■A 

a  *  a 
5  -■  «3 

O 

S  ft 

0  0  m 

T  P 

'5  <B 

u,c| 

—        03 

w 

fc 

& 

Hk 

H 

P5 

Mt.  Hope 

9 

442 

551 

$     6,165  96 

$     4,814  00 

%      643 

85 

45,890 
9,415 

Funk's  Grove.... 

6 

250 

133 

2,515  60 

6,042  06 

359 

45 

Randolph 

10 

320 

481 

6,898  15 

3,462  29 

895 

86 

2:;  251 

Downs 

y 
11 
11 

371 
536 

347 

375 

788 
407 

3,211  28 
6,276  75 
4,898  88 
5,859 '30 

3,700  65 

7,767  57 

3,643  97 

10'078  12 

443 
919 

477 

98 
56 
95 

24,112 

40, 055 
l>3  376 

West 

Bellflower 

9 

252 

377 

402 

11 

17,449 

Allin 

V 

434 

390 

4,436  74 

3,834  59 

510 

34 

23  227 

Dale  

7 

380 

.",41 

3,974  19 

2.762  96 

428 

18 

24,802 

Bloomington 

9 

319 

718 

5,575  92 

6,090  59 

726 

80 

29,202 

Old  Town 

'/ 

206 

395 

2,4s:;  63 

2,683  51 

381 

57 

16,263 

Padua 

9 

9 

380 
427 

486 
459 

5,152  13 
3,714  17 

3,685  39 
6,281  48 

546 
410 

68 
01 

25  177 

In, 225 

Cheney's  Grove. 

7 

444 

488 

5,595  59 

2,380  00 

555 

37 

23,430 

Dan  vers  (24  N.) 

10 

416 

542 

3, 960  40 

2,9o4  30 

5S2 

23 

29,144 

8 

400 

450 

5,571  10 

3,140  50 

562 

48 

27,570 

Normal  

8 
7 

17a 

251 

248 
388 

3,485  61 
5,814  33 
4,200  62 

7,074  94 
3,168  88 
9,252  08 

295 
492 

46 

17 

11  "00 

Towanda 

25  721 

Blue  Mound 

9 

2!  11 

385 

478 

74 

—  J,  1  _x 

24,281 

Martin  

6 

167 
161 

27:; 
252 

2,180  50 
3,69:;  24 

3,478  00 
15,340  50 

312 
196 

05 
71 

12  700 

Cropsey  (24  N.) 

7,181 

Danvers  (25  N.) 

3 

73 

73 

848  22 

A 

91 

64 

2,989 

White  Oak 

4 

116 

137 

1,501  91 

B    2,782  25 

184 

86 

7.784 

Hudson 

7 
6 

329 
229 

427 
359 

2,996  31 
3,409  06 

3,636  65 

3,124  00 

522 
424 

98 

2;; 

25  782 

Money  Creek  ... 

20,034 

Lexington  

9 

550 

784 

9,363  00 

3,486  58 

927 

46 

07,592 

Lawndale 

7 

227 

284 

4,149  22 

3,664  03 

373 

67 

11,004 

Cropsey  (25  N.) 

8 

C   - 

160 

1,513  68 

C 

1S7 

23 

6,837 

Gridley  (2  E.)... 

4 

182 

212 

2,522  64 

A 

304  94 

13,355 

Gridley  (3  E.)... 

8 

306 

365 

3,687  00 

6,570  18 

509 

55 

20,ooo 

Chenoa 

9 

517 

610 

15  386  22 

9,944  '88 
9,115  98 

1,080 

488 

7" 

58  289 

Yates 

9 

324 

362 

5  194  11 

».) 

20,454 

DISI  KM    |s. 

Kickapoo  Union 

1 

87 

115 

729  37 

1,105  00 

150 

10 

6,337 

Heyworth  Scho'l 

1 

194 

232 

2,200  79 

D 

E 

20,148 

City  of  Normal. 

1 

430 

843 

12,685  74 

D 

812 

12 

60  000 

CityBloomingt'n 

1 
252 

3,247 

4,981 

72,290  52 

D 

5,718 

02 

487,050 

13,786 

18,879 

$234,141  88 

$155,015  93 

$22,397 

29 

1,325,892 

A.  Reported  to  Woodford  County. 

B.  Fund  of  whole  Township. 

C.  Reported  to  Livingston  County. 

D.  Receive  semi-annually  their  portion  of  the    interest  on  the  funds  of  the  town- 
ships of  which  they  form  a  pirt. 

E.  Included   in   amount   reported   above   for   Randolph   Township. 
The  foregoing  statistics  are  from  the  records  in  my  office. 


Bloomington,  January  51I1,  1874. 

2 


JNO.    HULL,   County  Superintendent, 

McLean  County,  111. 


STATE  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY. 


Illinois  is  a  growing  State,  and  its  people  have  from  its  early 
settlement  been  conscious  of  its  great  destiny.  In  order  to 
build  up  the  educational  interests  of  the  State  it  was  deter- 
mined, at  an  early  day,  to  have  a  Normal  School  for  the  educa- 
tion of  teachers.  In  accordance  with  an  act  of  the  legislature 
of  February  18,  1857,  the  State  Board  of  Education  proceeded 
to  receive  bids  from  the  various  towns  of  the  State  for  the  loca- 
tion of  the  school.  The  county  of  McLean,  and  various  indi- 
viduals living  in  it  and  the  city  of  Bloomington,  offered  by  far 
the  greatest  inducements.  Meshach  Pike,  Joseph  Payne,  E.  "W. 
Bakewell  and  Judge  David  Davis,  gave  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  and  its  public  and  private  subscriptions  amounted 
to  one  hundred  and  forty-one  thousand  dollars.  The  county 
itself  subscribed  seventy  thousand  dollars,  to  be  obtained  from 
the  sale  of  swamp  lands.  In  May,  1857,  the  school  was  located 
at  Normal,  on  the  land  donated  for  that  purpose.  Plans  and 
drawings  for  building  were  immediately  called  for  and  fur- 
nished by  Mr.  G.  P.  Randall  of  Chicago,  architect  and  super- 
intendent of  University  buildings. 

Mr.  Charles  E.  Hovey  was  elected  Principal  of  the  Univer- 
sity, and  immediately  issued  circulars  announcing  that  it  would 
be  opened  in  Bloomington  on  the  first  Monday  in  October, 
1857.  The  object  of  the  Normal  School  was  clearly  seen  in  the 
conditions  imposed  upon  the  students  and  published  in  this 
circular.     The  qualifications  were  : 

1.  To  be,  if  males,  not  less  than  seventeen  ;  and  if  females, 
not  less  than  sixteen  years  of  age. 

2.  To  produce  a  certificate  of  good  moral  character,  signed 
by  some  responsible  person. 


20  STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY. 

3.  To  sign  a  declaration  of  their  intention  to  devote  them- 
selves to  school-teaching  in  this  State. 

4.  To  pass  a  satisfactory  examination  before  the  proper 
officers  in  Reading,  Spelling,  Writing,  Arithmetic,  Geography 
and  the  elements  of  English  Grammar.  Each  county  and  each 
representative  district  was  entitled  to  one  student  in  the  school. 

On  the  fifth  of  October,  1857,  at  the  time  advertised,  the 
school  was  opened  in  Major's  Hall,  which  was  fitted  up  for  that 
purpose.  There  were  at  the  opening  forty-three  students.  As 
all  of  the  counties  and  representative  districts  did  not  avail 
themselves  of  the  privilege  of  sending  students,  the  principal 
was  authorized  to  receive  candidates  on  examination  and  in 
compliance  with  the  qualifications  published  in  the  circular. 

The  formal  School  at  the  very  outset  showed  its  value  and 
took  a  high  standing  among  the  educational  institutions  of  the 
country.  Its  principal  professor,  Charles  E.  Hovey,  (afterwards 
General  Hovey),  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and  the  best  of 
judgment.  In  the  year  1860  the  splendid  University  building 
was  completed,  and  the  Normal  School  entered  on  its  course  of 
uninterrupted  prosperity.  During  this  year,  in  the  month  of 
June,  the  first  commencement  exercises  were  held  in  the  new 
building. 

Like  all  the  educational  establishments  of  the  country,  the 
Normal  School  was  affected  by  the  war  to  suppress  the  rebel- 
lion. Ten  of  its  teachers  entered  the  army,  and  among  them 
was  the  honored  principal.  Their  example  was  followed  by 
nearly  all  the  young  men  in  the  University,  and  the  Thirty-third 
Illinois,  of  which  they  formed  so  large  a  part,  was  known  through- 
out the  war  as  the  Normal  Regiment.  President  Hovey  entered 
the  army  in  1861  as  Colonel  of  the  Normal  Regiment  and  was 
afterwards  made  a  general.  Leander  H.  Potter  was  made  a 
colonel  in  the  army  and  is  now  president  of  the  Soldier's  Col- 
lege at  Fulton.  Dr.  E.  R.  Roe  was  made  a  colonel  in  the  army 
and  is  now  a  United  States  marshal.  Ira  Moore  was  a  captain 
in  the  army  and  is  now  principal  of  the  Normal  School  at  St. 
Cloud,  Minnesota.  J.  H.  Burnham  was  made  a  captain,  and 
Aaron  Gove  an  adjutant.  Julian  E.  Bryant  was  made  a  lieuten- 
ant, and  during  the  war  was  drowned  on  the  Texan  coast. 
Joseph  G.  Howell  was  made  a  lieutenant  in  the  army,  and  was 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  21 

shot  at  Fort  Donelson  and  buried  in  Bloomington  Cemetery. 
Edwin  Philbrook  was  made  a  sergeant,  and  Dr.  Samuel  Willard 
a  surgeon.  After  President  Hovey  entered  the  army,  the  posi- 
tion of  principal  devolved  temporarily  upon  Perkins  Bass,  Esq., 
of  Chicago,  who  held  it  for  one  year  and  then  yielded  it  to 
Richard  Edwards,  LL.D.,  who  has  held  it  until  the  present 
time. 

The  aim  of  the  Normal  School,  as  before  stated,  is  to  educate 
teachers  in  the  duties  of  their  profession. 

Connected  with  the  University  is  a  Model  School,  which  was 
started  at  the  opening  of  the  University  in  Major's  Hall.  It 
had  a  small  beginning  and  was  first  taught  by  Miss  Mary  M. 
Brooks,  a  lady  of  remarkable  talent.  It  has  grown  from  this 
into  the  present  large  Model  School,  consisting  of  three  depart- 
ments, in  charge  of  four  regular  teachers,  assisted  by  many  of 
the  Normal  students.  The  range  of  instruction  in  the  Model 
School  is  from  the  primary  department  to  the  course  prepara- 
tory for  college.  Since  the  opening  of  the  Model  School  it  has 
been  under  the  charge  of  many  lady  teachers,  who  have  uni- 
formly given  great  satisfaction.  One  difficulty  occurs  with  the 
employment  of  lady  teachers;  they  will  occasionally  get  married, 
and  this  is  the  cause  of  the  many  changes  of  instructors  in  the 
Model  School. 

Connected  with  the  Normal  School  is  a  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  which  is  estimated  to  be  worth  about  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  This  is  indeed  a  fine  collection  of  specimens, 
illustrating  the  various  branches  of  Natural  History.  These 
collections  have  been  made  by  Professor  Wilber,  Professor 
Powell,  Dr.  Vasey,  Richard  H.  Holder,  Esq.,  and  others.  The 
greater  part  of  the  stuffed  birds  were  given  by  Mr.  Holder. 
These  gentlemen  are  enthusiastic  workers  in  the  field  of  Natural 
History,  and,  it  would  seem,  have  not  always  received  the  en- 
couragement and  support  they  deserve  from  the  State.  They 
have  been  obliged,  in  a  great  measure,  to  bear  their  own  ex- 
penses ;  and  certainly  their  services,  rendered  as  they  have  been 
with  the  greatest  enthusiasm,  are  out  of  all  proportion  to  the 
pay  they  have  received.  The  Museum  is  a  great  benefit,  not 
only  to  the  Normal  School  but  to  the  entire  State,  as  by  means 
of  it  every  school  in  the  State  is  encouraged  to  make  collections. 


22  STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY. 

The  following  extract  from  a  circular,  issued  by  Professor 
Forbes,  the  Curator  of  the  Museum,  shows  its  design  and  its 
value : 

"  The  recent  introduction  of  the  natural  sciences  into  our 
common  school  course  of  study  has  developed  a  general  demand 
for  specimens  in  Natural  History,  which  I  am  trying  to  supply. 
It  is  designed  to  furnish,  in  time,  to  every  school  in  the  State 
which  will  properly  use  and  care  for  it,  a  small  collection,  so 
selected  as  to  illustrate  in  the  best  possible  manner  the  branches 
required  to  be  taught.  The  time  and  resources  at  my  command 
are  quite  insufficient  for  this ;  and,  as  it  is  a  work  undertaken 
solely  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  schools,  I  make  this  call  upon 
their  officers  and  members  for  aid. 

"  The  schools  will  encounter  great  difficulties  in  attempting 
to  form  good  cabinets  unaided,  each  for  itself.  Among  others 
will  be  that  of  getting  specimens  correctly  named,  and  that  of 
securino;,  in  a  sino;le  circumscribed  localitv,  a  sufficient  variety 
to  fully  cover  the  whole  field  of  study.  It  will  be  an  easy  mat- 
ter, however,  for  the  teachers  and  pupils  of  the  State  to  collect 
and  send  to  this  Museum,  in  one  or  two  seasons,  a  sufficient 
number  and  variety  of  specimens  liberally  to  supply  all  our 
schools;  and  these  I  will  undertake  to  name,  select,  arrange  and 
re-distribute  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  to  each  school  partici- 
pating in  the  work  the  benefit  of  a  judicious  selection  from  the 
whole  number  sent  by  all. 

"  Good  specimens  in  all  branches  of  Natural  History  will  be 
acceptable,  and  directions  for  preparing  and  shipping  them  will 
be  sent  upon  application." 

The  cost  of  the  Normal  University  to  the  State  of  Illinois  is 
a  matter  of  interest.  President  Edwards  shows,  in  his  decen- 
nial address,  that  all  the  money  ever  expended  on  the  institution 
by  the  State  is,  up  to  the  year  1870,  §279,740.63,  while  the  pro- 
perty belonging  to  it  at  that  time  and  owned  by  the  State 
amounted  to"  §312,000,  without  including  the  Museum.  When 
we  consider  that  the  Museum  is  worth  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  investment  made  by  the  State  is 
a  pretty  good  one,  from  a  purely  financial  point  of  view.  When 
we  consider  further,  that  the  State  has  given  comparatively  little 
of  its  own  monev  to  the  institution,  but  has  exercised  its  gener- 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  23 

osity  by  expending  the  interest  on  a  fund  donated  to  this  State 
for  educational  purposes,  by  Congress,  in  the  year  1818 ;  and 
when  we  consider,  too,  the  very  moderate  salaries  paid  to  the 
teachers  of  the  institution,  it  certainly  appears  to  an  outsider 
that  the  enthusiasm  of  the  friends  of  education  is  far  in  advance 
of  the  liberality  of  the  State.  We  have  yet  to  see  an  example 
of  a  State  which  has  been  too  liberal  in  educational  matters. 
When  money  is  expended  by  a  State  for  educational  purposes,  it 
is  usually  laid  out  by  men  who  are  devoted  to  the  work.  We 
have  yet  to  hear  of  such  a  thing  as  an  educational  "  ring."  Vil- 
lainy has  no  sympathy  with  science.  When  much  money  is 
expended  for  schools,  little  money  is  required  for  penitentiaries. 
It  may  seem  like  a  sweeping  remark,  but  we  think  it  is  strictly 
within  the  bounds  of  truth,  to  say  that  there  is  no  better  way 
for  the  State  to  expend  money,  as  a  mere  financial  speculation, 
than  to  lay  it  out  for  schools.  Capital  always  follows  intelli- 
gence. It  seems  very  singular,  sometimes,  that  our  legislators 
are  a  little  slow  to  see  these  things  ;  but  if  the  truth  must  be 
told,  the  explanation  of  the  matter  is,  that  teachers  and  friends 
of  education  do  not  understand  the  ways  of  politicians. 

It  is  the  business  of  teachers  to  instruct  and  improve  the 
students  under  their  charge,  and  it  will  readily  be  seen  that  the 
tendency  of  the  profession  must  be  to  elevate  and  improve  those 
who  earnestly  devote  themselves  to  it. 

It  is  not  easy  to  over-estimate  the  value  of  the  Normal  School 
to  the  State  of  Illinois.  Its  graduates  and  students  go  out  every- 
where to  teach  and  to  learn.  The  members  of  the  faculty  of  the 
Normal  School  hold  teachers'  institutes  annually  at  Normal,  fre- 
quently attend  county  institutes,  and  by  their  example  and  expe- 
rience and  earnestness  in  the  profession  in  which  they  are  en- 
gaged, do  a  great  deal  to  elevate  the  tone  of  the  teachers  of 
Illinois,  and  point  them  to  a  higher  standard  of  excellence. 

President    Edwards. 

The  principal  of  the  Normal  School  is  Richard  Edwards, 
LL.D.  He  was  born  in  Aberystvvith,  Cardiganshire,  Wales,  on 
tne  twenty-third  of  December,  1822.  His  father  was  a  stone 
and  brick-mason,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Jones,  was  the  daughter  of  a  small  farmer.     The  family  moved 


24  STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY. 

to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Ohio  in  the  Western  Reserve, 
when  youDg  Richard  was  a  little  more  than  ten  years  old.  He 
was  employed  on  a  farm  until  he  was  sixteen,  and  from  that  time 
until  he  was  twenty-two  he  worked  as  a  house  carpenter.  Up 
to  this  time  he  had  received  very  little  education,  hut  his  turn 
of  mind  was  seen  in  his  love  of  books  and  his  habit  of  reading 
in  the  evening  by  the  light  of  "  hickory  bark."  He  was  very 
anxious  to  obtain  an  education,  and  by  some  good  fortune  made 
the  acquaintance  of  two  graduates  of  Harvard,  who  advised  him 
to  go  to  that  scholastic  paradise,  Massachusetts.  He  was  told 
that  "  the  culture  which  he  so  much  yearned  for  was  the  staple 
in  which  Massachusetts  dealt."  He  went  there  and  communed 
for  a  while  with  the  angels  in  the  heaven  of  learning.  He 
taught  school  at  Hingham  and  at  Waltham,  Mass.,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Normal  School  at  Bridge  water.'  In  the  spring 
of  1847  he  went  to  Troy,  New  York,  and  became  a  student  at 
the  "Rensellaer  Polytechnic  Institute."  Here  he  was  for  a  short 
time  an  assistant  teacher.  It  seems  that  he  kept  himself  always 
employed.  He  was  for  a  while  a  "  rodman  "  on  the  Cochituate 
Water  Works,  which  were  then  being  built.  In  May  of  that 
year  he  became  an  assistant  teacher  in  Bridgewater  Normal 
School,  of  which  he  was  a  graduate.  This  school  was  super- 
intended by  one  of  the  best  teachers  of  Massachusetts,  the  cele- 
brated Nicholas  Tillinghast.  Here  Mr.  Edwards  remained 
until  January,  1853,  when  he  removed  to  Salem  and  took  charge 
of  the  English  High  School  there.  Shortly  afterwards  he  be- 
came the  agent  of  the  State  Board  of  Education  in  visiting 
schools.  For  three  years  he  was  principal  of  the  State  Normal 
School  in  Salem,  Massachusetts.  In  October,  1857,  he  accepted 
the  position  of  principal  of  the  city  Normal  School  of  St.  Louis. 
In  June,  1862,  he  was  made  President  of  the  Illinois  State  Nor- 
mal University,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since. 

Of  course  President  Edwards  has  been  obliged  to  go  the  way 
of  all  the  earth  and — get  married.  On  the  fifth  of  July,  1849, 
he  married  Miss  Betsy  J.  Samson  of  Pembroke,  Massachusetts. 
Her  father,  Mr.  Thomas  Samson,  is  still  living  in  that  town. 
They  have  had  eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  are  still  living. 

As  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  sketch,  Mr.  Edwards  has 
received  his  education  in  a,  very  irregular  manner,  which  he  does 
not  think  is  very  advantageous. 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  25 

He  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Harvard  College  and 
the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  "  a  less  illustrious,  but  still  very 
honest  source,  viz:     Shurtleff  College,  Alton,  111." 

President  Edwards  is  a  man  of  medium  stature,  and  is  very 
intellectual  in  his  appearance.  His  manner  is  always  pleasant, 
and  he  loves  the  profession  in  which  he  is  engaged.  When  he- 
smiles,  he  shows  by  the  expression  of  his  eyes  that  he  is  tickled 
at  something.  Profound  thought  has  frightened  the  hair  from 
the  crown  of  his  head.  He  can  endure  a  great  deal  of  intellec- 
tual labor;  and  it  seems  that  he  is  now  occupying  the  place  for 
which  Providence  designed  him. 

Members  of  the  Faculty. 

Edwin  C.  Hewett,  Professor  of  History,  was  born  in  Wor- 
cester County,  Massachusetts,  in  November,  1828.  He  gradu- 
ated at  the  State  Normal  School  in  Bridgewater,  Massachusetts, 
in  1852  ;  the  school  was  then  in  charge  of  Mr.  Tillinghast,  In 
January,  1858,  Mr.  Hewett  became  an  assistant  teacher  at 
Bridgewater,  where  he  remained  for  nearly  four  years.  In  the 
fall  of  1858  he  entered  upon  his  duties  as  teacher  in  the  Normal 
University,  which  have  since  been  interrupted  onty  by  one  year's 
absence  by  permission  of  the  Board  of  Education.  In  1863  he 
received  the  complimentary  degree  of  A.  M.  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago.  His  long  and  useful  services  as  a  teacher  place 
him  among  the  first  of  his  most  honored  profession. 

Joseph  Addison  Sewall,  M.  E>., 

Professor  of  Natural  Science,  was  born  in  Scarborough, 
Maine,  in  1830.  He  graduated  from  the  Medical  School  of  Har- 
vard University  in  1852.  In  1854  he  came  West  and  taught 
and  practiced  his  profession  in  Bureau  and  LaSalle  Counties. 
He  graduated  in  the  Scientific  Department  of  Harvard  Univer- 
sity in  the  summer  of  1860.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  en- 
tered upon  his  duties  at  Normal,  where  he  has  remained  until 
the  present  time.  Professor  Sewall  has  that  enthusiastic  love  of 
natural  science  which  has  recently  led  to  many  interesting  and 
useful  discoveries. 


26  8tate  normal  university. 

Thomas  Metcalf. 

Thomas  Metcalf,  Professor  of  Mathematics,  was  born  in 
Wrentham,  Massachusetts,  in  1826.  He  graduated  from  the 
Normal  School  at  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  in  1848,  under  Mr.  Til- 
linghast.  After  leaving  the  Normal  School  he  taught  in  Charles- 
town  and  West  Roxbury,  Mass.,  for  several  years.  He  came  to 
St.  Louis  in  1857,  and  entered  upon  his  duties  as  instructor  in 
the  High  School.  From  St.  Louis  he  came  to  Normal,  in  the 
summer  of  1862,  and  has  since  been  constantly  at  his  work  of 
teaching  in  the  University,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  months 
in  the  spring  of  1871,  while  making  a  trip  to  Europe.  Like  all 
the  other  members  of  the  Normal  faculty  he  loves  his  profes- 
sion, and  it  is  this  which  leads  him  to  excel. 

Albert  Stetson. 

Albert  Stetson,  Professor  of  Languages,  was  born  in  Kings- 
ton, Mass.,  in  1834.  He  graduated  from  the  Bridgewater  Nor- 
mal School  in  the  spring  of  1853.  After  teaching  for  three 
years  he  entered  Harvard  University,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1861.  He  taught  in  Provincetown,  Mass.,  until  the  fall  of 
1862,  when  he  came  to  Normal  and  entered  on  the  duties  of  the 
chair  which  he  now  fills.  He  has  been  very  efficient  as  a  teacher 
and  thoroughly  understands  the  duties  of  his  position. 

John  W.  Cook. 

Professor  John  W.  Cook  was  born  in  Woodford  County, 
Illinois,  in  1844.  He  graduated  at  the  Normal  University,  in 
1865,  and  entered  upon  his  present  duties,  as  member  of  the 
Faculty,  in  1868. 

Henry  McCormick. 

Professor  Henry  McCormick  was  born  in  Ireland,  in  1837. 
He  graduated  at  the  Normal  University,  in  1868,  and  became  a 
member  of  the  Faculty  in  1869. 

Miss  Myra  Osbaxd. 

Miss  Myra  Osband  became  Preceptress  of  the  University  in 
January,  1871,  having  previously  been  engaged  in  teaching  at 
different  places  in  New  York  and  Illinois.  This  accomplished 
lady  excels  as  a  teacher  and  thoroughly  understands  her  delicate 
and  responsible  duties. 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  27 

The  members  of  the  Normal  Faculty  take  the  greatest  pride 
in  the  University  which  they  have  helped  to  so  high  a  standing, 
among  similar  establishments,  in  the  United  States.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  majority,  and  perhaps  all  of  them,  could  obtain 
larger  salaries  elsewhere,  and  some  very  tempting  otters  have 
been  made  to  them,  but  they  still  remain  at  their  posts. 

E.  W.  Coy. 

Professor  E.  W.  Coy,  Principal  of  the  High  School  in  the 
Model  Department,  graduated  at  Brown  University  in  1858.  He 
took  charge  of  the  Peoria  High  School  in  the  fall  of  1858,  which 
position  he  resigned  in  1871,  when  he  came  to  Normal.  But  his 
service  in  the  Peoria  High  School  was  not  continuous  from  1858 
to  1871,  as  during  that  time  he  spent  some  time  in  practicing 
law  and  in  superintending  the  public  schools  of  reoria. 

Miss  Martha  D.  L.  Haynie. 

Miss  Martha  D.  L.  Haynie,  Assistant  in  High  School,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky,  although  most  of  her  life  has  been  spent  in 
Illinois.     Her  experience  as  a  teacher  has  been  long  and  varied. 

B.  W.  Baker. 

B.  W.  Baker,  Principal  of  the  Grammar  School,  was  born  in 
Coles  County,  Ills.,  November  25,  1841.  He  was  raised  on  a 
farm.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  entered  the  army  and  served 
from  1861  to  1864  in  the  25th  Ills.  Volunteers.  He  was  wounded 
at  Pea  Ridge  and  afterwards  at  Perryville.  He  was  at  the  siege 
of  Corinth,  at  the  battles  of  Resaca,  Dalton,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Kingston,  Noonday  Creek,  Peach  Tree  Creek  and  Atlanta.  He 
was  discharged  in  1864.  He  entered  the  Normal  University, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1870.  He  then  entered  upon  his 
duties  as  principal  of  the  Grammar  School,  and  still  holds  that 
position. 

The  little  Primary  School  is  a  gem  ;  to  many  visitors  it  is  the 
most  interesting  department  of  the  whole  University.  It  is  now 
in  charge  of  Miss  Gertie  Case,  a  graduate  of  the  Model  High 
School.  Miss^Case  entered  upon  her  present  work  in  the  fall  of 
1872;  previous  to  that  time  she  had  won  an  enviable  reputation 
in  the  public  schools  of  Bloomington  and  Normal. 


J  I 


jMpl 


STATE  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY. 


THE  SOLDIERS'  ORPHANS'  HOME. 


The  following,  taken  from  the  second  biennial  report  of  the 
Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home,  explains  and  describes  the  institution 
and  its  object  very  clearly  : 

"  The  institution  was  incorporated  by  an  Act  of  the  General 
Assembly,  approved  February  16th,  1865,  and  subsisted  entirely 
upon  private  charity,  until  by  an  Act  approved  March  5th, 
1867,  a  certain  fund  in  the  hands  of  the  Governor,  known  as 
the  "deserters'  fund,"  was  donated  to  the  Home,  and  farther 
appropriations  made. 

"  The  Home  is  located  on  a  high  and  commanding  tract  of 
land,  donated  by  the  Hon.  David  Davis,  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  adjoining  the  thriving  village  of 
Normal,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroads.  A  better  selection  could  hardly  have  been 
made — beautiful,  healthy,  with  fine  railroad  and  educational 
advantages,  it  being  the  seat  of  the  State  Normal  University. 

"The  building  is  a  splendid  structure,  140  by  80  feet,  built  in 
the  Romanesque  style  of  architecture,  three  stories  of  brick, 
with  a  basement  of  stone,  surmounted  by  a  tine  dome.  It  is 
plain  but  substantial  in  finish,  more  attention  being  given  to 
such  arrangements  as  would  secure  the  comfort  and  health  of 
its  inmates. 

"  The  school  building  is  a  new  brick  structure,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  Home  proper.  It  contains  six  large  rooms, 
furnished  with  the  most  improved  equipments.  One  of  the 
rooms  is  devoted  to  library  and  reading  purposes,  where  a  large 
number  of  the  best  papers  and  periodicals  are  kept  on  file. 

"  The  persons  entitled  to  the  benefits  of  the  Home  are  the  indigent 
children  (under  fourteen  years  of  age)  of  all  soldiers  who  have 
served  in  the  armies  of  the  Union  during  the  late  rebellion, 
and  have  been  disabled  from  disease  or  wounds  therein,  or  have 
died  or  been  killed  during  such  service. 


30  THE    SOLDIERS'  ORPHANS'  HOME. 

"  Blank  forms  for  admission  to  the  Home  will  be  furnished  at 
any  time  on  application,  by  letter  or  otherwise,  to  Virginia  C. 
Ohr,  Superintendent  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home,  at  ISTormal,  Mc- 
Lean County,  Illinois. 

Total  number  of  children  admitted  to  the  Home,  since  its 

organization 642 

Number  returned  to  their  friends  or  good  homes  provided 

by  trustees 356 

Number  of  boys  who  have  run  away 6 

Total  number  who  have  died." 5 

Number  remaining  in  the  institution  at  date  of  report 275 

642  642 

Total  number  of  females  admitted   to  the   Home  since  its 

organization 275 

Number  of  males  admitted 367 

Total 642 

Average  daily  attendance 290 

Expense  per  capita,  per  annum ?  144  63 

"  "  per  month 12  05 

"  "  per  day 40 

"  This  includes  cost  of  subsistence,  salaries  of  officers,  teach- 
ers and  other  employes ;  in  short,  all  expenses  of  the  Home. 

"  We  have  very  few  special  rules  for  the  discipline  and  gov- 
ernment of  the  children,  and  these  are  made  as  emergencies 
arise ;  acting  upon  the  principle  that  a  few  rules,  well  kept,  are 
of  far  greater  value  than  many  broken  and  trampled  on.  The 
law  which  guides  and  directs  is  that  of  love  and  kindness,  par- 
taking as  much  as  possible  of  the  parental  character.  "While 
the  most  implicit  obedience  to  all  rules  and  regulations  is  re- 
quired of  each  and  every  child,  yet  they  are  constrained  to  do 
so  by  direct  appeals  to  their  better  natures ;  by  pointing  out  to 
them  their  social  and  moral  obligations,  one  to  another;  by 
giving  them  aid  and  encouragement  in  their  efforts  to  do  right. 
They  are,  generally  speaking,  kind  to  each  other,  obedient  to 
those  in  charge  and  industrious." 


NEWSPAPERS. 


The  first  newspaper  in  m'lean  county  and  the  first  editor. 

In  1836  Bloomington  became  a  very  "lively"  little  town  and 
some  of  its  citizens  became  anxious  for  a  newspaper.     General 
Gridley,  who  was  then  a  merchant  in  Bloomington,  was  about  to 
go  to  the  East  for  his  fall  supply  of  goods,  and  he  was  instructed 
by  Jesse  "W.  Fell  and  James  Allin,  who,  with  him,  became  pro- 
pri3tors,  to  lay  in  a  stock  of  type,  printing  presses,  compositors, 
editors,  &c.     He  did  so,  and  engaged  Mr.  "William  Hill  and  Mr. 
W.  B.  Brittain,  of  Philadelphia.,    These  parties  shipped  their 
printing  material  during  the  fore  part  of  October  for  Blooming- 
ton  by  way  of  New   Orleans,   St.    Louis  and  Pekin.     About  a 
week  afterwards   Messrs.  Hill  and  Brittain  started,  coming  by 
way  of  Pittsburg,  down  the  Ohio  river,  up  the  Mississippi  and 
Illinois  Bivers  to  Pekin,  and  thence  across  to  Bloomington.  The 
latter  part  of  their  journey  was  accomplished  on  horseback.    At 
that  time  no  bridge  had  been  built  across  the  Mackinaw,  and  as  the 
stream  was  high,  it  was  thought  they  would  be  obliged  to  swim 
their  horses.     Under  this  impression  Mr.  Brittain  plunged  in. 
As  he  was  mounted  on  a  small  horse  he  was  wet  to  the   waist; 
but  Mr.  Hill,  being  on  a  large  horse,  stood  on  its  back  and  went 
through  dry  shod.     They  arrived  in   Bloomington  about  eight 
o'clock  that  evening  (October  25),  Mr.  Brittain  nearly  frozen  and 
not  favorably  impressed  with   the  unbridged  water  courses  of 
Illinois.     They  remained  in  Bloomington  for  about  two  months 
without  hearing  anything  of  their  printing  material,  and   Mr. 
Brittain,  becoming  discouraged,  disposed  of  his  interest  to  Mr. 
Hill,  and  returned   to   Philadelphia.     A  few  days  after  he  left, 
word  came  that  the  material  had  reached  Pekin.  It  was  brought 
across  to  Bloomington  by  little  Benjamin  Depew,  in  a  six-horse 
team,  and  on  the  first  of  January,  1837,  it  was  arranged  in  an 


32  NEWSPAPERS. 

office  which  was  fitted  up  in  the  northeast  room  of  the  old  (then 
new)  Court  House.  On  the  fourteenth  of  January  the  first 
number  of  the  Bloomington  Observer  and  McLean  County  Advocate 
was  published.  After  carrying  it  on  through  many  difficulties 
and  vexations  for  one  year,  Mr.  Hill  sold  out  to  Mr.  Jesse  W. 
Fell,  who  continued  it  about  a  year  and  a  half  and  then  disposed 
of  it  to  other  parties,  who  removed  it  to  Peoria.  Mr.  Hill  re- 
turned to  Philadelphia  in  the  spring  of  1889,  where  he  worked 
at  the  printing  business,  and  did  not  return  to  the  West  until 
1849.  At  that  time  he  located  at  St.  Louis  and  there  engaged  in 
job  printing.  He  was  soon  after  joined  by  William  Ale  Kee,  and 
they  together  purchased  the  office  and  paper  of  the  Missouri 
Democrat.  They  afterwards  purchased  the  office  and  paper  of 
the  St.  Louis  Union,  united  the  two  papers  and  continued  them 
under  the  title  of  the  Missouri  Democrat,  a  Freesoil  paper.  After 
two  or  three  years,  politics  becoming  a  good  deal  mixed,  Mr. 
Hill  became  disgusted  and  sold  out  to  F.  P.  Blair,  Jr.  and  B. 
Gratz  Brown.  In  1855  he  returned  to  McLean  County,  having 
purchased  a  small  place  a  short  distance  northeast  of  the  city. 
In  the  spring  of  1860  he  went  with  a  party  from  McLean  Coun- 
ty to  the  newly  discovered  gold  mines  in  Colorado.  After 
spending  six  or  eight  months  in  the  mountains  and  vicinity  and 
seeing  the  prairie  dogs,  jack  rabbits,  buffaloes,  and  big  Indians, 
and  watching  the  regular  Sunday  gladiatorial  sports  among  the 
miners,  in  which  pistols,  bowie  knives,  &c,  were  in  general  use, 
and  after  getting  a  glimpse  of  the  elephant  as  he  passed  down 
the  "Western  slope,  Mr.  Hill  and  his  party  returned  to  their 
homes,  satisfied  that  if  the  same  means  and  exertions  were  used 
here,  a  fortune  could  be  made  about  as  quickly. 

Mr.  Hill  has  for  the  last  four  years  lived  in  Bloomington.  He 
is  now  upwards  of  sixty  years  of  age,  healthy  and  active,  and 
though  in  easy  circumstances,  continues  to  follow  his  business, 
preferring  anything  to  idleness. 

Mr.  Hill  was  born  Nov.  18, 1811,  in  Cumberland  County,  New 
Jersey,  where  he  received  his  education.  He  went  into  a  print- 
ing office  in  Philadelphia  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  where  he  remained 
until  he  came  West  in  1836.  Just  before  coming  West  he  did 
as  a  good  many  other  young  men  do  when  starting  for  a  new 
country — was  married.     His  children,  two  daughters  and  one 


NEWSPAPERS.  33 

son,  are  all  happily  married.  He  has  been,  in  political  matters, 
first  a  Whig  and  then  a  Republican.  Mr.  Hill  is  not  a  large 
man,  being  rather  less  than  the  medium  height.  He  has  a  very 
intelligent  and  pleasing  countenance,  is  a  very  pleasant  writer 
and  has  a  lively  appreciation  of  the  humorous.  He  is  much 
respected  and  the  first  paper  in  McLean  County  under  his  man- 
agement must  have  been  very  popular. 

Bloomington  Pantagraph. 

The  first  paper  published  in  Bloomington  was  the  Blooming- 
ton  Observer  and  McLean  Count)/  Advocate,  the  first  number  of 
which  was  issued  January  14th,  1837.  William  Hill,  now  em- 
ployed as  a  compositor  in  the  Pantagraph  job  office,  was  its  edi- 
tor and  publisher.  It  was  a  small,  five  column  weeklj-,  non- 
political.  Mr.  Hill  published  the  Observer  about  a  year,  then 
sold  it  to  "Sir.  Jesse  W.  Fell  (now  a  resident  of  Normal),  who 
continued  it  about  eighteen  months.  The  paper  was  then  dis- 
continued for  about  seven  years.  In  1846  Mr.  C.  P.  Merriman 
(now  of  the  Leader)  revived  the  paper  as  the  Western  Whig.  It 
was  afterwards  owned  and  conducted  by  Johnson  &  Underwood, 
Jesse  W.  Fell,  and  Merriman  (C.  P.)  and  Morris.  Mr.  Fell 
changed  its  name  to  the  Intelligencer  and  Mr.  Merriman  invented 
for  it  the  name  of  the  Pantagraph  while  he  and  Morris  owned 
it  together.  The  proprietors  of  the  Pantagraph  therefore  con- 
sider it  to  be  the  oldest  paper  in  the  city,  and  regularly  de- 
scended from  the  Bloomington  Observer  and  McLean  Count)/  Ad- 
vocate, which  was  published  in  1837. 

The  early  numbers  of  The  Observer  speak  of  meetings  called 
for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  public  library  in  Bloomington, 
but  very  little  seems  to  have  been  done  for  such  an  undertaking. 
Market  houses  and  water  works  were  also  discussed  at  that  early 
day.  The  mails  were  carried  to  Peoria  and  Springfield  twice  a 
week,  to  all  other  points  once  a  week,  or  not  so  often.  Merriman 
&  Morris  issued  a  daily  edition  while  the  paper  was  in  their  hands, 
but  this  did  not  pay  and  it  was  soon  discontinued.  In  1855  the 
Pantagraph  office  was  destroyed  by  the  first  great  fire  Bloomington 
ever  experienced.  It  was  then  owned  by  Merriman  &  Morris, 
who  soon  after  sold  it  to  William  E.  Foote,  C.  P.  Merriman  con- 


34  NEWSPAPERS. 

tinning-  to  edit  the  paper  for  six  months  afterwards,  or  until  June, 
1856,  when  Edward  J.  Lewis  became  its  editor.  Mr.  Lewis  con- 
tinued to  edit  the  paper  until  January,  1860.  During  this  pe- 
riod the  daily  was  successfully  started,  the  first  number  being 
issued  February  23, 1857,  and  was  published  continuously  during 
Mr.  Foote's  proprietorship.  W.  R.  McCracken  was  local  editor 
during  the  greater  portion  of  the  time.  Franklin  Price  and 
Charles  L.  Steele  also  had  charge  of  the  local  columns  succes- 
sively. During  this  period  (1858)  the  office  was  fired  by  an  in- 
cendiary. But  some  compositors,  who  slept  in  a  room  below  the 
office,  were  awakened  by  the  barking  of  a  dog  kept  by  them,  and 
they  promptly  extinguished  the  flames.  This  dog,  called 
<•  Major,"  was  a  favorite  in  the  office  and  remained  a  great  pet 
until  his  death.  His  portrait  was  painted  and  kept  hung  up  in 
the  office  for  a  long  time  (between  the  pictures  of  George  Wash- 
ington and  Florence  Nightingale!)  During  Mr.  Foote's  pro- 
prietorship (1855  to  1860)  the  Pantograph  office  became  known 
throughout  the  West  for  the  excellence  of  its  job  printing.  Mr. 
Foote  was  a  job  printer  of  great  skill  and  fine  taste.  In  1858 
specimens  of  the  Pantagraph  job  printing  tookthefirst  premium 
at  the  great  St.  Louis  Fair,  at  the  National  Fair  in  Chicago  the 
same  year  and  at  the  Illinois  State  Fair. 

In  the  early  part  of  1860  the  office  was  sold  to  Judge  Merri- 
man,  and  his  brother,  C.  P.  Merriman,  was  made  editor.  The 
daily  was  discontinued  but  soon  after  revived.  The  paper  was 
purchased  early  in  1861  by  Carpenter  &  Steele,  and  E.  J.  Lewis 
was  again  made  editor  and  remained  so  until  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war,  when  he  entered  the  army,  (August,  1861).  It  was 
then  successively  edited  by  H.  B.  Norton,  Thomas  Moore,  Cap- 
tain J.  H.  Burnham,  and  others.  The  paper  afterwards  par- 
tially changed  hands  and  was  owned  by  Messrs.  Carpenter, 
Steele,  Briggs  &  Packard,  and  one  of  them,  Eev.  F.  J.  Briggs, 
was  editor.  The  paper  afterwards  was  sold  to  Scibird  &  Waters, 
who,  after  conducting  it  rather  less  than  a  year,  sold  it  to  a  com- 
pany composed  of  Jesse  W.  Fell,  W.  O.  Davis  and  James  P. 
Taylor.  Mr.  Davis  is  now  the  sole  proprietor.  Under  the  pro- 
prietorship of  Fell  &  Company  the  paper  was  edited  for  a  while 
by  Mr.  B.  F.  Diggs,  who  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  E.  B.  Boe,  who 
in  turn  was  succeeded  by  E.  J.  Lewis   a  little  more  than  two 


NEWSPAPERS.  35 

years  ago.  1).  A.  Ray  has  been  local  editor  most  of  the  time  for 
several  years.  \Vr.  11.  Whitehead  was  also  assistant  editor  for  a 
considerable  time,  and  is  now  in  charge  of  the  local  columns. 
Under  the  management  of  Mr.  E.  J.  Lewis  and  Mr.  W.  II. 
Whitehead,  the  Pantograph  is  very  efficiently  conducted  in  all  of 
its  departments. 

The  job  office  of  the  Pantograph  is  one  of  the  best  in  Illinois, 
and  the  job  printing  is  remarkable  for  its  good  taste.  German 
printing  of  all  kinds,  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Bach,  is  exe- 
cuted in  the  best  of  style. 

The  Leader  (Daily  and  Weekly.) 

The  Weekly  Leader  was  started  by  John  S.  Scibird  and  Orin 
Waters,  proprietors,  and  Elias  Smith,  editor,  November  15, 1868, 
and  soon  attained  to  a  fair  circulation  and  influence.  Its  success 
became  so  flattering  that  on  the  twenty-second  of  February, 
1870,  its  proprietors  began  the  publication  of  the  Daily  Leader, 
which  is  ably  conducted  and  well  supported.  The  political  de- 
partment was  edited  by  B.  F.  Diggs  and  C.  P.  Merriman  suc- 
cessively, and  the  local  department  by  Thomas  Moore,  Elias 
Smith,  B.  V.  1  >igg8,  M.  F.  Leland  and  J.  W.  Nichols.  The  paper 
is  now  published  by  the  Leader  Company  with  Orin  Waters  as 
general  manager  and  C.  P.  Merriman  and  J.  W.  Nichols  as 
editors.  Tin.'  paper  has  always  been  Republican  in  polities  and 
so  continues. 

The  Leader  Company  publish,  in  addition  to  their  daily  and 
weekly,  the  Alumni  Journal,  fifteen  hundred  copies  per  month  ; 
the  Little  Watchman,  a  Sunday-school  paper,  seven  thousand 
copies  per  week ;  the  Real  Estate  Journal,  two  thousand  per 
month. 

The  Job  Office  of  the  Leader  is  large  and  well  conducted 
under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  E.  P.  Penniman,  who  displays  the 
best  of  taste  in  everything  pertaining  to  his  department. 

The  Anti-Monopolist  ( Weekly). 

The  Bloomington  Democrat  was  started  in  Bloomington  in 
April,  1868,  by  S.  S.  Parke,  Esq.  Previous  to  this  the  Demo- 
cratic party  had  attempted  to  establish  a  party  organ,  but  failed, 
showing   that  with    newspapers,  as  with   all   other  matters,  it  is 


36  NEWSPAPERS. 

individual  enterprise  which  brings  success.  This  paper  was 
Democratic  in  politics  as  its  name  indicates,  but  during  the  last 
campaign  it  strongly  and  effectively  advocated  the  principles  of 
the  Liberal  party.  On  the  fourteenth  of  August,  1873,  the  edi- 
torial management  of  this  paper  went  into  the  hands  of  Joseph 
Carter,  and  the  paper  became  the  Anti- Monopolist.  This  paper, 
on  the  1st  of  January,  was  merged  with  the  McLean  County  Anti- 
Monopolist,  at  Saybrook,  which  office  has  been  moved  to  Bloom- 
ington,  and  the  paper  adopted  the  title  of  the  Anti- Monopolist. 
It  is  now  very  ably  edited,  and  its  articles  are  frequently  quoted 
in  other  papers. 

The  Republican  ( Weekly.) 

The  Republican  was  started  in  Bloomington  in  1866,  by  S.  P. 
Remington  and  A.  B.  Holmes.  It  was  Republican  in  politics 
and  has  remained  so  ever  since.  Its  first  editor  was  Major  S.  P. 
Remington.  Its  present  proprietors  are  A.  B.  Holmes  &  Bro. 
It  is  a  very  pleasant,  reliable  paper  and  has  the  confidence  of  the 
community. 

Illinois  Trade  Journal. 

This  paper  was  started  in  November,  1872,  by  Goft'  &  Hewitt, 
As  it  has  recently  been  brought  into  existence,  it  has  not  yet 
made  a  history.  It  is  a  commercial  paper,  at  present  owned  and 
edited  by  A.  J.  Goft*,  one  of  its  founders. 

Mr.  Goft'  formerly  published  the  Bloomington  Journal,  which 
he  started  in  January,  1868.  This  paper  succeeded  the  McLean 
County  Journal,  which  had  been  published  by  E.  B.  Buck.  In 
November,  1868,  the  Bloomington  Journal  was  sold  to  Scibird  & 
Waters,  in  whose  hands  it  was  succeeded  by  the  Leader.  While 
Mr.  Goff  published  the  Journal  he  issued  an  edition  of  that  paper 
in  Normal,  called  the  Review,  for  which  Mr.  Ray  of  the  Para- 
graph acted  as  local  editor. 

The  Banner  of  Holiness. 

This  paper  was  started  October  5,  1872,  by  Henry  Reynolds 
and  Rev.  John  P.  Brooks.  It  is  purely  a  religious  paper,  audits 
conductors  hope  and  believe  that  it  is  the  means  of  doing  much 
good. 


NEWSPAPERS.  37 

McLean  County  Deutsche  Press e — (German    Weekly.) 

The  Presse  was  started  by  a  company,  of  which  the  present 
editor  and  proprietor,  Johannes  Koester,  was  a  member  in  1871. 
He  soon  afterwards  became  sole  editor  and  proprietor.  During 
the  last  campaign  the  paper  favored  the  Liberal  movement. 

The  Weekly  Enterprise,  of  Lexington. 

The  Enterprise  was  started  on  the  first  of  January,  1873,  by 
Charles  M.  King,  who  is  editor  and  proprietor.  It  takes  no 
sides  in  political  matters  as  its  editor  does  not  consider  it  old 
enough  to  vote. 

Saybrook  Banner. 

This  paper  wras  for  a  long  time  published  in  Lexington,  but 
on  the  eighteenth  of  December,  1872,  was  removed  to  Saybrook. 
It  was  started  by  H.  II.  Parkinson  and  by  him  first  edited.  Mr. 
Parkinson  is  the  present  proprietor  of  the  paper.  Messrs.  Sabin 
&  Van  Voris  were  for  a  time  connected  with  this  paper.  It  is 
independent  in  politics  as  well  as  in  name.  The  paper  stands 
high  in  point  of  ability  and  fairness.  One  thing  connected 
with  it  is  certainly  very  marvelous — "it  is  said  that  the  people 
take  a  great  interest  in  it."  It  must  indeed  be  a  very  interesting 
paper.  The  Banner  was  changed  to  the  McLean  Count)/  Anti- 
Monopolist,  and  subsequently  consolidated  with  the  Anti-Monopo- 
list of  Bloomington. 

Chenoa  Times. 

The  Chenoa  Times  was  started  in  July,  1867,  by  McMurtrie  & 
Dyer,  editors  and  proprietors,  under  very  flattering  circum- 
stances, with  a  good  subscription  list.  It  was  edited  successively 
by  McMurtrie  &  Dyer,  Miss  L.  M.  Dyer,  Mr.  C.  M.  King,  Mr.  C. 
R.  Spore  and  John  &  Bovard.  The  latter  are  now  its  editors 
and  proprietors. 


BLOOMINGTON. 


In  the  fall  of  1829,  James  Allin  came  from  Vandalia,  Fayette 
County,  Illinois,  to  the  north  end  of  Blooming  Grove  and  here 
opened  a  store.  In  the  spring  of  1830  he  built  a  double  log 
house,  with  one  room  for  a  dwelling  and  the  other  for  a  store. 
During  that  year  a  number  of  gentlemen  took  active  measures 
to  secure  the  location  of  a  county  seat  at  the  north  end  of  Bloom- 
ing Grove,  and  the  legislature  of  1830  and  '31  passed  the  act  for 
the  formation  of  the  county  of  McLean.  A  board  of  three 
commissioners  was  appointed  to  locate  the  county  seat.  They 
were  Jonathan  Pugh  of  Macon  County,  Lemuel  Lee  of  Van- 
dalia, and  a  certain  Mr.  Freeman.  They  were  instructed  to  look 
over  the  county  and  locate  the  county  seat  on  the  second  Mon- 
day in  February  or  within  five  days  thereafter;  but  the  winter 
of  the  deep  snow  made  it  impossible  for  them  to  locate  it  at  that 
time,  and  they  were  unable  to  make  their  report  until  the  fol- 
lowing April.     The  following  is  the  report: 

"April  21,  1831. 
We  the  commissioners  appointed  to  locate  a  county  seat  in 
the  county  of  McLean  on  the  second  Monday  of  February  or 
within  live  days  thereafter,  owing  to  the  severity  of  the  weather 
and  the  depth  of  snow  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  proceed  to  lo- 
cate the  same  at  the  time  specified  by  law;  but  as  soon  there- 
after as  practicable  we  proceeded  to  examine  the  situation  of  the 
county,  and  have  located  the  same  on  the  land  of  James  Allin, 
on  the  north  end  of  the  Blooming  Grove,  for  which  we  have  his 
obligation  for  a  donation  of  twenty-two  acres  and  a  half  of  land. 

Lemuel  Lee, 
Jonathan  Pugh." 


40  BLOOMINGTON. 

The  Fourth  of  July,  1831,  was  a  great  day  at  Blooming 
Grove,  for  on  that  day  the  town  of  Bloomington  came  into  be- 
ins.  The  lots  of  the  original  town  were  then  sold  at  auction. 
The  town  then  contained  twelve  squares  and  was  hounded  by 
North,  Front,  East  and  West  streets.  On  the  record  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  County  Court  appears  the  following  : 

"Fourth  of  July,  1831. 

"  The  Court  proceeded  to  sell  the  lots  of  the  town  of  Bloom- 
ington. James  Allin  was  appointed  agent  to  execute  deeds  and 
Isaac  Baker  to  take  acknowledgments.    (Recorded  in  Book  Z.)" 

The  lots  were  cried  off  by  William  OrendorfF  as  auctioneer. 
The  bidding  was  lively  and  the  excitement  great.  The  highest 
price  paid  for  any  lot  was  fifty-two  dollars,  which  was  given  by 
A.  Gridley  for  town  lot  number  sixty,  where  the  McLean 
County  Bank  now  stands.  Bloomington  was  a  lively  town  from 
the  start,  for  it  numbered  among  its  citizens  many  men  who  have 
since  shown  the  most  extraordinary  foresight  and  business  sa- 
gacity. These  men  were  united  and  earnest  and  determined 
that  the  town  should  be  pushed  into  prosperity  at  all  hazards. 
They  were  sharpened  by  strange  experiences. 

The  first  addition  to  the  town  of  Bloomington  was  made  by 
James  Allin,  and  the  plat  was  recorded  August  1,  1831.  It  con- 
sisted of  a  tier  and  a  half  of  squares  on  the  south  of  the  original 
town  and  two  tiers  of  squares  on  the  west,  making  twelve  squares 
and  six  half  squares. 

James  Allin  worked  for  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the 
town  with  the  most  untiring  zeal,  and  was  most  enthusiastic  in 
his  hopes  for  its  development  and  future  prosperity.  He  said  it 
was  on  a  direct  line  between  the  rapids  of  the  Illinois  River  and 
Cairo,  on  a  line  between  Chicago  and  St,  Louis,  and  on  a  line 
between  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  Flint  Rock,  (Burlington)  Iowa. 
It  was  situated  on  the  edge  of  one  of  the  prettiest  groves  in 
Illinois.  He  lived  to  see  his  fondest  hopes  realized,  as  the  town, 
of  which  he  was  the  founder,  grew  to  an  inland  city.  But  it 
was  not  because  it  was  on  a  line  between  great  points,  for  other 
towns,  not  so  fortunate,  have  quite  as  good  a  location  ;  it  was 
not  alone  because  it  was  situated  on  the  edge  of  a  pretty  grove 
or  because  the  soil  was  productive;  but  it  grew  and  prospered 
because    its  citizens  were  determined  that  it  should   grow  and 


BLOOMINGTON.  41 

prosper.     They  worked  for  it    and   obtained  for  it  every  advan- 
tage; they  had  faith   in  it,  and  it  grew  and   continues  growing- 

The  first  court  in  McLean  County  was  held  in  James  Allin's 
double  log  cabin,  in  that  part  which  he  used  as  a  dwelling.  But 
on  the  fifth  of  January,  1832,  the  Commissioners'  Court  adopted 
a  plan  for  building  a  court  house  as  follows  : 

"A  building  of  one  story  high,  eighteen  feet  by  thirty, 
to  be  finished  as  a  comfortable  dwelling  house,  and  order  that 
the  clerk  give  public  notice  for  selling  out  the  (erection  of  the) 
building  aforesaid  to  the  lowest  and  best  bidder  on  the  sixth  day 
of  March  next," 

At  the  time  appointed,  the  building  of  the  court  house  was 
bid  oft'  to  A.  Gridley  for  three  hundred  and  thirty-nine  dollars 
and  seventy-five  cents.  It  was  built  by  him  and  accepted  in  De- 
cember, 1832.  It  was  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  public 
square.     The  jail  was  built  by  William  Dimmitt  for  $321. 

The  interests  of  the  little  town  were  watchfully  guarded,  and 
in  1831  it  numbered  one  hundred  and  eighty  persons,  according 
to  a  census  taken  by  Allen  Withers.  During  the  next  two  years 
the  rush  of  people  to  Illinois  from  the  East  was  wonderful,  and 
the  town  grew  in   1836  to  number  four  hundred  and  fifty  souls. 

The  early  merchants  of  Bloomington  were  liberal,  enter- 
prising men.  The  following  from  the  pen  of  John  W.  Billings 
places  the  condition  of  the  town  in  the  early  days  in  a  clear 
light: 

•'James  Allin  first  displayed  goods  at  the  place  now  occupied 
by  Dr.  Stipp  as  a  dwelling,  but  soon  moved  up  street,  and  about 
the  year  1839  built  a  brick  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Front 
streets,  the  present  site  of  the  Livingston  clothing  house.  The 
mercantile  firm  of  Gridley  &  Covel  stood  upon  the  site  of  the 
McLean  County  Bank.  This  firm  did  perhaps  more  business 
than  any  one  house  at  that  time  and  bore  the  brunt  of  the  hard 
times.  After  a  while  they  closed  out  their  mercantile  matters 
and  wrent  into  a  steam  mill  for  carding  wool  and  grinding  wheat, 
doing  business  for  a  laige  extent  of  country.  Haines  &  Son 
were  dry  goods  merchants.  More  &  Crow  (not  black)  kept  a 
mercantile  house  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Front  streets ;  but 
their  establishment  passed  into  the  hands  of  B.  F.  Wood,  who 
was  afterwards  drowned  in  the  Missouri  River.     Mr.    Goodcop, 


42  BLOOMINGTON. 

German  from  Philadelphia,  flourished  for  a  while  in  the  mer- 
cantile line,  but  returned  to  the  citv  of  broadbrims.  A  hard- 
ware  firm  by  the  name  of  Freylies  Brothers  settled  about  the 
year  1835,  but  soon  disappeared,  their  places  being  supplied  by 
George  Dietrich  about  the  year  1839.  Mr.  Dietrich  was  an  in- 
dustrious, enterprising  young  man,  who  has  accumulated  a  for- 
tune and  retired  from  business  and  lives  at  Normal,  honored 
and  respected  by  all.  The  first  plastering  mason  in  Blooming- 
ton  was  William  Goodheart,  a  Scotchman  by  birth,  a  former 
soldier  in  the  army  of  the  great  Xapoleon,  a  Methodist  class 
leader,  and  one  whose  life  corresponded  with  his  teaching.  He 
died  at  a  ripe  old  age,  leaving  sons  and  daughters,  worthy  citi- 
zens. Father  Goodheart  burned  the  first  brick  in  this  vicinity, 
and  Robert  Guthrie  was  the  next  in  this  line  of  business.  In  an 
early  day  J.  M.  Caleb  kept  a  public  house  opposite  Paist  &  Mar- 
mon's  drug  store,  where  we  received  our  daily  rations.  Some 
of  the  lady  boarders  were  so  fastidious  that  they  nearly  fainted 
on  a  hot  day,  when  Postmaster  Brown  had  the  audacity  to  seat 
himself  at  the  dinner  table  without  a  coat.  The  Big  Tavern 
was  kept  by  F.  S.  Dean,  a  ISTew  York  yankee,  near  the  present 
McLean  County  Bank,  and  was  burned  in  1855  or  '56. 

"A  Mr.  Bonesteel  was  among  the  first  owners  of  steam  mills. 
His  mill  was  on  the  water  run,  then  called  a  slough,  between 
Main  and  Albert  streets,  biiip was f burned  down  at  an  early  day. 
Another  steam  mill,  built  by  0.  Covel,  was  burned  down  some 
years  after.  A  steam  saw  mill,  which  stood  between  Centre 
and  Madison  streets,  and  was  owned  by  B.  F.  Wood,  was  also 
burned.  An  Indian  family  living  near  was  suspected  of  setting 
it  on  fire,  and  some  young  men  (mostly  of  the  "  baser  sort")  at- 
tacked and  destroyed  their  house  and  drove  them  off,  though 
they  were  probably  innocent. 

The  people  in  those  days  were  obliged  to  have  their  fun.  A 
long-legged,  awkward  young  man,  named  Peter  Bonesteel,  was 
arrested  for  some  pretended  offence  and  brought  into  Court; 
but  after  a  trial  was  discharged.  He  was  afraid  to  leave  the 
court  house,  as  he  thought  the  boys  would  lynch  him.  At  last 
they  became  uproarious,  pushed  him  out  of  the  door  and 
shouted,  "  Run,  Pete,  run  !"  He  did  run,  sure  enough,  and  be- 
ing tall,  long-legged,  with  heavy  boots,  the  mini  an  inch  or  two 


BLOOMINGTON.  43 

in  depth,  with  a  scare  upon  his  mind  and  a  lot  of  wolfish  boys 
behind,  he  made  such  time  as  would  make  a  locomotive  jealous, 
leaving  the  howling  hounds  far  in  the  rear,  stopping  not  until  he 
crouched  on  the  bottom  of  his  father's  cellar  in  Pone  Hollow. 
But  he  was  a  good  boy  and  of  a  good  family  and  did  not  deserve 
such  treatment. 

Many  of  those  who  were  in  business  in  early  days,  have  suc- 
ceeded well.  Lewis  Bunn  and  Abraham  Brokaw  were  among 
the  first  plow  and  wagon  makers  in  McLean  County.  Elijah 
Rockhold,  now  deceased,  was  for  a  long  while  chief  architect 
and  builder  in  Bloomington.  Jesse  Fell,  a  member  of  the  Soci- 
ety of  Friends,  father  of  J.  W.  Fell  of  Normal  and  a  large  fam- 
ily of  other  children,  most  of  them  still  living  in  McLean 
County,  came  to  Bloomington  when  it  was  in  its  swaddling 
clothes.  Mother  Fell,  as  is  usual  with  Friends,  often  preached 
to  us,  as  the  spirit  moved,  many  good  and  remembered  lessons. 
Father  Fell  also  had  a  word  for  all,  well-timed  to  profit.  But 
their  earthly  pilgrimage  has  long  since  ended  ;  they  have  obeyed 
the  mandate  :  "  Come  up  higher."  Mr.  Robert  Guthrie  was 
also  a  nurse  to  the  infant  Bloomington,  settling  first  on  the 
Flagg  farm,  but  soon  selling  out  and  coming  down  to  Front 
street.  Perhaps  he  was  the  first  regular  plastering  mason  here. 
"William  Brewer,  the  first  tanner  and  currier,  died  about  the 
year  1844  or  '45. 

About  the  year  1849  or  '50  the  California  gold  excitement 
was  greatest  and  Bloomington  sent  out  a  large  delegation  of 
some  of  her  best  citizens.  Dan.  Robinson,  since  deceased,  Ly- 
man Ferre,  at  that  time  of  wagon  and  carriage  notoriety,  Seth 
H.  Adams,  familiarly  known  as  Speedy  Adams,  and  John  M. 
Loving  and  many  others  started  for  the  golden  El  Dorado. 
Doctor  Colburn  went  some  little  distance,  but  returned.  Rev. 
D.  J.  Perry  gave  them  a  parting  address,  and  one  of  his  ideas 
was  particularly  note-worthy.  He  said:  "Many  of  the  thou- 
sands now  leaving  for  the  farther  West  think  they  are  going  out 
of  the  world,  where  they  may  think,  do  and  act  as  they  please, 
while  the  truth  is,  they  are  going  right  into  the  world,  where 
people  from  all  climes  and  tongues  are  now  congregating,  each 
peculiarly  jealous  of  his  rights  and. ready  to  maintain  them  ;  the 
great  I  Am  watches  them  with  a  no  less  jealous  eye  than  if  they 
remained  at  home."     Sound  doctrine. 


44  BLOOM INGTON. 

"Among  the  most  influential  men  of  Bloomington  was  Gen- 
eral Merritt  Covel.     He  was  the  right  man  in  the  right  place, 
and  the  people   respected  his  judgment.     He  was  honorable  in 
his  business  transactions  and  shrewd  in  his  calculations.     He 
was    amiable    of  disposition — a   gentleman  and   a   genial  com- 
panion.    He  died  in  the  year  1847.     General  Gridley  (the  old 
folks  called  him    Colonel)  represented  McLean  County  in  the 
legislature  for  one  or  more  terms  in  1840   and  '41,  and  is  re- 
ported as  second  to  none  of  his  illustrious  compeers  of  the  State 
Assembly.     His  constituents  were  well  pleased  with  his  ability, 
legislative  powers,  fine  eloquence,  keen   retort  and  skillful  ma- 
neuvering in  all  matters  affecting  McLean  County.     He  served 
his  constituents  in  the    State  Senate  in  1851,  '52,  '53  and  '54. 
About  this  time  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  was  to 
be  chartered,  and  Bloomington  had  vital  interests  at  stake.     It 
was  then  more  of  a  hamlet  than  a  city,  and  its  future  hung  in 
the  balance.     It  was  clear  that  General  Gridley  was  the  man  to 
espouse  her  interests  and  carry  them  through,  and  with  hercu- 
lean labors  he  was  triumphantly  successful.     The  chartered  line 
would  have  carried  the  track  several  miles  east  of  the  corporation 
limits,  which  would  have  built  up  a  town  there  and  Blooming- 
ton would  have  been  left  in  the  cold.     General  Gridley  duly  ap- 
preciated this   and  nerved   himself  to   the    task  of  getting  the 
charter  so  amended  as  to  make   Bloomington  a  definite  point, 
the  result  of  which  is  now  before  the  people.     It  would  be  un- 
generous and  unjust  to  say  that  he  did  all  this  individually,  but 
he  was  the  pioneer  spirit  linked    with  Jesse    W.   Fell,  Judge 
David  Davis  and  others.     The  Bloomington  Gas  and  Coke  Com- 
pany  is  the  result  of  the  enterprise  and  thrift  of  General  Grid- 
ley.     Probably  the  head,  trunk  and  limbs  of  this  company  are 
contained  in  his  person  and  pocket.     "When  the  corporation  was 
in  darkness,  each  person  carrying  his  own  lantern  and  each  busi- 
ness  place   supplying  its  own  lamp  post,  a    light  sprang  up  to- 
wards Sugar   Creek  and,  though  glimmering  at  first,  it    is  now 
magnified   and   the   city  shines  in    its   radiance.     The  McLean 
County  Bank   was  the  first  institution   of  its  kind  established. 
Its  heart  and  safe  respond  to  the  autograph  of  General  Gridley. 
Our  stock  men  are  under  obligations  to  him  for  engineering  into 
being  the  present  banking  facilities  of  our  city. 


BLOOMINGTON.  45 

"Jesse  W.  Fell,  of  Normal,  came  to  Blooming-ton  about  the 
year  1833.  He  is  of  good  old  Pennsylvania  Quaker  stock.  His 
father  as  well  as  himself  was  naturally  a  horticulturist  and 
fruit  grower.  I  have  often  looked  at  an  orchard  (perhaps  their 
first  planting  in  McLean  County)  with  much  delight.  The  lines 
of  the  trees  were  seemingly  set  in  a  diamond  form,  but  were  in 
straight  lines  from  every  point  of  view.  J.  W.  Fell  edited  the 
Bloomington  Intelligencer  for  a  while.  He  was  a  fine  scholar,  an 
able  editor  and  a  prolific  writer,  energetic  in  character  and 
ready  of  wit  and  repartee,  sound  in  judgment  and  pointed  in 
debate,  strong  in  reasoning  powers  and  a  fluent  speaker,  and 
flush  of  right  words  in  the  right  place.  He  has  never  been 
chosen  as  a  representative  of  the  people  in  any  legislative  body, 
but  he  has  been  an  active  worker  in  everything  pertaining  to 
the  interest  of  McLean  County,  and  has  been  much  more  useful 
than  scores  of  members  holding  constituent  papers.  The  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  required  his  attention  and  services  throughout 
its  construction.  Mr.  Fell  has  always  been  a  friend  of  educa- 
tion and  temperance.  The  Illinois  public  school  system  is 
debtor  to  him  for  many  things.  Among  the  other  good  things 
it  might  be  said,  "he  has  education  on  the  brain."  He  thinks 
everything  of  the  State  Normal  University,  and  was  an  indefati- 
gable worker  for  its  establishment  in  the  place  it  occupies.  He 
has  been  no  less  untiring  in  ornamenting  its  grounds  than  in 
locating  its  site.  Trees,  shrubbery  and  flowers,  like  education, 
possess  a  green  and  flowery  spot  in  his  cranium. 

"It  would  be  a  curiosity,  indeed,  if  the  Bloomington  of  early 
days  was  to  appear  before  us.  I  picture  in  my  mind  the  Bloom- 
ington of  1837,  with  its  muddy  streets,  and  I  see  the  lone  pedes- 
trian, with  pants  in  boots,  wending  his  way  to  the  post  office, 
kept  in  a  sixteen  by  twenty  feet  room ;  or  I  see  the  lady,  with 
skirts  slightly  raised,  displaying  a  shining  black  bootee,  daintily 
picking  her  steps  along  single  planks,  over  chip-piles  and  around 
mud-puddles,  to  some  store,  where  could  be  found  many  things 
between  the  needle  and  the  anchor,  a  spool  of  thread,  a  bolt  of 
muslin,  a  pound  of  tea,  and  tobacco,  coffee,  saleratus,  curry- 
combs, molasses,  etc.,  in  promiscuous  plenty.  How  different  is 
this  from  the  Bloomington  of  the  present  day,  with  its  macad- 
amized streets  and  its  Nicholson  pavement,  its  huge  storehouses 


46  BLOOMINGTON. 

and  fine  private  dwellings,  and  its  monster  court  house,  where 
all  capital  criminals  are  proved  to  be  insane. 

"  Although  Bloomington  is  yet  in  the  first  blush  of  city  wo- 
manhood, her  beautiful  child,  Miss  Normal,  is  yet  in  her  teens. 
Suitors  already  come  to  her,  attracted  by  her  building  lots  and 
shady  streets.  Under  the  protecting  care  of  the  Normal  Univer- 
sity and  the  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home  she  will  arrive  at  her  law- 
ful majority.  The  elder  institution  sends  out  from  her  desks 
each  year  more  or  less  of  the  sons  of  the  gentlemen  yeomanry 
of  the  State — some  as  theologians,  to  be  sent  on  home  or  foreign 
missions;  others  to  take  up  Blackstone  and  be  prepared  to  prove 
every  culprit  honest  or  insane,  or  every  honest  man  a  culprit; 
others  to  seek  the  wisdom  of  Esculapius,  in  order  that  all  the 
ill,  which  liesh  is  heir  to,  may  flee  as  chaff  in  the  tornado  track. 
Others  will  go  out  to  educate  the  youth  and  teach  the  young 
idea  bow  to  shoot — with  impunity  ! — while  others  will  analyze 
mother  earth,  in  order  to  adapt  the  proper  seeds  to  the  proper 
soils,  a  knowledge  not  possessed  by  all  of  the  farming  commu- 
nity at  present. 

"  Bloomington  was  a  most  fortunate  town  in  the  early  days. 
It  contained  few  of  that  idle,  vagabond  class  of  people,  who  are 
the  curse  of  new  places.  It  was  no  place  tor  them,  as  the  ener- 
getic, hard-working  people  were  too  numerous.  Water  and  oil 
will  never  mix  ;  the  shiftless  and  lazy  people  went  to  other 
localities." 

Such  are  the  ideas  given  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Billings,  and  the 
reader  will  agree  with  me  that  such  entertaining  descriptions 
seldom  appear  in  print,  Mr.  Billings  should  have  been  a  writer, 
and  in  neglecting  to  cultivate  his  literary  taste  he  has  mistaken 
his  calling  in  life. 

In  about  the  year  1836  or  '37  Bloomington  was  full  of  enter- 
prising young  men,  who  have  since  made  their  mark.  In  1837 
Judge  McClun  came  to  the  town  and  started  as  a  merchant. 
He  was  little  more  than  a  boy  and  had  not  much  of  this  world's 
goods  ;  but  he  was  full  of  pluck,  hopeful  of  the  future,  careful, 
and  above  all,  honest  in  business  and  sagacious  in  his  calcula- 
tions. Allen  Withers  was  then  a  young  merchant  and  carried 
on  his  business  with  his  father,  in  Boyce  Block.  William  H. 
Temple  was  then  an  enterprising  young  man,  and  in  1838  began 


BLOOMINGTON.  47 

business  od  his  own  account.  James  Miller  was  a  merchant  in 
the  early  days  and  afterwards  treasurer  of  the  State.  Matthew 
II.  Hawks  was  about  this  time  in  the  dry  goods  business,  but 
afterwards  thought  he  saw  more  money  in  carding  wool  and 
making  linseed  oil. 

Judge  David  Davis  and  Kersey  H.  Fell  wTere  then  young  men 
destined  to  shine  in  the  legal  profession.  The  former  now  sits 
on  the  Supreme  Bench  of  the  United  States,  and  his  friends  be- 
lieve that  his  splendid  talents  would  do  honor  to  a  higher  position. 
Wm.  H.  Hodge  and  Amasa  C.  Washburn  were  then  schoolmas- 
ters, and  if  all  reports  are  true,  "they  spared  not  the  rod,  as  they 
kept  the  old  rule  and  beat  in  the  A.  B.  C."  The  formeris  remarka- 
ble for  his  great  memory,  and  his  word  concerning  the  transac- 
tions of  the  early  days  is  gospel,  and  no  one  disputes  it.  Thomas 
Williams  and  Thomas  Fell  were  house  builders  then,  and  their 
services  were  appreciated,  for  many  of  the  settlers  had  only  the 
canopy  of  heaven  as  a  roof  to  shelter  them.  John  Moore,  the 
wa^-on   maker,   afterwards  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the   State, 

O  7 

made  wagons  for  the  settlers  to  haul  their  grain  to  market. 
Abraham  Brokaw,  Lewis  Bunn  and  William  F.  Flagg  were  hard- 
handed  sons  of  toil,  and  all  were  remarkably  successful  in  their 
profession.  William  McCullough,  "the  bravest  of  the  brave," 
was  sheriff,  afterwards  recorder,  and  at  last  a  sacrifice  to  his 
own  daring  on  a  Southern  battlefield.  William  Evans  was  then 
a  farmer  and  lived  out  of  town  ;  but  the  town  came  to  him  at 
last  and  took  him  in,  farm  and  all.  William  T.  Major  was  then 
here,  an  earnest,  active  Christian  and  the  founder  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  in  Bloomington.  In  those  days,  too,  John  Magoun, 
the  incorrigible  bachelor,  flourished.  He  was  a  bricklayer,  a 
merchant,  a  eapitalist,  a  landowner,  and  in  everything  he  suc- 
ceeded. He  was  then,  as  now,  a  practical  philanthropist.  The 
good  deeds  which  he  did  in  secret,  were  known  only  to  his 
Heavenly  Father,  who  has  rewarded  him  openly.  He  was  then, 
as  now,  an  advocate  of  temperance.  One  of  the  old  settlers, 
who  has  watched  his  course  from  then  until  the  present  time, 
says  of  him  :  "He  stands  the  highest  of  any  man  in  this  com- 
munity. I  have  my  enemies,  and  this  may  be  said  of  nearly  all 
men  who  are  pretty  well  known  ;  but  he  has  none  ;  every  man 
is  his  friend/1     John  Magoun  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Wes- 


48  BLOOM  INGTON. 

leyan  University,  which  stands  in  the  suburbs  of  Bloomington. 
This  institution  has  had  many  hard  struggles  with  fortune,  but 
its  friends  have  been  numerous  and  strong.  The  present  Uni- 
versity building  is  a  model  of  elegance  and  taste,  and  its  professors 
are  gentlemen  of  culture. 

Religious  matters  in  early  days  received  attention.    The  tirst 
Sabbath-school  was  organized  on  the  8th  and  9th  of  March,  1832, 
at  a  school  house,  where  A.  C.  Washburn  was  teaching.     The 
appointment  had  been  given  out  by  Rev.  Mr.  Latta,  and  on  the 
8th  of  March   a  few  people  attended.     Great  opposition   was 
manifested,  and  a  learned  doctor  was  loud  in  his  declaration  that 
it  was  simply  a  measure  to  unite   the  church  and  state !     The 
meeting  adjourned  until  the  next  day,  when  the  organization  was 
perfected.     A.  C.  Washburn  was  chosen  superintendent,  and  he 
worked    diligently    for  the    little    school    of    twenty    or    thirty 
scholars.     He   made  every  effort  to  induce  the   scholars  at  the 
week-day  school  to  put  on  their  prettiest  clothes  and  come  to  the 
Sabbath-school.     But  two  or  three  children,  who  belonged  to  a 
certain  family,  refused  to  attend,  and  he  visited  the  mother  and 
inquired  the  reason.     She  said  :  "How  much  do  vou  charge  for 
tuition  ?"  and  he  replied  that  the  schools  were   perfectly  free. 
She  said  :  "I  don't  understand  why  you  should  leave  your  friends 
and  come  away  out  here  to  the  West,  a  thousand  miles  or  more, 
to  teach   my  children  for  nothing."     Then  he  spoke  of  benevo- 
lence and  good  will,  and  how  anxious  he  was  for  the  spread  of 
the  gospel,  and  thought  her  heart  was  touched  ;   but  she  sudden- 
ly looked  up  and  said  :  "Ain't  you  a  'cold  water'  man  ?"     He 
was  obliged  to  acknowledge  his  principles  and  said  that  he  was 
a  temperance  man.    When  the  woman   heard  this  she  boiled 
over  with  rage,  and  said  that  her  children  should  never  go  to 
Sunday-school  to  any  such  man,  and  that  ended   the  interview. 
In  the  spring  of  1833  Mr.  Washburn  was  away  from  Blooming- 
ton,  and  the  Sunday-school  was,  for  a  while,  under  the  charge  of 
Rev.  Mr.  McGeogh,  who  died  soon  after,  and  the  school  became 
scattered.     But  it  was  revived  in  the  fall  on  the  return  of  Mr. 
Washburn.      He  was  superintendent  until  the  spring  of  1834, 
when  he  was  absent  for  a  while,  and  it  was  conducted  by  Rev. 
Samuel  Foster.     In  1836  Mr.  Washburn  returned  and  wasairain 
made  superintendent.      This  year  was  marked  by  a  great  sensa- 


BLOOMINGTON.  49 

tion.  A  colored  family  moved  into  the  place,  and  four  or  five 
little  Ethiopians  made  their  appearance  at  the  Sunday-school.  No 
one  could  be  found  to  teach  them,  except  the  superintendent, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  use  a  part  of  his  time  in  doing  so.  Some 
of  the  remaining  scholars  considered  this  an  outrage  and  threat- 
ened to  deprive  the  school  of  the  honor  of  their  presence  ;  but 
Mr.  Washburn  was  firm ;  a  few  left,  but  the  school  continued 
prosperous.  This  was  a  union  school  until  1838,  when  a  Meth- 
odist school  was  formed,  and  the  union  school  became  Presby- 
terian, and  at  the  present  time  numbers  two  hundred  and  seventy 
scholars. 

The  Bloomington  of  to-day  is  a  great  improvement  on  the 
village,  which  stood  here  thirty-five  years  ago.  It  is  an  improve- 
ment in  material  wealth,  an  improvement  in  culture  and  knowl- 
edge, and  an  improvement  in  appearance  and  external  polish. 
But  are  the  people  more  polite?  that  is,  have  they  more  of  po- 
liteness of  the  heart  ?  have  they  more  good  feeling  and  more  of 
the  disposition  to  love  their  neighbors  as  themselves  ?  The  truth 
is,  there  are  too  many  of  them  to  be  all  neighbors.  When  only 
a  few  are  gathered  together  in  a  village,  the  affection  and  good 
feelings  of  the  people  can  go  out  after  each  other  ;  but  when  a 
person  is  obliged  to  extend  his  affections  over  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  thousand  people,  his  kind  feelings  become  thin  and  elastic 
everywhere.  The  change  in  feeling  is  due  to  the  change  in 
circumstances.  People  have  their  friends  now  as  they  had  in  the 
early  days,  but  their  friends  do  not  at  present  consist  of  all 
Bloomington.  Bloomington  extends  over  four  square  miles  and 
contained  on  the  first  of  July,  1873,  a  population  of  twenty 
thousand  one  hundred  people,  and  Normal  contained  two  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  twenty,  making  in  all  twenty-two 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty.  Instead  of  being  a  village 
with  a  little  local  traffic,  it  has  become  a  center  for  supplies  for 
the  towns  and  villages  round  about.  It  has  three  large  wholesale 
dry  goods  establishments,  two  wholesale  groceries,  and  three 
groceries  which  do  a  wholesale  and  retail  trade.  It  has  four  com- 
mission merchants,  eight  large  establishments  dealing  in  lumber 
and  nineteen  retail  dry  goods  stores.  It  has  nine  clothing  stores 
and  twenty-six  dress  and  cloak  making  establishments,  from 
which  the  descendants  of  the  pioneers  buy  their  clothing,  iu- 
4 


50  BLOOM INGTON. 

stead  of  using  the  linsey  woolsey,  the  blue  jeans,  or  the  whang 
sewed  buckskin  of  their  fathers.  It  has  seventy-three  grocery  and 
provision  stores,  four  wholesale  and  retail  hardware  establish- 
ments, and  seven  exclusively  retail.  It  lias  four  foundries,  four 
flouring  mills,  three  machine  shops  (exclusive  of  those  of  the 
(1hicago  and  Alton  R.  R.),  two  agricultural  implement  manufac- 
tories and  one  chair  manufactory.  As  the  city  contains  many 
school  girls  it  has  been  necessary  to  start  a  chewing-gum  manu- 
factory. The  wax  affords  the  most  healthy  exercise  for  the  jaws, 
and  when  these  school  girls  grow  up  and  go  to  tea  parties,  they 
can  talk  by  the  hour  and  their  jaws  will  never  fail.  How  great 
are  the  privileges  enjoyed  by  the  children  of  to-day !  The  little 
pioneer  girls  had  no  manufactured  chewing  gum  ;  they  gathered 
the  wax  from  the  rosin  weed  and  upon  this  they  exercised  their 
jaws.  The  city  contains  twelve  cigar  and  tobacco  manufacturing 
establishments,  and  the  youth  of  Bloomington  can  chew  and 
smoke  with  the  elegance  befitting  the  cultured  gentlemen  of 
America. 

Bloomington  has  five  banks,  which  furnish  all  commercial 
facilities ;  thirteen  hotels,  to  accommodate  the  customers  who 
come  to  purchase  goods;  four  fast  freight  lines;  four  railroads 
and  one  branch  road,  which  make  the  city  a  distributing  depot. 
It  has  two  patent  medicine  factories,  which  send  out  medicine 
warranted  to  cure  the  ills  which  afflict  the  nations  of  the  earth. 
It  has  twelve  large  drug  stores,  two  of  which  are  wholesale 
establishments,  and  they  distribute  the  purest  drugs  to  kill  or 
cure  the  descendants  of  the  pioneers.  It  has  forty-two  physi- 
cians, who  sometimes  restore  men  to  health  and  sometimes 
make  work  for  the  undertakers.  It  has  fifty  lawyers,  who  dis- 
play their  genius  by  tangling  up  that  which  is  plain  and  straight, 
or  by  throwing  a  light  upon  that  which  is  dark  and  obscure.  It 
has  eight  photographic  galleries,  where  people  go  for  pictures 
of  their  beautiful  selves,  taken  in  all  kinds  of  unnatural  atti- 
tudes, with  foolish  smiles  or  strange  expressions.  It  has  eight 
book  and  job  printing  establishments,  which  turn  out  two  daily 
papers,  one  semi-weekly,  five  weeklies  and  four  monthlies.  It 
has  factories  of  various  kinds — a  shoe  factory,  a  spice  factory,  an 
organ  factory — and  quick-sighted  capitalists  will  doubtless  dis- 
cover man}-  other  things  which  could  easily  be  made  by  a  factory 


BLOOMINGTON.  51 

in  Bloomington.  The  pioneers  washed  their  own  clothing  by 
the  use  of  soap  and  muscle ;  but  their  thrice  happy  descendants 
were  for  a  while  served  by  pig-tailed  Chinamen,  sent  from  the 
Celestial  Empire,  twelve  thousand  miles  away.  Bloomington 
exercises  a  paternal  watch-care  over  the  surrounding  country ; 
the  streams  are  spanned  by  the  King  Iron  Bridge  Company,  and 
the  bridges  are  not  broken  down  by  heavy  weights  or  carried 
away  by  freshets. 

The  second  court  house  in  Bloomington  was  a  brick  build- 
ing, fort}T  by  forty-five  feet  and  two  stories  high.  It  was  built 
in  1836  in  the  center  of  the  court  house  square,  by  Leander 
Munsell,  for  six  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  dol- 
lars. A  little  of  this  was  paid  in  cash,  but  the  greater  part 
remained  for  many  years  a  debt  upon  the  county,  drawing  eight 
per  cent,  interest.  The  tax  required  to  pay  this  interest  was 
severely  felt. 

The  old  court  house  served  well  in  its  day,  and  as  a  usual 
thing  the  people  obtained  substantial  justice  from  the  judges 
and  juries  within  its  walls.  But  the  business  of  the  county  in- 
creased with  wealth  and  numbers,  and  it  became  necessary  to 
have  larger  public  buildings.  On  the  fifth  of  December,  1867, 
Hon.  John  M.  Scott  and  Robert  E.  Williams,  Esq.,  addressed 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  upon  the  subject  of  erecting  a  new 
court  house.  Investigations  were  made  and  reports  presented, 
and  in  March  the  matter  took  definite  form.  A  building  com- 
mittee, of  which  O.  M.  Colman  was  chairman,  was  appointed,  a 
contract  for  the  present  court  house  was  made  and  the  building 
commenced.  It  was  superintended  by  Cochran  &  Piquard, 
architects  from  Chicago.  The  building  was  contracted  for 
$285,842.  It  is  built  of  Joliet  stone  and  is  a  very  imposing 
structure. 

The  first  preacher  who  delivered  a  sermon  at  Blooming  Grove 
was  Rev.  James  Stringfield  from  Kentucky,  who  belonged  to 
the  Methodist  denomination.  The  exercises  were  held  at  the 
house  of  John  Hendrix,  in  the  year  1823,  eight  years  before 
Bloomington  was  laid  out.  But  Mr.  Stringfield  only  came  on  a 
visit.  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rhodes  came  in  1824,  and  preached  when- 
ever he  could  collect  half  a  dozen  persons  together,  but  had  no 
regular  appointments  for  some  time.     He  belonged  first  to  the 


52  BLOOMINGTON. 

Separate  Baptist  denomination  and  afterwards  to  the  Christian. 
Rev.  James  Latta  came  to  Blooming  Grove  in  1824,  but  did  not 
preach  regularly  until  1828.  The  first  circuit  preacher  in  Mc- 
Lean County  was  Rev.  William  See,  who  came  in  1826.  He 
was  succeeded  in  1827  by  Rev.  Smith  L.  Robinson,  who  was 
succeeded  in  1828  by  Rev.  James  Latta.  Mr.  Latta  was  quite  a 
noted  old  settler.  He  had  been  connected  with  the  militia  in 
1827,  while  the  Winnebago  Indians  were  making  some  trouble 
up  in  the  mining,  country,  and  he  was  called  Col.  Latta.  He 
was  a  very  effective  preacher  and  talked  to  the  people  directly 
concerning  their  errors  and  short  comings.  Mr.  Latta  was  suc- 
ceeded as  a  circuit  preacher  by  Rev.  Stephen  Beggs  in  1829. 
The  circuit  was  then  called  the  Salt  Creek  Circuit,  but  was 
afterwards  divided.  In  1830  Rev.  Mr.  Shepherd  took  charge  of 
the  circuit.  He  was  an  old  man  and  has  no  doubt  long  since 
passed  from  the  living.  He  Avas  again  pastor  in  Bloomington 
in  1839.     In  1831  Rev.  Dr.  Crissey  came. 

The  first  sermon  preached  in  Bloomington  was  delivered  by 
Rev.  William  Crissey,  in  November,  1831,  in  the  school  house 
which  formerly  stood  near  where  the  marble  works  of  Halde- 
man  Brothers  are  located.  He  was  invited  by  James  Allin  to 
preach  there.  Mr.  Crissey  had  before  this  preached  in  what 
are  now  the  suburbs  of  Bloomington.  Gen.  Gridley  gives  some 
items  with  regard  to  the  matter  as  follows  : 

"  I  arrived  in  Bloomington  on  Saturday,  October  8,  1831. 
The  next  day  (Sunday)  I  attended  Methodist  meeting  at  the  log 
cabin  of  John  Canady,  one  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  town, 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  Hon.  John  E.  McClun.  The 
con^reo-ation  consisted  of  James  Allin  and  wife,  David  Trim- 
mer  and  wife,  M.  L.  Covel,  Samuel  Dnrley,  W.  IT.  Hodge  and 
wife,  and  the  family  of  John  Canady.  The  sermon,  which  was 
a  very  good  one,  was  preached  by  Rev.  Dr.  Crissey,  late  of 
Decatur.  He  was  a  boy  about  my  age  at  that  time,  not  quite 
twenty-one." 

In  1831-2  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson,  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian, 
preached  here.  In  1832  Dr.  Crissey,  of  the  Methodist  denomi- 
nation, was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Mr.  Royal.  He  was  succeeded 
by  a  young  preacher,  whose  name  cannot  be  ascertained.  Rev. 
Zadoc  Hall  was  circuit  preacher  in  1835,  and  he  took  the  con- 


BLOOMINGTON.  53 

tract  for  building  the  first  Methodist  church.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Mr.  Chase  in  1836.  The  latter  was  the  first  stationary 
preacher  in  Bloomington.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Richard 
Haney  in  1837,  who  remained  two  years. 

The  first  Presbyterian  preacher  was  Rev.  Calvin  W.  Babbitt, 
who  came  in  December,  1832,  and  organized  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  January,  1833.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Mr.  Mc- 
Geogh  in  the  spring  of  1833.  The  latter  was  a  Scotchman 
and  a  man  of  great  learning.  He  had  a  large  and  well  selected 
library  of  books  in  various  languages.  He  died  in  Blooming- 
ton.  Rev.  Lemuel  Foster,  also  Presbyterian,  came  in  the  fall 
of  1833. 

The  Catholic  Church,  called  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception,  presents  the  strongest  membership  of  any  in  Bloom- 
ington, having  about  six  thousand.  The  pastors  are  Rev.  James 
J.  McGovern,  D.  D. ;  First  Assistant,  Rev.  L.  Lightner,  D.  D.; 
Second  Assistant,  Rev.  F.  A.  O'Connor.  It  has  a  large  and 
flourishing  Sunday-school.  The  number  of  girls  in  attendance 
at  the  Academy  of  St.  Joseph  is  two  hundred.  The  church 
building  is  situated  on  Main  street,  corner  of  Chestnut.  The 
St.  Mary's  German  Church,  Catholic,  is  on  North  Water  street, 
corner  of  Short. 

The  Methodist  Church  is  very  strong  in  numbers  and  in- 
fluence. The  first  Methodist  Church  has  a  membership  of  eight 
hundred  and  twenty-five.  The  pastor  is  the  Rev.  R.  M.  Barns. 
The  building  is  located  on  Washington  street,  corner  of  East. 
A  new  building  will  shortly  be  erected  on  the  corner  of  Grove 
and  East  streets.  This  church  has  nine  local  preachers,  six  ex- 
horters,  six  stewards  and  twenty-six  leaders.  The  Sabbath 
school  is  superintended  by  C.  S.  Aldrich  and  numbers  four 
hundred  and  twenty-five  scholars  and  has  thirty-two  teachers. 
The  German  Methodists,  Rev.  E.  C.  Magarat,  pastor,  have  their 
place  of  worship  at  415  North  Centre  street.  The  Sunday- 
school  connected  with  it  has  an  attendance  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  scholars.  The  University  Methodist  Church,  with 
a  membership  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-five,  Rev.  J.  G.  Little, 
pastor,  holds  services  in  Amie  Chapel,  in  the  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity. The  Sunday-school  is  superintended  by  H.  G.  Reeves. 
Number  of  scholars  two  hundred,  and  teachers,  seventeen.     The 


54  BLOOMINGTON. 

German  Mission  is  located  at  1302  S.  Main  street.  The  African 
M  thodist  Church  is  located  at  806  1ST.  Centre  street,  and  the 
African  Baptist  Church  is  on  Main  street,  near  N.  Water. 

The  Baptist  Church  has  a  large  and  influential  membership. 
The  first  Baptist  Church,  Rev.  C.  E.  Hewitt,  pastor,  is  located 
on  the  northeast  corner  of  Madison  and  Jefferson  streets.  It  was 
organized  in  1835,  numbers  five  hundred  and  twenty  members, 
and  has  a  Sabbath-school  with  an  attendance  of  four  hundred 
scholars  and  thirty  teachers.  The  Superintendent  is  D.  B.  Har- 
wood.  The  West  Baptist  Mission  Sunday-school  is  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Locust  and  Cranmer  streets.  It  has  seventy-five  scholars 
and  nine  teachers,  superintended  byR,  G.Lambert.  The  South 
Baptist  Mission  Sunday-school  numbers  fifty  scholars  and  nine 
teachers,  and  is  superintended  by  H.  C.  Crist.  The  Mt.  Pisgah 
Baptist  Church  (colored),  Rev.  T.  Reasoner,  pastor,  has  sixty 
members.  The  Sabbath-school,  superintended  by  J.  W.  Hag- 
gard, has  an  attendance  of  forty-five  scholars.  The  building  is 
located  at  504  S.  Lee  street.  The  Mission  Chapel,  (German) 
Rev.  W.  Deininger,  pastor,  is  located  at  1002  S.  Main  street. 

The  strength  and  influence  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  is 
due  in  some  measure  to  the  tact  that  it  was  the  first,  or  about 
the  first,  which  became  organized  in  Bloomington.  The  Lord's 
Supper  was  administered  in  January,  1832,  and  the  church  soon 
became  firmly  established.  The  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
Rev.  J.  McLean,  pastor,  is  located  on  the  corner  of  Grove  and 
East  streets,  and  numbers  one  hundred  and  eighty  members. 
The  Sunday-school  numbers  about  two  hundred  and  seventy-five 
scholars,  and  great  interest  is  manifested  in  it.  The  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  Rev.  W.  Dinsmore,  pastor,  is  on  the  cor- 
ner of  East  and  North  streets.  It  numbers  four  hundred  and 
fifty  members.  The  Sunday-school  connected  with  it  is  super- 
intended by  B.  P.  Marsh  and  numbers  three  hundred  scholars 
and  thirty-five  teachers. 

St,  Matthew's  Episcopal  Church,  Rev.  T.  K".  Morrison,  pas- 
tor, is  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and  West  streets.  It  was 
organized  July  31,  1853.  It  now  numbers  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  members.  The  Sunday-school  was  organized  about 
the  same  time  as  the  church  and  numbers  about  one  hundred 
and  forty  members. 


BLOOMINGTON.  55 

The  Christian  Church,  Rev.  J.  II.  McCullough,  pastor,  is  lo- 
cated at  401  West  Jefferson  street.  It  is  strong  and  flourishing. 
The  Sunday-school,  superintended  by  M.  Svvann,  numbers  one 
hundred  and  sixty  scholars  and  thirteen  teachers.  The  Mission 
School  of  the  Christian  Church  meets  at  the  corner  of  South 
Grove  and  Vine  streets,  and  numbers  one  hundred  and  ten 
scholars  and  ten  teachers. 

The  First  Congregational  Church,  Rev.  J.  M.  Baugh,  pastor, 
meets  at  Schroeder's  Opera  House.  It  numbers  eighty  members. 
The  Sunday-school,  superintended  by  S.  D.  Gaylord,  has  thir- 
teen teachers  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  scholars. 

The  Free  Congregational  Church,  Rev.  C.  C.  Burleigh, 
pastor,  is  located  on  the  corner  of  East  and  Jefferson  streets.  It 
was  organized  in  1859,  and  has  one  hundred  members.  The 
Sunday-school,  superintended  by  Thomas  Metcalf,  has  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  scholars  and  eleven  teachers. 

The  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Trinity  Church,  Rev.  E. 
Mangelsdorf,  pastor,  meets  at  corner  of  Madison  and  Olive 
streets.  The  number  of  voting  members  is  five  hundred  and 
seventy-five.  The  congregation  is  now  building  two  day  school 
houses,  as  the  number  of  pupils  at  the  day  schools  of  this  de- 
nomination amounts  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five.  The  Sun- 
<hiy-school  has  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  scholars. 


BLOOMINGTON  HIGH  SCHOOL. 


BLOOMINGTON  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 


The  public  schools  of  Bloomington  are  a  matter  of  just  pride 
to  its  citizens.  The  willingness  of  the  people  to  submit  to 
many  sacrifices  for  their  children,  and  the  interest  they  have 
taken  in  the  cause  of  education,  have  made  the  schools  efficient 
and  given  them  a  high  standing.  Until  the  year  1857  the  public 
schools  of  Bloomington  were  managed  under  the  common  school 
system ;  but  during  that  year  a  Board  of  Education  was  organ- 
ized under  an  act  of  the  Legislature.  The  board  consisted  of 
seven  members,  elected  for  two  years,  and  possessed  very  full 
powers.  But  after  the  first  of  April,  1869,  it  was  continued  by 
electing  two  members  in  each  of  two  years  and  three  members 
every  third  year.  It  first  met  and  organized  in  the  office  of  0. 
T.  Reeves,  on  the  eighth  of  April,  1857.  The  members  of  the 
board  were  C.  P.  Merriman,  0.  T.  Reeves,  E.  R.  Roe,  Eliel 
Barber,  Samuel  Gallagher,  Henry  Richardson,  and  R.  0.  War- 
riner.  C.  P.  Merriman  was  made  President;  R.  0.  Warriner, 
Secretary,  and  0.  T.  Reeves,  Treasurer.  It  was  soon  evident 
that  the  Board  of  Education  meant  to  do  something  in  the  way 
of  making  the  schools  efficient  and  giving  them  a  high  stand- 
ing, for  it  immediately  chose  a  board  of  three  examiners  into 
the  qualifications  of  teachers,  and  a  committee  of  three  to  ex- 
amine into  the  wants  of  the  city  with  regard  to  school  rooms. 
The  latter  committee  reported  it  necessary  to  build  school 
houses  costing  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  their  report  was 
adopted  by  the  Board  of  Education,  and  measures  were  taken 
to  carry  it  out.  But  some  difficulty  was  experienced,  as  the 
City  Council  refused  to  levy  the  tax  required  for  the  schools. 
The  Board  of  Education  therefore,  at  the  session  in  June,  1857, 
passed  the  following  resolution  : 


58  PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  superintendent  be  instructed  to  employ 
Hon.  A.  Lincoln  to  take  the  necessary  steps  to  procure  from  the 
Circuit  Court  a  writ  of  mandamus  to  compel  said  City  Council 
to  levy  the  tax  as  required  of  them  by  section  eight  of  said 
school  law." 

But  the  matter  was  finally  settled  without  resorting  to  the 
courts.  In  1857  the  board  decided  to  rent  school  houses  in  four 
of  the  districts,  and  some  idea  of  the  value  of  property  at  that 
time  may  be  obtained  from  the  prices  paid  as  rent  for  these 
school  houses.     They  rented  houses  as  follows : 

District  No.  1  §45  per  quarter. 

"      2 30 

"         "      3 20 

"         "      4 30        " 

The  first  superintendent  of  schools  elected  by  the  Board  of 
Education  was  D.  Wilkins,  Jr.,  who  was  chosen  in  October, 
1857.  He  seems  to  have  acted  very  efficiently  and  to  have 
understood  his  responsibilities.  But  the  "  hard  times"  were 
felt  very  severely,  and  in  March,  1858,  the  wages  of  teachers  in 
the  lower  grades  were  cut  down  to  §35,  $30  and  §25.  In  July 
of  the  same  year  the  High  School  was  re-organized,  with  Mr.  II. 
Kellogg  as  principal,  and  in  the  following  year  Mr.  Gilbert 
Thayer  was  elected  superintendent  of  schools. 

The  government  of  the  schools  was  early  a  subject  of  anxiety 
to  the  Board  of  Education,  and  on  the  second  of  March,  1859, 
it  was 

"  Resolved,  That  this  Board  of  Education  disapprove  of  cor- 
poral punishment  in  our  free  schools." 

In  July  following  it  was 

"  Resolved,  That  no  teacher  hereafter  shall  condemn  or  cen- 
sure any  pupil  until  said  pupil  shall  have  the  opportunity  of 
being  heard  in  his  or  her  own  defence,  and  that  the  language 
used  by  a  teacher  in  administering  discipline  shall  always  be 
respectful  and  dignified." 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  June,  1868,  Mr.  Samuel  M.  Etter,  of 
Kewanee,  was  unanimously  chosen  superintendent  of  the  Bloom- 
ington  schools.  He  filled  his  position  with  marked  ability 
until  October,  1872,  when  he  resigned  for  the  purpose  of  en- 


PUBLIC    SCHOOLS.  59 

"•aginor  in  other  business.  The  following:  is  the  resolution 
passed  by  the  Board  of  Education,  accepting  Mr.  Etter's  resig- 
nation : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  resignation  be  accepted,  to  take  effect  on 
or  before  October  25th,  and  that  we  hereby  declare  our  confi- 
dence in  the  ability  of  Mr.  Etter  as  a  manager  of  the  many  per- 
plexing details  of  a  comprehensive  school  system  ;  and  that  in 
parting  with  him  we  desire  hereby  to  assure  him  that  lie  has 
the  best  wishes  of  this  board  for  his  success  in  his  new  field  of 
labor." 

On  the  thirty-first  of  August,  Mr.  B.  P.  Marsh,  of  Galesburg, 
was  elected  principal  of  the  High  School,  which  position  he  has 
filled  with  honor  to  the  schools  and  credit  to  himself.  He  re- 
signed this  position  at  the  close  of  the  school  year  in  June, 
1878,  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  in  the  practice  of  medicine. 

On  the  twenty-first  of  September,  1868,  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation contracted  with  Packard. &  Thomas  to  put  up  the  High 
School  building  for  $28,499.  This  was  absolutely  necessary,  in 
order  to  accommodate  the  growing  wants  of  the  scholars. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  May,  1871,  it  was  resolved  that  the 
superintendent  be  instructed  to  report  to  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion a  plan  for  the  introduction  of  the  German  language  as  a 
branch  of  study  in  the  public  schools  of  the  city.  On  the  last 
of  July  following  Mr.  Etter  reported  that  he  had  visited  and 
corresponded  with  various  parties  at  Davenport,  Iowa ;  Rock 
Island,  Chicago,  and  Beloit,  Wis.  ;  and  said  that  the  teaching 
of  German  in  the  schools  could  be  made  successful.  The  com- 
mittee on  teachers  and  course  of  instruction  was  directed  to 
report  a  definite  plan,  and  the  superintendent  was  directed  to 
correspond  with  a  view  of  procuring  a  German  teacher.  On 
the  twenty-fifth  of  September,  1871,  Herr  Von  Loewenfells  was 
appointed  teacher  of  German  in  the  various  schools  of  the  city, 
at  a  salary  of  $900  for  eight  months'  work.  On  the  twenty- 
seventh  of  jSTovember,  1871,  Von  Loewenfells  resigned,  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Deininger  was  appointed  in  his  place,  at  'a  salary  of  $100 
per  month.  On  the  third  of  June,  1872,  Professor  E.  Duis  was 
chosen  teacher  of  German,  and  continued  in  that  capacity  until 
June,  1873. 

On    the   nineteenth   of  October,    1872,   S.   D.   Gaylord    was 


60  PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

elected  superintendent  of  schools,  and  continues  to  fill  this  re- 
sponsible position  with  satisfaction  to  all. 

In  the  city  of  Bloomington  are  ten  school  buildings,  of  which 
six  are  brick  and  four  are  frame.  These  buildings  with  their 
furniture  have  cost  the  city  more  than  one  hundred  and  seventy 
thousand  dollars,  and  can  accommodate  more  than  twenty-seven 
hundred  scholars.  At  the  close  of  the  year  1872  twenty-seven 
hundred  and  fifty-one  scholars  were  enrolled  in  the  city,  and  of 
these  twenty-six  hundred  and  thirty  were  in  actual  attendance. 
The  colored  school  is  open  to  pupils  from  all  parts  of  Bloom- 
ington. The  city  is  divided  into  eight  school  districts.  The 
departments  below  the  High  School  have  ten  separate  grades. 
In  the  High  School  are  three  separate  courses  of  study  :  the 
scientific,  requiring  four  years,  the  classical,  requiring  five  years 
and  the  course  preparatory  for  college,  requiring  three  years. 
In  the  scientific  course  great  attention  is  paid  to  mathematics ; 
in  the  classical  course  hardly  as  much  attention  is  given  to  math- 
ematics, but  more  than  four  years  are  given  to  Latin.  In  the 
course  preparatory  for  college  three  years  are  given  to  Latin  and 
two  years  to  Greek.  German  is  taught  in  the  High  School. 
English  literature  receives  much  attention  and  one  entire  year 
is  devoted  to  it.  The  natural  sciences  are  not  neglected.  One 
term  is  given  to  geology  and  two  to  physiology,  botany  and 
chemistry. 

The  members  of  the  Bloomington  Board  of  Education  are  : 
Samuel  S.  Parke,  Jacob  Jacoby,  Cyreneus  Wakefield,  J.  A. 
Jackman,K.  H.  Fell,  E.  M.  Piince  and  B.  P.  Marsh. 

The  Superintendent  of  Schools  is  S.  D.  Gaylord.  He  was 
chosen  Superintendent  of  the  Bloomington  Public  Schools,  Oc- 
tober 19,  1872.  Mr.  Gaylord  was  born  of  American  parentage 
at  Ashford,  Conn.,  in  1833.  He  was  the  third  in  a  family  of 
seven  boys,  all  of  whom,  with  their  parents,  have  been  school 
teachers  during  some  part  of  their  lives.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation principally  in  the  public  schools  and  academies  of  New 
England.  He  educated  himself,  as  his  father,  though  in  com- 
fortable circumstances,  was  notable  to  educate  his  large  family. 
Mr.  Gaylord  graduated  at  the  Connecticut  Literary  Institute  at 
Suffield.  He  began  to  teach  in  district  schools  when  eighteen 
years  of  age.     He  taught  for  three  years  in  Mt.  Hollis  Seminary 


PUBLIC    SCHOOLS.  61 

at  Holliston,  Mass.,  and  while  there  continued  his  studies  under 
Prof.  E.  J.  Cutter  of  Harvard  College,  until  he  completed  the 
course  required  in  that  institution.  He  came  to  the  West  in  the 
year  1858  in  answer  to  a  call  from  the  Board  of  Education  at 
Oshkosh,  Wisconsin,  to  take  charge  of  the  free  schools  in  that 
city.  In  1861  he  went  to  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  where  he  became 
the  superintendent  of  schools.  In  1867  he  received  a  call  to 
the  Milwaukee  High  School,  which  was  being  re-organized,  and 
remained  there  two  years ;  but  failing  health  compelled  his 
resignation.  Some  time  afterwards  he  accepted  a  call  to  organize 
the  public  schools  of  Mineral  Point,  Wisconsin,  but  at  the  end 
of  two  years  he  found  that  entire  rest  from  school  room  duties 
was  necessary  to  restore  his  health,  and  therefore  resigned  his 
position  and  spent  some  time  in  traveling.  On  the  nineteenth 
of  October,  1872,  he  accepted  the  invitation  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation of  Bloomington  to  take  charge  of  the  public  schools  in 
place  of  Mr.  Etter,  resigned.  Mr.  Gaylord  has  had  twenty 
years  of  experience  in  teaching,  and  has  always  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  educational  movements  and  institute  work. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Examiners  for  state 
certificates  in  Wisconsin,  and  in  1866  was  President  of  the  Wis- 
consin State  Teachers'  Association. 

B.  P.  Marsh. 

B.  P.  Marsh  was  born  1841  in  Nunda,  New  York;  he  ob- 
tained under  difficulties  an  education  which  prepared  him  for 
his  favorite  study,  that  of  medicine,  which  he  has  made  his 
profession.  He  graduated  from  Knox  College,  Galesburg,  in 
1864.  He  has  been  principal  of  the  High  School  during  the 
past  five  }7ears,  longer  than  any  one  before,  and  has  done  much 
for  the  schools.  While  engaged  here  he  has  several  times  been 
offered  professorships  in  educational  institutions  ;  but  as  it  is 
not  his  intention  to  spend  his  days  in  teaching,  he  resigned  his 
position  as  principal  of  the  High  School  in  June,  1878,  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  medicine.  He  is  now  connected  with 
Dr.  H.  B.  Wright,  with  whom  he  has  formed  a  partnership.  He 
still  takes  an  interest  in  educational  matters  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Bloomington  Board  of  Education. 


62  PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

Samuel  M.  Etter. 

Mr.  Etter  is  not  now  in  any  way  connected  with  the  schools 
of  Bloomington,  but  he  filled  the  position  of  superintendent 
during  a  very  important  period,  while  nearly  all  of  the  school 
buildings  used  at  present  were  constructed,  and  while  various 
changes  were  made  and  modern  improvements  introduced. 
Something  concerning  his  life  is  therefore  called  for  by  those 
who  have  taken  an  interest  in  the  Bloomington  schools.  From 
a  sketch  published  in  the  Illinois  Teacher  are  taken  the  items 
for  a  short  account  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Etter  was  born  May  16,  1830.  His  father  was  of  Ger- 
man descent.  He  lived  in  Pennsylvania  during  the  first  ten 
years  of  his  life  and  then  went  with  his  father's  family  to  Ohio, 
where  he  exercised  his  youthful  muscle  on  a  farm.  During  the 
first  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  of  his  life  he  received  very  little 
education,  but  determined  to  acquire  knowledge  at  all  hazards. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  attended  a  boarding  school  at  Twins- 
burg,  Ohio,  and  walked  fifty  miles  to  get  there.  He  succeeded 
in  his  studies  of  course,  for  such  pluck  as  he  showed  was  sure 
to  win.  When  his  money  was  exhausted  he  taught  school  to  ob- 
tain more  funds.  Mr.  Etter  attended  the  High  School  at  Mas- 
sillon,  Ohio,  and  afterwards  the  college  at  Kalamazoo,  Michigan. 
He  taught  school  at  Perrysburg,  Ohio,  at  Lacon  and  at  Clalva, 
Illinois.  Without  discontinuing  his  school  at  the  latter  place, 
he  was  in  1861-elected  County  Superintendent  of  Henry  County. 
In  1863  he  was  chosen  President  of  the  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, which  was  held  the  following  year  at  Joliet.  In  1864  he 
received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Knox  College,  and 
during  the  same  year  was  chosen  Superintendent  of  Schools  at 
Kewauee.  In  1868  he  was  unanimously  elected  Superintendent 
of  Public  Schools  of  Bloomington,  which  position  he  held  until 
October,  1872.  Mr.  Etter  has  been  remarkably  successful  as  a 
teacher  wherever  he  has  gone.  He  has  the  determination  and 
good  judgment  which  makes  him  successful  and  the  pleasant 
manner  and  kind  disposition  which  make  him  popular.  He  has 
been  ever  careful  never  to  neglect  his  duties,  and  he  certainly 
has  the  good  will  of  all  the  old  teachers  and  friends  with  whom 
he  labored. 


ILLINOIS  WESLEYAN  UNIVERSITY. 


In  1850,  a  number  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Bloomington  agi- 
tated the  subject  of  founding  a  university  complete  in  all  its 
departments.  Illinois  was  felt  to  be  a  growing  State,  and  these 
citizens  were  anxious  that  its  educational  advantages  should  be 
of  the  first  order.  It  was  decided  that  the  university  should  be 
placed  under  the  control  of  the  Methodist  Church.  This  was 
not  done  for  the  purpose  of  making  it  a  sectarian  institution, 
for  science  can  never  be  made  sectarian.  It  was  felt  that  it 
should  be  placed  in  careful  hands,  where  it  would  be  likely  to 
have  good  management ;  and  as  the  Methodist  Church  was  then, 
as  now,  very  large  and  influential,  the  care  of  the  new  univer- 
sity was  confided  to  it.  It  was  intended  that  its  influence 
should  be  of  a  Christian  character,  but  the  students  of  all  de- 
nominations should  find  a  home  within  its  halls.  This  idea  has 
been  faithfully  carried  out. 

The  first  Board  of  Trustees  organized  under  the  general  laws 
of  the  State  on  the  second  of  December,  1850.  Their  names 
were  Hon.  Isaac  Funk,  Silas  Waters,  Rev.  James  C.  Finley,  C. 
P.  Merriman,  Rev.  W.  D.  R.  Trotter,  D.  D.,  David  Trimmer, 
Rev.  C.  M.  Holliday,  John  Magoun,  ¥m.  H.  Holmes,  Col. 
James  Miller,  Lewis  Bunn,  Rev.  John  Van  Cleve,  D.  D.,  John 
N.  Ewing,  Rev.  John  S.  Barger,  William  Wallace,  Rev.  Peter 
Cartwright,  D.  D.,  Rev.  Calvin  W.  Lewis,  James  Allin,  Rev. 
Reuben  Andrus,  A.  M.,  W.  C.  Hobbs,  Rev.  Wm.  J.  Rutledge, 
K.  H.  Fell,  Rev.  James  Leaton,  Rev.  J.  F.  Jaques,  A.  M.,Dr. 
T.  P.  Rogers,  Linus  Graves,  Rev.  Thomas  Magee,  Hon.  John  E. 
McClun,  Dr.  Ezekiel  Thomas  and  Wm.  H.  Allin. 

In  the  winter  of  1850  and  '51  a  preparatory  school  was  or- 
ganized under  the  charge  of  Rev.  R.  Andrus,  A.  M.,  in  the 
basement  of  the   Methodist  Church.     Subscription  papers  were 


(}4  WESLEYAN  UNIVERSITY. 

at  once  circulated  to  obtain  funds  necessarj-  to  put  up  suitable 
buildings,  but  the  amount  raised  fell  far  short  of  the  necessities 
of  the  institution.  Nevertheless  the  work  was  begun  and  the 
foundations  of  the  building  were  laid. 

In  July,  1851,  a  second  professor,  Rev.  Wm.  Goodfellow,  A. 
M.,  was  elected,  and  at  the  opening  of  the  college  year  in  Sep- 
tember the  school  was  much  enlarged.  On  the  sixth  of  July, 
1851,  Rev.  John  Dempster,  D.  D.,  of  Concord,  Xew  Hampshire, 
was  elected  president.  The  first  annual  commencement  was  held 
on  the  seventh  of  July,  1853.  At  this  commencement  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Arts  was  conferred  upon  James  Hughes 
Barger,  the  first  graduate.  The  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  in 
course,  was  also  conferred  upon  Daniel  Wilkins,  A.  B.,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  University  of  Michigan.  Shortly  after  this  President 
Dempster  moved  to  Evanston.  In  the  meantime  the  work  of 
raising  funds  and  of  putting  up  the  building  went  on  very 
slowly,  and  the  institution  began  to  be  much  involved  in  debt. 
The  members  of  the  faculty  would  not  get  even  the  small  sala- 
ries which  belonged  to  them,  and  resigned  and  sought  other 
fields  of  labor.  On  the  9th  of  August,  1855,  Rev.  Clinton  W. 
Sears,  who  had  been  a  professor  in  the  institution,  was  elected 
president,  and  a  strong  effort  was  made  to  establish  it  on  a  firm 
basis.  The  building  was  so  far  advanced  that  a  part  of  it  could 
be  occupied,  but  the  great  difficulty  in  procuring  funds  caused 
the  failure  of  all  of  these  plans.  The  faculty  all  resigned,  the 
school  was  discontinued  and  the  building  sold  under  a  mechanic's 
lien.  But  the  friends  of  the  institution  did  not  despair.  They 
secured  the  services  of  Rev.  Charles  W.  C.  Munsell  as  canvasser 
to  procure  the  funds  necessary  for  placing  the  institution  once 
more  upon  a  sound  basis.  Mr.  Munsell  went  to  work  enthusi- 
astically and  used  his  own  private  means  to  redeem  the  buildino- 
after  its  sale  under  the  mechanics'  lien.  A  new  charter  was 
granted  to  the  institution  by  the  Legislature  and  a  new  Board  of 
Trustees  was  nominated  by  the  two  Methodist  Conferences. 

This  Board  elected  Rev.  Oliver  S.  Munsell,  A.  M.,  president 
of  the  University,  and  authorized  him  in  connection  with  the 
Executive  Committee  to  organize  the  faculty  and  decide  upon 
the  courses  of  study  and  re-open  the  University.  A  small  loan 
was  effected  and  the  building  was  completed.     On  the  tenth  of 


WESLEYAN  UNIVERSITY.  05 

September,  1857,  the  school  was  re-opened  with  three  professors 
and  seventeen  students.  But  even  this  small  number  of  students 
was  not  kept  up  during  the  term.  Some  four  or  five  of  them 
began  to  feel  so  lonesome  in  walking  through  the  almost  deserted 
halls  that  they,  too,  left  the  school.  During  the  entire  year  only 
sixty  students  were  enrolled,  and  of  these  all  but  seven  were  in 
the  primary  and  preparatory  departments.  The  agent  of  the 
institution  worked  hard  to  secure  funds  and  was  successful. 
But  it  was  not  until  July,  1860,  that  the  trustees  assumed  the 
pecuniary  responsibility  of  the  institution.  At  that  time  they 
felt  justified  in  giving  the  president  and  professors  each  a  salary 
of  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum.  During  this  year  there  were 
in  the  institution  ninety-one  students,  of  whom  only  nineteen 
were  in  the  collegiate  department.  The  faculty  numbered  live 
professors.  At  the  annual  commencement  of  1861  Harvey  C. 
De  Motte,  of  Metamora,  and  Peter  Warner,  of  Kappa,  received 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science,  and  were  the  first  graduates 
under  the  new  organization.  Mr.  De  Motte  was  immediately- 
elected  Professor  of  Mathematics,  a  position  which  he  retains 
with  credit  to  the  institution. 

The  institution  suffered  quite  seriously  in  the  autumn  and 
winter  of  1862  by  the  volunteering  of  the  students.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1863  upon  a  sudden  and  urgent  call  from  the  Governor 
of  the  State,  Professor  De  Motte  and  thirty-two  out  of  forty-three 
students  then  in  attendance  volunteered  for  three  months,  and 
were  transferred  for  garrison  duty  to  Alexandria  on  the  Poto- 
mac. Of  the  three  graduates  at  this  annual  commencement  one, 
W.  C.  Adams,  was  graduated  while  absent  in  the  army  and  died 
soon  after.  Another,  Henry  W.  Boyd,  enlisted  for  the  war  as  a 
private  within  a  week  after  his  graduation  ;  but  having  studied 
medicine,  he  was  by  his  own  merit  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
brigade  surgeon.  The  growth  of  the  University  during  the  war 
was  slow  but  sure,  and  in  1865  the  University  became  free  from 
debt. 

In  the  year  1866  the  Methodist  Church  in  America  celebrated 
its  first  centennial  anniversary  and  the  sum  of  fifty-four  thou- 
sand dollars  was  subscribed  on  this  occasion  by  the  friends  of  the 
institution.  Twenty  thousand  dollars  of  this  was  subscribed  by 
the  city  of   Bloomington,  and  also  ten  thousand   dollars   was 

5 


66  WESLEYAN  UNIVERSITY. 

given  by  the  Funk  family  to  endow  the  Isaac  Funk  Professor- 
ship of  Agriculture.  The  total  endowment  of  the  University 
was  then  seventy-nine  thousand  dollars.  In  addition  to  this,  the 
various  departments  of  the  University  had  been  provided  with 
apparatus  necessary  for  them,  and  the  museum  of  ^Natural  His- 
tory and  the  libraries  had  been  growing  steadily.  All  of  this 
gave  the  institution  a  respectable  standing,  and  one  of  the  results 
was  an  increase  in  the  number  of  students. 

But  the  increased  number  of  students  made  a  larger  building 
a  necessity,  and  in  March,  1868,  an  educational  convention  of 
the  friends  of  the  University  met  and  decided  that  the  trustees 
should  take  action  in  the  matter  immediatelv.  Before  Ions;, 
thirty  thousand  dollars  were  subscribed  for  the  building,  and  of 
this  twenty  thousand  dollars  were  given  by  the  citizens  of  Bloom- 
ington.  The  trustees  immediately  proceeded  with  the  work  in 
accordance  with  a  beautiful  plan  drawn  by  R.  Richter,  Esq., 
architect,  of  Bloomington.  The  work  was  steadily  pushed  and 
a  fine  brick  building,  seventy  by  one  hundred  and  forty  feet,  five 
stories  high,  with  a  stone  basement  and  Mansard  roof,  arose  as  a 
monument  of  their  efforts.  When  the  time  came  to  finish  the 
chapel,  Col.  W.  H.  Coler,  of  Champaign  City,  stepped  forward 
and  pledged  five  thousand  dollars  for  that  purpose  on  the  sole 
condition  that  it  should  be  called  Amie  Chapel  in  honor  of  his 
mother. 

The  Belles  Lettres  and  the  Munsellian  Literary  Societies  have 
fitted  up  the  halls  assigned  to  them  with  the  finest  taste,  and 
have  expended  on  them  not  less  than  four  thousand  dollars. 

Amie  Chapel  was  dedicated  on  the  sixteenth  of  Jane,  1872, 
by  the  Rev.  B.  J.  Ives,  D.  D.,  of  Auburn,  Xew  York,  and  the 
large  congregation  present  celebrated  the  occasion  by  subscrib- 
ing twelve  thousand  dollars  to  prosecute  the  work,  and  it  is 
hoped  that  the  entire  University  building  will  be  finished  at  an 
early  day. 

In  1870  the  trustees  were  called  upon  to  decide  whether  or  not 
ladies  should  be  admitted  to  the  privileges  of  the  Universitv. 
This  important  question  was  referred  by  the  trustees  to  the  two 
conferences  (the  Illinois  and  Illinois  Central),  and  by  their  de- 
cision the  ladies  gained  the  day,  and  twenty-five  of  them  were 
immediatelv  enrolled  as  students.     The  first  lady  graduate  was 


WESLEYAN  UNIVERSITY.  67 

Hannah  I.  Shur,  of  El  Paso,  upon  whom  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Science  was  conferred  on  the  twentieth  of  June,  1872.  The 
courses  of  study  for  the  ladies  are  precisely  the  same  as  those 
marked  out  for  the  gentlemen. 

The  classical  and  scientific  courses  of  study,  both  require  four 
years  in  the  collegiate  department,  and  one  and  two  years  re- 
spectively in  the  preparatory  department.  At  first  the  scientific 
course  required  only  three  years  to  complete,  but  this  was 
changed  to  the  present  extended  course,  and  now  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science  means  something. 

The  department  of  agriculture  is  also  well  attended  to.  The 
Professorship  of  Agriculture  was  endowed  by.  the  Funk  family 
and  is  named  after  Hon.  Isaac  Funk,  of  McLean  County.  It  is 
well  filled  by  Bradford  S.  Potter,  A.  M.,  an  enthusiast  in  the 
natural  sciences.  In  addition  to  the  regular  collegiate  course  of 
study,  lectures  are  given  on  International  and  Constitutional 
Law;  on  Anatomy,  Physiology  and  Hygiene,  and  on  Music. 
The  lectures  on  law  are  delivered  by  Robert  E.  Williams,  Esq., 
those  on  Physiology  by  J.  L.  White,  M.  D.,  and  those  on  Music 
by  Prof.  F.  A.  Parker.  These  lectures  are  not  designed  as 
schools  of  law  and  medicine,  but  it  is  hoped  that  they  may  pre- 
pare the  way  for  the  organization  of  such  departments  at  some 
future  time. 

The  fact,  is  conceded  that  the  Wesleyan  University  is  yet 
only  a  college,  but  its  friends  are  slowly  and  surely  preparing 
the  way  to  make  it  a  university  of  the  highest  standing,  and  add 
to  it  regular  departments  of  law,  medicine  and  theology.  In 
order  to  do  this,  time  and,  most  of  all,  moiwj  is  required.  There 
is  hardly  a  college  or  university  of  good  standing  in  existence 
which  is  self-supporting.  The  cause  of  learning  everywhere 
must  depend  upon  the  generosity  of  the  people.  It  is  not  easy 
to  over-estimate  the  effect  of  a  university  upon  the  people  of  a 
state.  It  gives  them  a  higher  standard  by  which  to  judge  of 
themselves.  The  University  of  Michigan  places  that  State  in 
the  highest  rank  among  those  of  the  Union  and  the  same  may 
be  said  of  the  relation  of  Harvard  and  Yale  to  Massachusetts 
and  Connecticut.  We  are  called  upon  then  by  every  considera- 
tion of  philanthropy  and  of  patriotism  to  take  care  of  our  schools 
and  colleges.     It  is  earnestly  hoped  that  the  Wesleyan  Univer- 


68  WESLEYAN    UNIVERSITY. 

sity  may  be  remembered  by  its  friends  in  the  future  as  it  has 
been  in  the  past ;  that  it  may  grow  in  numbers,  in  influence  and 
in  usefulness;  that  it  may  take  a  leading  position  among  the 
universities  of  America,  and  place  Illinois  in  the  first  rank 
among  the  States  of  the  Union,  in  learning  and  the  fine  arts. 

Eev.  Samuel  Fallows,  D.  D. 

The  following  biographical  notice  of  Rev.  Samuel  Fallows, 
the  recently  chosen  President  of  the  Wesleyan  University,  is 
taken  from  the  Alumni  Journal,  which  republished  it  from  the 
Christian  Statesman  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.  : 

"  Dr.  Fallows  was  born  in  Manchester,  England,  December 
13th,  1835.  He  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1848,  and  first  settled  at 
Marshall,  Dane  County,  and  has  since  resided  at  Galesville,  Ap- 
pleton,  Oshkosh,  Milwaukee  and  Madison.  He  has  officiated  as 
assistant  professor  in  the  State  University,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  graduated  in  1859  with  the  highest  honors,  being  the 
valedictorian  of  his  class.  From  1859  to  1861  he  was  Vice  Presi- 
dent of  Galesville  University,  in  this  State.  He  was  elected 
Professor  in  Lawrence  University  in  1863,  and  Professor  of 
Rhetoric  in  the  State  University  in  1867,  both  of  which  positions 
were  declined.  He  was  pastor  of  Summerfield  Church  from 
1865  to  1868,  and  of  the  Spring  Street  Church  from  1868  to 
1870,  in  the  city  of  Milwaukee.  During  his  pastorate  the  latter 
society  built  one  of  the  most  elegant  churches  in  the  State.  He 
has  been  a  regent  of  the  State  University  for  the  past,  eight 
years.  He  entered  the  military  service  during  the  late  rebellion, 
and  was  commissioned  chaplain  of  the  32d  Wisconsin  Volun- 
teers, September,  1862;  was  appointed  Lieutenant  Colonel  of 
the  40th  Wisconsin  Volunteers,  1864,  and  in  1865  was  appointed 
Colonel  of  the  49th  Wisconsin  Volunteers,  and  breveted  Brioa- 
dier  General  in  October  of  the  same  year  for  meritorious  service. 
Was  appointed  State  Superintendent,  July  5th,  1870,  by  Gov- 
ernor Fairchild,  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death  of 
Hon.  A.  J.  Craig.  In  November  he  was  elected  to  fill  the  bal- 
ance of  the  unexpired  term.  Was  renominated  by  the  Republi- 
can State  Convention  in  1872,  and  re-elected,  and  no  doubt 
would  have  been  again  nominated  this  year,  for  the  same 
position. 


WESLEYAN    UNIVERSITY.  69 

"As  State  Superintendent,  Dr.  Fallows  has  won  a  fine  repu- 
tation, by  his  indefatigable,  zealous  and  efficient  labors  in  the 
cause  of  public  education.  lie  has  industriously  traversed  the 
♦State,  organizing  teachers'  institutes,  and  delivering  sound  and 
stirring  lectures.  His  grand  object  has  been  to  harmonize  and 
unify  the  educational  system  of  the  State  ;  and  he  has  assidu- 
ously labored  to  bring  the  graded  schools  and  the  State  Univer- 
sity into  line.  This  may  be  called  the  distinctive  feature  of  his 
administration  of  the  office,  and,  from  the  progress  made,  there 
is  no  doubt  that  his  efforts  would  have  been  crowned  with  suc- 
cess. In  recognition  of  his  services  in  the  cause  of  education 
and  religion,  Lawrence  University  last  year  conferred  upon  him 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

"As  a  clergyman  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Dr. 
Fallows  has  been  no  less  efficient  and  successful,  than  as  an  edu- 
cator. As  a  pulpit  orator  he  has  but  few  superiors,  and,  when 
announced  to  speak  upon  any  great  question  of  the  day,  never 
fails  to  attract  a  large  audience.  Our  friends  in  Illinois  will  find 
in  him  not  only  an  efficient  educator,  but  an  earnest  and  elo- 
quent champion  of  every  worthy  cause.  He  will  be  a  valuable 
accession,  not  only  to  the  Wesleyan  University,  but  to  the  State 
of  Illinois.  We  part  with  Dr.  Fallows  with  regret,  and  heartily 
wish  for  him  a  continuance  of  the  abundant  success  which  he 
has  heretofore  deserved  and  achieved." 

II.  C.  De  Motte,  A.  M., 

Professor  of  Mathematics,  and  Vice  President,  was  born  in 
Greene  County,  Illinois,  July  17,  1838.  After  having  pursued 
certain  preparatory  studies,  he  entered  the  Wesleyan  University 
September  1,  1850,  was  appointed  janitor,  November  1,  in  1860, 
which  office  in  those  days  was  filled  by  the  most  worthy  student. 
He  was  appointed  tutor  in  mathematics  April,  1861,  was  gradu- 
ated and  elected  Professor  of  Mathematics  in  June,  1861.  He 
entered  the  Union  army  as  First  Lieutenant  of  Company  Gr, 
68th  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  a  regiment  enlisted  for  three 
months.  He  was  appointed  Assistant  Provost  Marshal  of  Alex- 
andria, Va.,  August  23,  1862.  Having  been  duly  mustered  out 
of  service,  he  returned  to  duty  as  Professor  of  Mathematics  in 
October,  1862,  and  in   June,  1865,  as  senior    professor,  he  was 


70  WESLEYAN    UNIVERSITY. 

made  Vice  President  of  the  University.  Professor  De  Motte, 
in  the  absence  of  the  President,  has  through  a  period  of  nearly 
three  years  performed  the  duties  of  that  office  with  great  ef- 
ficiency. 

Rev.  J.  R.  Jaques,  A.  M., 

Professor  of    Greek    language    and   Instructor  in    German, 
was  born  in   Warwickshire,  England,    December  8,  1828.     He 
came  to   the  United   States  in    1838  :    was    trained   in    district 
school,  academv  and  bookstore  from  1840  until  1845  in  Palmvra, 
N.  Y.     During  the  next  three  years  he  was  trained  in  a  printing 
office.     From  1848  until  1850  he  prepared  for  college  in  Union 
School,  Lyons,  X.  Y.     He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1850.     Dur- 
ing the   same  year  he  entered  as  Freshman,  Genesee    College, 
(now  Syracuse  University)  IS".  Y.  ;  was  tutor  in  Latin  and  Greek, 
and  graduated  as  A.  B.  in  1854.     lie  was  for  a  while  principal 
of  an   academy  in  Steuben   County,  N.  Y.     In  1856  and  1857 
he  organized  the  Mansfield   Classical  Seminary,  Pa.,  (now  State 
formal  School).     Released  by  the  temporary  suspension  of  the 
school  by  the  burning  of  the  building  in  1857,  he  was  pastor  of 
first  M.  E.  Church,  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  then  of  the  M.  E.  Church  in 
Hornellsville,  X.  Y.,  and  lastly  of  first  M.  E.    Church,  Roches- 
ter, N".  Y.     Leaving  the   pulpit  in    1862   on    account  of  throat 
trouble,  he  taught  Latin,  Greek  and  German  in    the  Collegiate 
Institute,  Rochester,  !N".  Y.     From  thence  he  was  called  in  1865 
to  a  chair  in  the  Illinois  Wesleyan   University  for  which  he  had 
given  many  years  to  prepare   himself  by  the    philological  study 
of  Latin,    Greek,  Hebrew,  German,  French,  Spanish,  Italian, 
&c,  &c. 

Bradford  S.  Potter,  A.  M., 

Professor  of  Natural  Science,  was  born  in  Walworth,  Wayne 
County,  New  York,  June  5,  1836.  He  attended  the  Walworth 
Academy  in  1*4!»,  and  taught  district  school  during  the  winter 
of  1853  and  "54.  He  entered  as  classical  Freshman  Genesee 
College  (now  Syracuse  University),  August,  1854.  He  was  Prin- 
cipal of  Webster  Academy  from  the  winter  term  of  1856  and 
'57  until  the  summer  of  1858.  He  returned  to  college  in  the 
fall  of  1858,  and  in  connection  with  his  studies  was  employed  as 
tutor  in  Latin  in  the  preparatory  department  (or  Genesee  Wes- 


WESLEYAN  UNIVERSITY.  71 

leyan  Seminary).  He  was  also  employed  as  teacher  of  the 
Normal  department  of  Waterloo  Academy  in  the  winter  of  1859 
and  '60.  He  graduated  as  A.  B.  in  1860.  During  the  next  six 
years  he  taught  in  New  Albany,  Indiana,  and  for  a  time  was 
Principal  of  Mexico  Academ}^,  New  York.  From  New  Albany, 
Indiana,  he  was  called  in  1860  to  Baker  University  in  Kansas,  as 
Professor  of  Mathematics  ;  but  his  work  as  an  educator  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity, and  in  1867  he  was  called  to  his  present  position,  which  for 
six  years  he  has  maintained  with  success. 

S.  S.  Hamill,  A.  M. 

Professor  of  Elocution  and  English  Language  and  Literature 
was  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  March  19,  1833.  Having  com- 
pleted his  academic  course,  he  entered  the  Freshman  class  of 
Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio,  Sept.  10, 1850.  He  was  elected 
instructor  in  Elocution  in  Monmouth  College,  Illinois,  in  1857, 
and  entered  as  a  Junior  in  the  classical  course.  In  1858  he  was 
elected  Instructor  in  Elocution  in  Knox  College,  where  he  grad- 
uated in  the  classical  course,  June,  1859.  For  ten  years  he  taught 
elocution  in  nearly  every  leading  college  between  the  Hudson 
River  and  the  Missouri,  including  Michigan  University,  Gettys- 
burg College,  &c.  He  traveled  from  one  college  to  another.  In 
1860  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Elocution  in  Monmouth  Col- 
lege and  in  1868  he  was  called  to  the  same  chair  in  the  Illinois 
Wesleyan  University,  and  in  1870  the  department  of  English 
Lano-ua^e  and  Literature  was  added.  In  1872  Professor  Hamill's 
text  book,  entitled  "Science  of  Elocution"  was  published,  and 
now  editions  were  soon  called  for.  This  book  has  received  the 
favorable  notice  of  the  highest  authorities  in  the  LTnited  States. 
Professor  Hamill,  as  a  dramatic  reader,  has  a  wide  reputation. 

Since  the  above  notice  of  Professor  Hamill  was  written  he 
has  accepted  a  position  in  the  North  Missouri  Normal  School  at 
Kirksville,  as  Professor  of  Elocution. 


'5 


Geo.  P.  Crow,  A.  M., 

Professor  of  Latin,  was  born  in  Ohio,  Sept.  26,  1832.  He 
graduated  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  in  1861,  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.     He  enlisted  in  the  army,  July,  1862,  and  took 


72  WESLEYAN    UNIVERSITY. 

part  iii  all  the  important  engagements  of  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland from  the  battle  at  Perry ville,  Ky.,  October,  1862,  to  the 
battle  of  Nashville,  December  16,  1864,  including  the  pursuit  of 
General  Bragg  and  the  expedition  to  Atlanta,  Ga.  For  distin- 
guished services  at  the  battle  of  Murfreesborough  he  was  com- 
plimented by  his  commander  and  soon  after  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  Captain.  On  account  of  his  special  qualifications  he 
was  assigned  to  the  corps  of  Engineers.  Here  he  was  engaged 
in  making  surveys  of  the  country  in  advance  of  the  army  in  its 
southward  march,  and  in  superintending  the  construction  of  for- 
tifications and  lines  of  defence.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Logan  County,  Illinois,  until 
August,  1870,  when  he  was  elected  Professor  in  the  Illinois  Wes- 
leyan  University,  which  position  he  has  tilled  with  marked 
ability. 

Prof.  Jennie  Fowler  Willing,  A.  M., 

Was  born  in  Canada  West,  January  22,  1834.  She  removed  to 
New  York  in  1840,  and  in  1842  settled  in  Kendall  County,  111. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  she  was  married  to  Rev.  W.  C.  Willing  of 
Western  New  York.  After  a  residence  of  seven  vears  in  New 
York  she  returned  to  Illinois.  She  began  writing  for  the  press  at 
sixteen,  which,  with  teaching  and  other  duties,  she  has  continued 
till  the  present  time.  In  1862,  being  relieved  of  other  duties, 
she  gave  close  attention  to  literature  till  called  to  more  public 
duties.  Her  contributions  to  the  periodical  press  have  been 
numerous  and  highly  prized.  She  wrote  a  serial  for  the  New 
York  Methodist,  entitled  "Undei-ground;"  also  a  volume  of  reli- 
gious fiction,  entitled  "Through  the  Hark  to  the  Hay."  She  has 
a  wide  reputation  as  a  public  speaker,  having  delivered  anniver- 
sary addresses  in  the  principal  cities  East  and  West.  In  1869 
she  was  made  one  of  the  three  corresponding  secretaries  of 
the  newly  formed  "Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society"  of  the 
M.  E.  Church.  Of  late  years,  she  has  had  charge  of  the  North- 
western branch  of  this  society,  with  headquarters  in  Chicago, 
traveling  through  all  the  States  of  the  Northwest,  organizing 
societies,  delivering  addresses  and  serving  as  one  of  the  editors 
of  the  Heathen  Woman's  Friend.  By  the  general  Conference  of 
1872,  in  Brooklyn,  N.   Y.,  she  was    elected  a  manager  of  the 


WESLEYAN    UNIVERSITY.  73 

Ladies'  and  Pastors'  Christian  Union.  She  is  a  secretary  of  the 
Evanston  Educational  Association,  Trustee  of  Northwestern 
University,  &c,  etc.  She  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Joliet 
District  Conference  in  1873.  She  has  the  degree  of  M.  E.  L. 
from  Jennings  Seminary,  and  the  degree  of  A.  M,  from  the 
Northwestern  University.  In  the  summer  of  1873,  she  was 
elected  Professor  of  English  language  and  literature  in  the 
Illinois  \Wsleyan  University,  Bloomington. 


PRIVATE  SCHOOLS. 


Bloomington  Business  College. 

This  institution  is  under  the  control  of  M.  De  La  Brown, 
proprietor  and  principal.  The  object  of  this  business  college  is 
to  teach  penmanship  and  book-keeping.  Penmanship  is  taught 
in  three  departments,  the  business,  the  teacher's  and  the  pri- 
mary. The  first  is  made  up  of  those  who  desire  to  become  first- 
class  business  penmen ;  the  second  is  for  those  who  wish  to  fit 
themselves  for  teaching  penmanship,  and  the  third  is  for  begin- 
ners. All  branches  of  book-keeping  are  taught  thoroughly.  It 
is  not  easy  to  over-estimate  the  great  advantages  of  thorough 
training  in  business,  and  the  ability  to  keep  books  is  one  of  the 
most  important  qualifications  of  a  business  man.  M.  De  La 
Brown,  the  present  proprietor  of  the  Business  College,  took 
charge  of  it  in  January,  1870,  and  since  then  it  has  been  in  a 
nourishing  condition.  Its  location  is  on  the  southwest  corner 
of  North  Centre  and  Washington  streets,  over  the  Peoples'  Bank. 

German  School. 

This  school  was  founded  in  1863,  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
instruction  in  all  common  branches  of  study.  The  instruction 
is  given  in  German,  though  the  rudiments  of  English  are  taught. 
The  school  numbers  from  seventy-five  to  ninety  scholars,  of  all 
ages  and  both  sexes.  The  property  of  the  society  is  valued  at 
fourteen  thousand  dollars,  and  is  under  the  control  of  the  Ger- 
man English  Society.     The  officers  of  the  society  are  : 

L.  Theis,  President;  William  Schausten,  Vice  President; 
F.  Volz,  Secretary  ;  Frank  Oberkoetter,  Treasurer. 

The  Trustees  are  :  Llenry  Neuburg,  Wm.  Schausten  and  C. 
A.  Price. 

The  teacher  of  the  school  is  F.  C.  Finkbohner.  Mr.  Fink- 
bohner  was  born  July  14,  1833,  in  Wurtemberg.     In  early  life 


76  PRIVATE    SCHOOLS. 

he  showed  a  scholastic  turn  of  mind.  In  1850  he  went  to  the 
University  of  Tuebingen  and  for  four  years  studied  theology  and 
philosophy.  After  receiving  his  degree,  he  was  for  six  years 
pastor  in  Wurtemberg  and  Switzerland.  Bat  he  was  very  free 
in  his  opinions,  and  this  led  him  to  abandon  the  ministry.  He 
emigrated  to  America  in  1860,  and  for  three  years  was  the  pastor 
of  a  Lutheran  congregation  in  New  Jersey.  For  a  few  years 
afterwards  he  was  a  teacher  in  a  German-English  school  in  De- 
troit, Michigan.  In  1866  he  came  to  Bloomington,  and  from 
that  time  until  the  present  has  had  charge  of  the  German  school 
here.  He  was  first  employed  on  a  salary,  but  now  is  paid  by  the 
scholar.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  ability  and  high  attainments.  He 
is  conscientious  and  independent  in  his  opinions,  and  has  been 
obliged  to  suffer  because  of  them. 

"  I  honor  the  man,  who  is  willing  to  sink 
Half  his  present  repute  for  the  freedom  to  think  ; 
And  when  he  has  thought,  be  his  cause  strong  or  weak, 
Will  risk  t'other  half  for  the  freedom  to  speak." 

Bloomington  Female  Seminary. 

This  school  was  established  in  September,  1856,  by  Eev.  E. 
Conover,  for  the  education  and  moral  training:  of  voting  ladies 
and  misses.  The  principal  says  that  the  aim  of  the  Seminary  is 
to  secure  "thorough  scholarship,  exemplary  morals  and  lady-like 
and  accomplished  manners."  The  school,  which  is  located 
at  507  East  Grove  street,  has  four  teachers  connected  with  it, 
including  the  principal.  The  number  of  pupils  is  limited,  and 
each  receives  very  careful  attention.  The  institution  has 
been  conducted  for  seventeen  years  by  its  founder,  and  has  ful- 
filled all  expectation.  It  has  prospered  with  the  best  free  school 
system  in  the  West,  and  with  other  liberally  endowed  state  and 
denominational  institutions.  It  is  thought  that  with  the  growth 
of  the  West  in  numbers  and  wealth,  the  demand  for  this  school 
will  be  increased  by  such  as  desire  to  educate  their  daughters 
thoroughly  in  a  quiet  and  unpretending  manner. 

Rev.  R.  Conover,  the  founder  and  principal  of  this  Seminary, 
has  nearly  all  of  his  life  taken  an  interest  in  educational  and 
religious  matters.  He  organized  the  first  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Towanda  township,  and  of  this  church  he   is  still  the  pastor. 


BLOOMINGTON  LIBRARY. 


The  Library  of  Bloomington  is  one  of  the  oldest  established  in- 
stitutions of  the  city.  It  was  organized  in  1856,  and  though 
at  first  small,  its  growth  has  been  sure.  The  Library  is  located 
on  North  street,  between  Main  and  Centre  streets.  The  Presi- 
dent of  the  Library  is  Richard  H.  Holder,  Esq.,  who  takes  the 
liveliest  interest  in  its  success.  The  Corresponding  Secretary  is 
Charles  L.  Capen  and  Mrs.  H.  R.  Galliner,  Librarian.  The 
Library  has  now  on  its  shelves  five  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
seven  volumes.  The  number  of  life  members  is  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  ;  the  number  of  transient  subscribers  is  three 
hundred  and  twenty,  and  the  daily  attendance  of  readers  is  one 
hundred  and  twenty-three.  The  following,  taken  from  the  re- 
port of  the  Board  of  Managers  for  the  year  closing  March,  1873, 
shows  more  than  anything  else  the  value  of  the  Library,  and  its 
influence  over  the  rising  generation  of  Bloomington: 

"More  persons  have  taken  books  and  more  have  circulated 
than  ever  before.  Twenty-six  thousand  volumes  have  been 
drawn  by  nine  hundred  and  twenty-five  subscribers.  About 
thirty  thousand  persons  have  visited  the  Library  rooms  within 
the  year ;  and  it  is  pleasant  to  note  the  fact  that  a  large  propor- 
tion of  these  visitors  have  been  young  men  and  boys,  who  are 
thus  acquiring  and  strengthening  tastes  which  can  hardly  fail  to 
prove  valuable  safeguards  in  after  life.  The  gratifying  increase 
in  the  number  of  readers  and  visitors  is  doubtless  due,  in  a 
measure,  to  the  attractions  furnished  by  the  reading  tables." 

From  the  Librarian's  report  for  the  same  date,  the  following 
is  taken  : 

"  Three  thousand  more  books  have  been  given  out  this  year 
than  in  any  previous  one.  Twice  the  amount  of  money  has 
been  expended  for  books,  and  more  historical  and  valuable  works 


78  BLOOMINGTO'N    LIBRARY. 

have  been  added.  Among  the  additions  were  forty-seven  old 
and  rare  historical  works.  Twenty-live  volumes  are  worn  out 
and  need  to  be  replaced.  The  increased  attendance  of  readers 
in  the  Library  over  last  year  has  been  seven  thousand." 

It  is  hard  to  over-estimate  the  good  influence  of  a  popular 
Library.  The  books,  which  are  first  read,  are  of  the  most  popu- 
lar kind,  but  gradually  a  taste  for  better  literature  is  cultivated, 
and  a  demand  for  the  best  class  of  books  is  manifested.  It  is 
seen  by  the  report  that  thirty  thousand  persons  visited  the  Li- 
brary in  one  year,  and  when  we  consider  that  the  population  of 
Bloomiugton  is  only  about  twenty  thousand  it  will  be  seen  what 
a  vast  influence  is  exerted  by  this  single  institution.  The  peo- 
ple of  Bloomington  have  been  remarkably  liberal  in  their  dona- 
tions of  money  and  books,  which  shows  how  well  the  Library 
is  appreciated.     Their  generosity  is  richly  deserved. 


M'LEAN  COUNTY  COAL  COMPANY. 


In  1867  four  enterprising  young  men  of  Bloomington  formed  a 
company  for  the  purpose  of  opening  a  coal  mine  in  the  city.  At 
the  same  time  (or  shortly  afterwards)    another  company  was  or- 
ganized by  O.  Vaughan,  M.  T.  Scott,  Dr.  T.  F.  Worrell,  H.  A. 
Ewinsr,  A.  E.  and  J.  B.  Stevenson  under  the  name  of  "McLean 
County  Coal  Company,"  both  companies  immediately  sunk  their 
shafts  striking  coal  at  the    depth  of  about  three  hundred  feet. 
After  working  this  vein  for  a  year  or  more  they  sunk  again  to  a 
second  vein,  which  was  found  about  one  hundred  feet  below  the 
first,  and  proved  to  be  of  a  better  quality,  but  also  very  expensive 
to  work.     After  a   period    of  about  three   years  of  discourage- 
ment and  unforeseen  difficulties  the  McLean  County  Coal  Com- 
pany again  prospected  and  found  a  third  vein  of  coal  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  feet  below  their  second.     The  shaft  was  im- 
mediately lowered  and  coal  struck  July  30th,  1870,  five  hundred 
and  forty  feetbelow  the  surface,  being  the  deepest  working  shaft 
in  the  State.     This  vein  has  proved  to  be  of  the  very  best  qual- 
ity, although  great  expense  is  incurred   in  mining  it.     The  first 
company  deciding  not  to  sink   farther  than   their   second    vein, 
finally  abandoned  their  enterprise  as  a  failure.     The    McLean 
County  Coal  Company  are  now  raising  from  three  hundred  and 
fifty  to  four  hundred  tons   of  coal   per    day,  and  their  pay    rolls 
amounting  from  $16,000  to  $19,000  per   month,  giving  employ- 
ment to  about  three  hundred  men,  reducing  the  price  of  coal  to 
half  of  its  former  cost,  and  saving  many  thousand  dollars  to  this 
community.     In  fact  it  has  been   of  incalculable  benefit  to   the 
city  and  country,  and  it  is   hoped  will  yet  prove  a  success  finan- 
cially to  those  who  have  shown  such  indomitable  will  and  pluck 
in  carrying  through  that  which  has  proved  to  be  an  immense  en- 
terprise.    Below   is   appended  a    table  of  the  different    stratas 
passed  through  in  reaching  the  third  vein  : 


80  m'lean  county  coal  company. 

Feet.       In. 

Surface  soil,  sand  and  gravel 19         7 

Blue  clay 61         2 

Sand  and  water 4 

Blue  clay 76         4 

Soapstone 39 

Lime  rock 1 

Blue  clay 35         5 

Yellow  clay 15       10 

Soft  shelly  rock 4 

Soft  gray    sandstone 11 

Conglomerate  lime    stone  (hard) 12         1; 

Soapstone 5 

Coal  (first  vein  abandoned) 3         6 

Fire  clay 9         3 

Gray  sandstone 4 

Soapstone 22         6 

Dark  shale 8         6 

Soapstone , !  1         t ; 

Fire  clay 10 

Gray  slate 22 

Black  slate 5 

Coal  (present  vein,  2d) 4         4 

Fire  clay 10 

Slate 3 

Fire  clay 4         6 

Sand  rock 20         6 

Soapstone 02         5 

Black  slate 2         7 

Fire  clay 1  7 

Sulphurous  rock 1  2 

Gray  slate 11         1 

Shale 1         2 

Hard    lime    rock 2         1 

Gra}r  slate 2         8 

Soapstone 0         8 

Coal  (3d  vein) 3         8 

Soapstone,  coal  and  slate 25 

Total 541         8 


GERMAN  SOCIETIES. 


Bloomington  Turn-Verein. 

The  aim  of  the  society  is  to  develop  the  physical  system  by 
means  of  gymnastic  exercises,  and  to  cultivate  the  intellect  by 
literary  entertainments.  The  society  also  renders  assistance  to 
members  in  sickness  or  distress.  The  society  was  organized  in 
April,  1855.  Their  business  meetings  are  held  on  the  first  and 
third  Friday  in  each  month,  in  their  hall  on  Madison  street. 
Meetings  for  gymnastic  exercises  are  held  on  Tuesday  and 
Thursday  of  each  week.  The  members  of  the  Turn-Verein 
make  great  exertions  to  obtain  lecturers.  They  pay  great  atten- 
tion to  music,  and  during  the  winter  months  have  concerts, 
where  the  most  classical  pieces  are  performed  and  the  finest 
musical  taste  is  exhibited.  They  also  have  theatrical  pieces  at 
their  exhibitions,  which  are  of  the  best  character. 

Bloomington  Turn-Gemeinde. 

This  society  was  chartered  in  January,  1872.  It  had  existed 
for  some  years  previous,  but  was  not  incorporated.  Its  present 
charter  was  obtained  by  W.  B.  Oarlock,  Esq.,  one  of  Blooming- 
ton's  enterprising  young  lawyers.  The  meetings  of  the  Turn- 
Gemeinde  are  held  on  the  first  and  third  Tuesday  of  each 
month.  Their  hall  is  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Chestnut  and 
Lumber  streets.  The  objects  of  the  society  are  physical  develop- 
ment and  mental  improvement. 


6 


RAILROADS. 


Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  February,  1847,  an  act  was  passed  by 
the  Legislature,  granting  a  charter  for  the  construction  of  a  rail- 
road from  Alton  to  Springfield,  to  be  known  as  the  Alton  & 
Sangamon  road.  It  was  to  be  built  byway  of  Carlinville  and 
New  Berlin,  and  was  to  have  a  capital  stock  of  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  which  might  be  increased  to  one  million. 
The  prime  mover  in  the  matter  was  Benjamin  Godfrey,  a  noted 
man  at  Alton.  The  road  was  constructed,  and  on  the  eleventh 
of  February,  1851,  an  act  was  passed  authorizing  the  railroad 
company  to  extend  the  road  to  Bloomington,  and  for  this  pur- 
pose power  was  given  to  increase  the  stock,  not  exceeding  one 
million  dollars.  Six  years  afterwards,  February  17th,  an  act 
was  passed  allowing  the  Alton  and  Sangamon  Company  to  con- 
struct" a  branch,  from  some  point  between  Springfield  and 
Bloomington,  to  Pekin  and  Peoria,  and  for  this  purpose  were 
allowed  to  increase  their  capital  stock  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  The  road  was  completed  to  Bloomington  in  1852,  and 
on  June  19th  of  that  year  the  company  was  authorized  to  ex- 
tend its  road  from  the  latter  place  to  connect  with  the  Chicago 
&  Rock  Island  Railroad,  at  a  point  not  west  of  Ottawa  nor  east 
of  Joliet;  and  the  company  might,  at  its  option,  extend  its  road 
by  way  of  the  latter  place  to  Chicago.  The  name  of  the  com- 
pany was  changed  to  one  more  comprehensive,  and  it  was  called 
the  Chicago  &  Mississippi  Railroad  Company.  The  capital 
stock  was  not  allowed  to  exceed  three  and  a  half  millions  of 
dollars.  On  the  eleventh  of  Februaiy,  1863,  the  company  was 
allowed  to  increase  its  capital  stock  to  eight  millions  of  dollars, 
and   was    authorized    to  borrow   money  and    issue    "  preferred 


84  RAILROADS. 

stock."  But  it  did  not  stop  here;  it  grew  with  the  growth  of 
the  country,  and  on  the  14th  of  February,  1855,  its  name  was 
changed  to  the  Chicago,  Alton  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  and  it  was 
authorized  to  use  the  road  of  the  Terre  Haute  &  Alton  Com- 
pany from  Alton  to  near  Wood  Eiver.  There  it  was  authorized 
to  unite  with  the  Belleville  &  Illinoistown  Railroad  and  to  make 
contracts  with  the  Belleville  &  Illinoistown  Company.  On 
the  eighteenth  of  February,  1861,  the  company  was  authorized 
to  sell  the  road  to  William  B.  Ogden,  Jacob  Bunn  and  others, 
and  after  such  sale  the  name  might  be  changed  to  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railroad  Company.  The  sale  was  effected  and  the 
name  was  accordingly  changed.  On  the  first  of  January,  1864, 
the  company  leased  the  Joliet  &  Chicago  Railroad,  and  on  the 
sixteenth  of  April  following  leased  the  road  of  the  Alton  &  St. 
Louis  Company,  between  the  two  latter  places.  The  business 
of  the  company,  under  good  management,  has  grown  rapidly 
and  the  corporation  is  now  the  wealthiest  in  the  State.  The 
railroad  has  been  put  in  Class  A.  by  the  Railroad  Commis- 
sioners of  the  State,  and  stands  alone  in  this  grade. 

The  following  description  of  the  machine  shops  of  the  Chi- 
cago and  Alton  road,  is  condensed  and  revised  from  articles 
published  in  the  Pantograph,  in  May,  1870: 

"The  machine  shops  of  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  cover 
forty  acres  of  ground.  They  are  divided  into  fifteen  buildings. 
The  store  house  of  the  company  is  a  fine  building,  sixty  by  one 
hundred  and  twenty  feet,  and  two  stories  high.  It  is  built  of 
Joliet  stone,  and  is  roofed  with  slate,  supported  by  iron  frame 
work.  The  first  floor  is  used  as  the  store-room,  and  here  can 
be  found  everything  necessary  for  repairing  engines  or  cars.  If 
by  accident  a  car  or  locomotive  is  broken,  the  storekeeper  is  im- 
mediately informed  by  telegraph  and  in  ten  minutes  he  finds 
the  necessary  articles  for  repairing  the  damage,  and  they  are 
sent  to  the  spot  by  an  engine.  The  value  of  the  articles  in  the 
store  room  is  estimated  at  four  hundred  thousand  dollars.  They 
are  under  the  charge  of  Robert  Bell,  Storekeeper.  In  the  hall  of 
this  building  is  the  clock,  which  furnishes  the  time  for  the  road. 
It  keeps  Chicago  time,  which  is  used  on  the  entire  road,  and  is 
about  five  minutes  faster  than  Bloomington  time.  It  has  become 
the  time  generally  used  in  Bloomington.     On  the  upper  floor 


RAILROADS.  85 

are  the  offices  of  the  various  departments  of  the  road.  Here  is 
the  office  of  O.  Vaughan,  the  assistant  superintendent  and 
train  master,  who  directs  the  running  of  all  trains  on  the  road 
and  its  branches.  Adjoining  this  is  the  office  of  superintendent 
of  telegraph,  C.  H.  Seaver.  There  are  five  instruments  in  use 
for  night  and  eleven  for  day  work.  They  are  improved  instru- 
ments of  Mr.  Seaver's  own  invention,  and  are  manufactured  at 
Ottawa.  The  battery -room  is  lower  than  the  ground  floor,  with 
a  stone  flagging  pavement.  A  Grove  battery  of  fifty  cups  is 
used  to  supply  electricity  for  all  the  telegraph  lines  of  the  road. 
It  is  perfectly  insulated.  The  Hill  battery  is  used  for  local  pur- 
poses. On  the  upper  floor  is  the  office  of  J.  A.  Jackman, 
superintendent  of  machinery.  He  has  general  charge  of  all  the 
machine  shops,  and  furnishes  the  designs  by  which  all  locomo- 
tives, boilers  and  articles  of  use  in  the  shops  are  made.  The 
conductors'  room  is  the  headquarters  of  the  conductors  when  off 
duty.  In  the  northeast  corner  of  the  building  is  the  office  of 
Rufus  RenifF,  the  superintendent  of  the  car  shops,  and  adjoining 
is  the  office  of  Thomas  White,  the  roadmaster  of  the  3d  divi- 
sion. On  the  same  floor  H.  J.  Stierlin,  the  car-accountant  and 
train  master's  clerk,  has  his  office.  Here  are  kept  the  accounts 
of  cars  loaned  to  various  railroads. 

The  car-shops,  under  Rufus  Reniff,  superintendent,  are  in  a 
building  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  feet  by  eighty,  built  of 
stone,  with  a  wrought-iron  truss  roof  covered  with  slate.  During 
cold  weather  the  building  is  heated  by  steam.  One-half  of  this 
building  is  used  for  making  passenger  cars,  and  the  other  half  for 
freight  cars.  The  Reniff  &  Buttolph  ventilator,  and  President 
Blackstone's  platform  and  coupler  are  used  on  all  passenger 
coaches.  The  latter  invention  is  considered  of  great  importance 
by  railroad  men,  as  the  cars  are  kept  in  actual  contact,  and  it  is 
almost  impossible  for  one  of  them  to  be  thrown  from  the  track. 

The  planing  and  car  machine  shops  are  in  a  building  two 
hundred  feet  by  sevent}^-flve.  Here  the  various  parts  of  cars 
are  made.  Mr.  L.  E.  Munson  is  foreman  of  the  woodwork.  A 
part  of  this  building  is  used  for  the  iron  machine  shops.  On  the 
same  floor  is  a  machine  for  pressing  car  wheels  on  their  axles. 
It  is  an  hydraulic  press  driven   by  steam,  and   exerts  a  pressure 


86 


RAILROADS. 


of  five   thousand  pounds  per  square  inch,  or  one  hundred  and 
iifty-seven  tons  upon  the  end  of  an  axle. 

The  engine  room  contains  the  engine  to  drive  the  machinery 
of  the  building.  It  is  of  eighty  horse  power,  and  works  with 
scarcely  any  noise,  as  it  drives  a  belt  twenty-three  inches  in 
width. 

The  paint  shop  is  in  a  building  one  hundred  and  seventy  by 
seventy-five  feet,  made  of  stone  with  an  iron-trussed  slated  roof. 
The  shop  was  under  the  charge  of  M.  E.  McGrath,  now  deceased, 
as  foreman.  In  the  varnishing  room  all  the  ornamental  painting 
is  done  and  the  glass-etching.  The  latter  is  accomplished  by 
the -use  of  fluoric  acid.  The  glass  is  coated  with  parafine,  the 
pattern  is  marked  out,  the  parafine  removed  from  all  the  glass, 
except  the  ornamental  pattern,  and  the  fluoric  acid  is  applied. 
It  acts  upon  the  glass  exposed  and  gives  it  a  frosted  appearance. 
On  the  upper  floor  is  the  trimming  room  under  the  charge  of 
G.  J.  Rawson.  Here  all  the  trimming  of  the  seats  and  cushions 
is  done. 

The  paint  shop  proper  is  on  the  upper  floor,  and  in  it  is  to  be 
found  at  all  times  from  six  to  nine  coaches  and  sleeping  cars  in 
the  hands  of  the  finishers  and  painters.  The  landscapes  and 
flower  pieces  are  done  by  P.  M.  -lander,  a  first-class  artist. 

The  dry  house  is  a  brick  building,  nineteen  by  sixty-three 
feet.  It  is  heated  by  steam.  All  the  lumber  used  in  building 
cars  is  dried  in  it. 

The  foundry  is  a  building  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  by 
sixty  with  an  L-shaped  addition  forty  by  fifty  feet.  It  is  built  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  buildings  previously  described.  It  is 
under  the  charge  of  M.  A.  Moulton,  who  makes  all  the  castings 
for  the  company  under  contract. 

The  new  round  house,  near  the  foundry,  is  two  hundred  and 
forty  feet  in  diameter,  and  has  room  for  twenty-eight  locomo- 
tives.    In  the  center  is  an  iron  frame  turn-table. 

The  blacksmith  shop  is  built  of  stone,  and  has  fifty  forges, 
two  furnaces  and  eight  steam  hammers.  One  of  these  hammers 
Aveighs  three  thousand  pounds,  one  weighs  fifteen  hundred,  and 
the  remainder  weigh  from  eight  to  twelve  hundred  pounds.  The 
shop  is  superintended  by  William  Hughes. 


RAILROADS.  87 

The  boiler  shop  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  by  sixty  feet,  and  is 
under  the  charge  of  J.  E.  Eastman.  The  boilers  built  allow 
four  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  pressure  to  the  square  inch,  but 
in  actual  use  not  more  than  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds  pres- 
sure is  exerted  at  the  highest. 

The  machine  shop,  J.  A.  Jackman,  Jr.,  foreman,  is  two 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  by  one  hundred,  with  two  additions,  one 
forty-five  by  fifty  feet  for  engine  and  boiler  room,  and  the  other 
forty-five  by  eighty  feet.  On  the  south  side  of  this  shop  is  the 
locomotive  transfer  table,  three  hundred  feet  in  length,  from 
which  fourteen  tracks  extend  into  the  building,  where  engines 
are  taken  in  for  repair. 

The  brass  foundry  and  coppersmith  shops  are  located  near  by. 

The  new  round-house  has  already  been  referred  to,  but  an- 
other round-house  of  the  same  size,  two  hundred  and  forty  feet 
in  diameter  and  holding  twenty-eight  locomotives,  was  con- 
structed. A  bulletin-board  is  kept,  on  which  is  daily  posted 
the  time  of  the  departure  of  each  train  and  the  name  of  the 
engineer  to  run  it.  Both  of  the  round-houses  are  in  charge  of 
A.  A.  Ackley.  The  old  machine  and  repair  shops  are  in  a 
building  two  hundred  and  seventy  feet  long  and  forty  feet  wide. 
Here  are  lathes,  planes,  drills  and  man}7  other  machines  for 
saving  labor. 

The  pattern  shop,  where  the  patterns  for  castings  are  made, 
is  under  the  charge  of  Frank  White.  The  coppersmith  shop  is 
north  of  the  machine  shop,  and  here  all  the  brazing  is  done  and 
the  joining  of  metals. 

Near  by  is  the  wheel  foundry,  which  uses  the  best  of  iron. 
The  wheels  used  seldom  or  never  break. 

The  rolling  mill  in  Major's  Grove,  near  by,  is  one  hundred 
and  thirty-two  feet  by  fifty-seven,  and  has  two  smoke-stacks. 

The  well,  close  by,  is  thirty  feet  in  diameter  and  thirty  feet 
in  depth,  and  is  supplied  by  an  inexhaustible  underground 
stream.  The  pumping-house  is  near  the  well,  and  the  pumps 
of  the  Knowles'  pattern,  worked  by  steam,  force  the  water 
through  underground  pipes  to  all  parts  of  the  depot  and  shop 
grounds.  The  switching  ground  is  about  a  mile  in  length,  and 
extends  from  the  coal  shaft  on  the  south  to  Seminary  avenue  on 


88 


RAILROADS. 


the  north.     This  ground  is  called  "the  yard,"  and  is  under  the 
charge  of  John  Weichlin.     All  trains  are  made  up  here. 

All  the  shops  of  the  company  are  well  lighted  by  gas  and 
kept  in  the  most  perfect  order. 

The  following  items  are  of  interest  to  those  who  are  curious 
to  know  what  it  costs  to  manage  a  railroad  : 

The  company  uses  for  lubricating  machinery  and  burning  in 
lamps,  thirty-two  thousand  one  hundred  and  seventeen  pints  of 
oil  per  month,  worth  $2,816.19.  It  uses  nine  thousand  one 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  tons  of  fuel  per  month,  worth  .824,134. 
The  repairs  cost,  per  month,  $20,516.48.  The  number  of  en- 
gines on  the  road  is  one  hundred  and  fifty-six,  and  the  number 
of  miles  traveled  by  them,  per  month,  is  three  hundred  and 
thirty-seven  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty  eight.  The  was-es 
paid  in  the  machinery  and  car  departments  at  Bloomington,  per 
month,  are  : 

Machinery  department 845,000 

Car  «  18,600—863,600 

Of  this,  employes  living  in  Bloomington  receive,  $43,278 
per  month.  The  conductors,  brakemen,  telegraph  operators 
and  switchmen  receive  $20,000,  of  which,  those  in  Bloomington 
receive  about  $14,400.  The  total  paid  out  per  month,  in  Bloom- 
ington, is  $57,678.  The  average  cost  per  mile  run  of  an  engine 
is  about  22.95-100  cents.  The  number  of  employes  in  Bloom- 
ington is:  In  machine  shops,  280;  in  the  car  shops,  230;  engi- 
neers, 80  ;  firemen,  90.     Total,  680. 

The  following  are  the  connections  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad  : 

Great  Eastern  Railroad  crosses  Chicago  &  Alton  at  Brighton 
Course. 

Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  crosses  at  Joliet, 
the  Chicago  &  Alton  passenger  station. 

At  Dwight  Junction  the  main  line  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad  joins  with  the  Western  Division. 

At  Pontiac  the  Chicago  &  Paducah  Railroad  crosses  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad.  The  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  runs 
through  cars  between  Chicago  and  the  terminus  of  the  Chicago 
&  Paducah  Railroad.  The  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Wabash  crosses  at 
Chenoa.     Passenger  station  for  both  roads  at  the  junction. 


RAILROADS.  89 

The  Illinois  Central  Railroad  crosses  at  Normal.  Passenger 
station  for  both  roads  at  the  junction. 

Indianapolis,  Bloomington  &  Western  crosses  at  Blooming- 
ton.  Passenger  station  for  both  roads  at  the  junction.  Also 
junction  of  main  line  with  Jacksonville  Division. 

At  Lincoln  the  Indianapolis,  Bloomington  &  Western  Rail- 
road and  the  Pekin,  Lincoln  &  Decatur  Railroad  cross  the  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  Railroad. 

The  Toledo,  Wabash  &  Western  Railroad  crosses  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad  at  Springfield.  Passenger  station  for  both  roads 
at  the  junction.  The  Springfield  &  Southeastern  Railroad  also 
crosses  here. 

The  Edwardsville  Railroad  runs  up  to  Edwardsville  Junction 
and  uses  the  same  depot  with  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad. 

The  Ohio  &  Mississippi  crosses  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  at 
Venice. 

At  Godfrev  the  Alton  Branch  of  the  Jacksonville  Division 
joins  main  line  of  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad. 

The  Indianapolis,  Bloomington  &  Western  Railroad  crosses 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  at  Delavan. 

Springfield  &  Southeastern  Railroad  crosses  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad  at  Ashland. 

The  Indianapolis,  Bloomington  &  Western  Railroad  crosses 
Jacksonville  Branch  of  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  at  Mason  City. 

The  Farmers'  Railroad  crosses  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  at 
Jacksonville. 

The  Rockford  &  Rock  Island  Railroad  crosses  main  line  of 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  at  Brighton. 

The  Rockford  &  Rock  Island  Railroad  crosses  Alton  Branch 
of  Jacksonville  Division  at  Whitehall. 

At  Pike  the  Quincy,  Alton  and  St.  Louis  Railroad  joins  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad.  Both  roads  use  the  same  passenger 
depot. 

The  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City  &  Northern  Railroad  crosses  the 
Missouri  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  at  Mexico. 
Both  roads  use  the  same  depot. 

The  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Wabash  Railroad  crosses  at  Washing- 
ton Station,  the  division  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  which 
branches  from  main  line  at  Dwight. 


90  RAILROADS. 

At  Pontiac  the  main  line  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  is 
crossed  by  the  Chicago  &  Paducah  Railroad. 

Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

A  central  railroad  for  the  State  of  Illinois  was  suggested  by 
Judge  Breese,  now  of  the  Supreme  Court,  at  a  very  early  day, 
some  time  before  the  session  of  the  Illinois  Legislature  in 
1832-3.  In  the  State  Senate  at  this  session  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor Jenkins  proposed  a  survey  of  a  railroad  from  Peru  to 
Cairo,  but  nothing  was  done  for  some  years  afterwards.  The 
idea  was  not  suffered  to  perish  but  was  revived  from  time  to 
time.  The  matter  was  brought  before  Congress,  and  that  body 
was  asked  to  donate  public  lands  in  aid  of  the  work.  But  the 
scheme  was  rejected,  as  it  was  considered  a  matter  of  local  im- 
portance. It  was  reserved  for  the  brain  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
to  invent  the  method  of  carrying  the  measure  through.  He  saw 
that  it  must  in  some  way  be  made  a  matter  of  national  import- 
ance, and  he  devised  a  plan  which  was  comprehensive  and  in- 
genious, and  carried  it  out  boldly  and  confidently.  His  plan 
was  to  give  the  alternate  sections  of  land  in  Illinois  for 
six  miles  on  each  side  of  the  railroad.  The  company  was 
authorized  to  an  extreme  limit  of  twelve  miles  on  each  side  for 
the  purpose  of  making  good  deficiencies  caused  by  entries  of 
lands  prior  to  this  act  and  to  issue  the  full  amount  of  land  in- 
tended thus  to  be  donated  to  the  State  to  enable  it  to  build  a 
railroad,  and  to  charge  $2.50  for  the  remaining  sections  instead 
of  $1.25.  In  order  to  enlist  the  support  of  the  senators  and 
representatives  from  other  states,  his  plan  was  to  provide  for  the 
extension  of  the  road  from  Cairo  to  Mobile,  Alabama,  which 
has  been  put  in  actual  operation,  only  this  winter,  throughout. 
His  scheme  embraced  the  construction  of  a  road  from  Little 
Rock,  Ark.,  to  Texas  by  way  of  the  Red  River  Raft,,  also  an  ex- 
tension of  the  Illinois  Central  road  from  Galena  to  a  point  op- 
posite Dubuque,  Iowa  ;  a  branch  to  Mineral  Point,  Wis.,  and  a 
branch  to  Chicago.  He  proposed  to  give  an  appropriation  to 
the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe  Railroad,  to  favor  the  interests  of  Mis- 
souri, and  to  do  something  for  a  railroad  in  Michigan,  extend- 
ing from  Detroit  to  the  lumber  regions.  After  an  interval  of  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  only  a  part  of  this  vast  plan  has  been  car- 


RAILROADS.  91 

ried  out,  but  it  served  its  purpose,  and  the  votes  of  senators  and 
representatives  were  secured  for  the  donation  of  lands  for  the 
building  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  On  the  '20th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1850,  Congress  passed  the  act  entitled  "An  act  granting 
the  right  of  way  and  making  a  grant  of  land  to  the  States  of 
Illinois,  Mississippi  and  Alabama  in  aid  of  the  construction  of  a 
railroad  from  Chicago  to  Mobile."  As  soon  as  the  act  was 
passed  various  New  York  and  Boston  capitalists  were  anxious 
to  build  the  railroad,  and  the  State  of  Illinois  granted  them  a 
charter  for  the  Illinois  Central  road  on  the  10th  of  February, 
1851.  By  this  charter  the  railroad  company  was  given  the  al- 
ternate sections  donated  by  Congress  to  the  State  of  Illinois. 
The  company  was  allowed  a  capital  stock  of  one  million  dollars, 
which  might  be  increased  not  to  exceed  the  entire  amount  ex- 
pended on  the  road.  The  charter  vested  the  control  of  the 
railroad  in  thirteen  directors,  one  of  whom  was  the  Governor 
of  Illinois.  The  State  of  Illinois  looked  out  for  number  one 
in  granting  the  charter,  for  it  provided  that  seven  per  cent,  of 
the  gross  earnings  of  the  railroad  should  be  paid  into  the  treas- 
ury of  the  State.  The  road  was  immediately  built,  and  the 
country  of  Central  Illinois  was  rapidly  developed.  The  large 
waste  lands  were  broken,  and  the  crops  of  prairie  grass  gave 
place  to  crops  of  wheat  and  corn.  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
is  now  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important  lines  in  the  world. 
It  extends  from  Dunleith  to  Cairo  with  a  branch  to  Chicago, 
and  with  various  leases  and  connections  it  reaches  the  lumber 
regions  of  the  North  and  the  stock  raising  country  of  Centra^ 
and  Southern  Illinois.  The  following  are  the  connections  of  the 
road  : 

At  Chicago  with  Chicago  &  Northwestern  ;  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific ;  and  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  and  Mil- 
waukee Railroads. 

With  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern,  and  Pittsburgh,  Fort 
Wayne  &  Chicago  Railways. 

At  Calumet  with  Michigan  Central  Railroad. 

With  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw  Railway  at  Oilman. 

With  Indianapolis,  Bloomington  &  Western  Railway  at 
Champaign. 

With  Toledo,  Wabash  &  Western  Railroad  at  Tolono. 


92  RAILROADS. 

AVith  Indianapolis  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  at  Mattoon. 
With  St.  Louis,  Vandalia,  Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis  Rail- 
road at  Effingham,  forming  a  through  line  without  change  of  car8 
between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis. 

With  Springfield  &  Illinois  Southeastern  Railroad. 
With  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railway  at  Odin. 
With  St.  Louis  &  Southeastern  Railroad  at  Ashley. 
With  Belleville   &   Southern  Illinois  Railroad   at  DuQuoin, 
forming,  in  connection   with  Illinois    Central  Railroad,  a  short 
line  between  St.  Louis  and  Cairo. 

With  Grand  Tower  Railroad  at  Carbondale. 
At  Cairo  with  Mississippi  Central  Railroad,  forming  a  great 
trunk  route  from  Chicago  to  New  Orleans  without  change  of 
cars ;  also  with  Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroad  for  Mobile,  and  with 
the  Cairo,  Arkansas  &  Texas  Railroad  for  Little  Rock,  Fulton, 
Houston,  and  points  in  Arkansas  and  Texas. 

With  Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroad  and  connections. 
At  St.  Louis  with  Pacific  of  Missouri,  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City 
&  Northern  Missouri  and  Atlantic    &  Pacific  ;  Missouri,  Kansas 
&  Texas  Railroad. 

At    Waterloo     and     Cedar   Falls   with   Burlington,    Cedar 
Rapids  k  Minnesota  Railroad. 

With  Des  Moines  Valley  Railroads  at  Fort  Dodge. 
Connections  of  Northern  and  Iowa  Divisions  : 
At  Acklev  with  Central  Railroad  of  Iowa. 
At  Farley  with  Dubuque  &  Southwestern  Railroad. 
At  Dubuque  with  Chicago,  Dubuque  &  Minnesota  Railroad. 
At  Warren  with  Mineral  Point  Railroad. 
At  Freeport  with    Chicago    &   Northwestern    Railroad  and 
Western  Union  Railroad. 

At  Forristou  with  Chicago  &  Iowa  Railroad,  which,  in  con- 
nection with  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  forms  a  through  route 
without  change  of  cars  between  Chicago  and  Dubuque. 
At  Dixon  with  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway. 
At  Mendota  with  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad. 
At  La  Salle  with  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad. 
At  El  Paso  with  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw  Railway. 
Crossing  of  the  Chicago  k  Alton  Railroad  at  Normal. 
At  Bloomington  with  Indianapolis,  Bloomington  &  Western 
Railwav. 


RAILROADS.  !>3 

At  Decatur  with  Toledo,  Wabash  &  Western  Railway. 

At  Pana  with  Indianapolis  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  and  Spring- 
field, Illinois  &  Southeastern  Railway. 

At  Vandalia  with  St.  Louis,  Vandalia,  Terre  Haute  &  In- 
dianapolis Railroad. 

At  Sandoval  with  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railway. 

At  Centralia  with  line  to  Cairo. 

Indianapolis,  Bloomington  &  Western  Railway. 

On  the  twenty-sixth  of  June,  1866,  fifteen  or  twenty  persons 
met  in  the  court  house  in  the  city  of  Urbana,  Champaign  County, 
Illinois,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  steps  to  secure  the  construc- 
tion of  a  railroad  from  Danville,  111.,  to  the  Illinois  River.  This 
was  the  small  beginning  from  which  came  the  Indianapolis, 
Bloomington  &  Western  Railroad.  Very  little  was  done  at  this 
meeting,  the  parties  present  merely  exchanged  views  and  ad- 
journed to  meet  on  the  seventh  of  August,  at  Leroy.  The  at- 
tendance at  Leroy  was  large,  delegates  being  present  from  va- 
rious places  along  the  line  of  the  proposed  road.  The  matter 
was  discussed  at  some  length  and  all  things  looked  hopeful. 
Every  one  thought  the  road  necessary  as  well  as  practicable. 
But  the  meeting  adjourned  without  organizing  and  another  was 
called  for  the  twenty-seventh  of  August.  The  enterprise  was 
then  fully  discussed  by  the  newspapers,  and  when  the  time  for 
the  meeting  came  some  opposition  to  the  road  was  manifested. 
It  was  a  matter  of  some  difficulty  to  effect  an  organization,  nev- 
ertheless it  was  done  under  the  general  railroad  law  of  the  State. 
This  law  required  one  thousand  dollars  to  be  subscribed  for  every 
mile  of  the  proposed  road,  and  ten  per  cent,  of  this  to  be  paid 
in.  The  law  was  a  good  one,  though  it  caused  some  trouble  to 
the  originators  of  this  railroad.  But  after  some  delay  the  various 
towns  along  the  line  subscribed  the  required  amount  and  paid 
up  the  necessary  ten  per  cent.  This,  as  nearly  every  one  in  this 
section  of  the  country  knows,  was  accomplished  through  the 
efforts  of  Dr.  Henry  Conkling,  who  worked  for  the  road  with 
great  zeal  and  wonderful  success.  The  road  proposed  was  one 
hundred  and  sixteen  miles  in  length  and  the  subscriptions 
amounted  to  one  hundred  and   sixteen    thousand  dollars.     The 


94  RAILROAD-. 

company  immediately  elected  officers,  making  C.  R.  Griggs, 
President;  William  T.  McCord,  Vice  President,  and  Dr.  Henry 
Conkling,  Secretary.  The  necessary  papers  were  filed  with  the 
Secretary  of  State,  and  during  the  following  winter  the  Legisla- 
ture gave  them  a  charter,  which  was  approved  by  the  Governor 
on  the  twenty-eighth  of  February,  1867.  The  road  was  then 
called  the  Danville,  Urbana,  Bloomington  &  Pekin  Railroad. 

This  charter  was  adopted  by  the  company  at  a  meeting  held 
in  Pekin   on  the  twenty-seventh  of  the  following  March,  and 
officers  and  directors  were  elected.     Commissioners  were  imme- 
diately appointed  to  secure  the  right  of  way  and  push  the  work. 
Steps  were  taken  to  obtain  subscriptions,  and  indeed  it  was  clear 
that  the  matter  was  in  the  hands  of  live,  active  men,  who  under- 
stood their  business,  and  were   determined  to  go  through  at  all 
hazards.     Most  of  the  cities  and  towns  responded  to  the  call  and 
subscribed  to  the  stock  to  the  amount  of  eight  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars.     The  road  had  three  divisions.     The  first  ex- 
tended from  Danville  to  Champaign  City,  where  it  connected 
with  a  branch  of  the  Illinois  Central ;  the  second  extended  from 
Champaign   City  to  Bloomington,  where  it  connected  with  the 
Chicago,  Alton  &  St.  Louis  road ;  and  the  third  extended  from 
Bloomington  to  Pekin  on  the  Illinois  River.     Work  on  the  road 
was   commenced  on  the  first   of  October,   1867,  and,  notwith- 
standing some  unavoidable  delays,  the  last  rail  was  laid  in  the 
city  of  Bloomington  on  the  first  of  May,  1870.     While  this  road 
was  being  built  another  road  was  projected  from  Indianapolis  to 
Danville,  known  as  the  Indianapolis,  Crawfordsville  &  Danville 
Railroad,  and  in  August,  1869,  the  two  roads  were  consolidated 
under  the  name  of  the   Indianapolis,  Bloomington   &   Western, 
extending  from  Indianapolis  to  Pekin,  a  distance  of  two  hundred 
and  two  miles.     Since  then  the  road  has  been   extended  to  sev- 
eral points.     One  extension  connects  Pekin  and  Peoria,  another 
extension  runs  from  Urbana  to  Havana  on  the  Illinois  River,  and 
a  third  extension  runs  from  Danville  to  Monticello  and  Decatur. 
The  road  now  runs  through  more  than  five  hundred  miles  of  the 
richest  and  prettiest  country  in  the  West.     On  its  line  of  road  are 
found  some  of  the  most  enterprising  and  thriving  inland  towns. 
Among  these  are  Peoria,  Pekin,  Bloomington,  Champaign,  Ur- 
bana, Danville,  Covington,  Crawfordsville,  Indianapolis,  Monti- 


RAILROAD*.  95 

cello,  Decatur,  Clinton,  Lincoln  and  Havana.  The  farming 
lands  along  the  road  are  all  well  fenced  and  cultivated.  A  great 
abundance  of  the  best  coal  in  Illinois  is  found  on  the  line  of  the 
road,  and  wood  of  excellent  quality  in  the  State  of  Indiana. 
The  road  is  now  in  its  infancy  ;  nevertheless  it  will  compare  fa- 
vorably in  its  construction  and  rolling  stock  with  the  best  and 
oldest  roads  in  the  State.  Its  connections  with  other  roads  are 
good.  Going  East  it  connects  at  Indianapolis  with  the  Tan 
Handle  &  Pennsylvania  Railroad  to  New  York ;  going  West  it 
connects  at  Peoria  with  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  to 
Omaha  and  the  Pacific  coast,  or  with  the  Peoria  &  Pock  Island 
road  to  Rock  Island  and  Davenport.  The  fine  country  through 
which  it  passes,  its  connections  and  enterprising  management 
give  this  road  a  promising  future. 

The  Lafayette,  Bloomington  &  Mississippi  Railway. 

The  items  for  the  following  sketch  of  the  Lafayette,  Bloom- 
ington &  Mississippi  Railway  have  been  furnished  by  Colonel  0. 
T.  Reeves  : 

The  Lafayette,  Bloomington  &  Mississippi  Railway  Company 
was  chartered  in  February,  1867,  and  was  organized  in  the  Sep- 
tember following,  A.  Gridlev  was  elected  President :  C.  W. 
Holder,  Treasurer,  and  0.  T.  Reeves,  Secretary.  These  officers 
served  until  January  31,  1872,  when  the  management  of  the  road 
passed  into  the  hands  of  parties  in  New  York,  interested  in  the 
Toledo,  "Wabash  &  Western  Railway.  A.  B.  Ives,  J.  H.  Cheney, 
of  Bloomington,  and  W.  H.  Pells,  of  Paxton,  were,  with  the 
officers  above  named,  the  managing  spirits  of  the  enterprise. 
The  capital  stock  of  the  company  is  $1,000,000.  Of  this  $467,- 
000  is  held  by  McLean  and  Ford  counties,  and  townships  of 
McLean  and  Vermillion  counties.  The  right  of  way  was  pro- 
cured and  the  grading  and  bridging  done  out  of  the  proceeds  of 
the  bonds  issued  by  the  counties  and  townships  in  payment  of 
their  stock.  The  ties  and  iron  were  purchased  and  laid,  the 
station  houses,  round  houses  and  other  necessary  buildings 
erected  and  the  road  fenced,  with  the  proceeds  of  the  first  mort- 
gage bonds  of  the  company.  The  length  of  the  road  is  eighty 
miles.     At  the  Indiana  line  it  connects  with  a  road  running  to 


96  RAILROADS. 

Lafayette,  where  it  connects  with  the  main  line  of  the  Toledo, 
Wabash  <fc  Western  Railway.  The  amount  of  the  first  and  only 
mortgage  is  $1,300,000.  The  road  is  leased  perpetually  to  the 
Toledo,  Wabash  &  Western  Railway  Company,  the  latter  assum- 
ing to  pay  the  interest  on  the  mortgage  debt,  to  pay  all  taxes 
assessed  against  the  road  and  to  keep  the  road  in  repair.  After 
these  disbursements,  the  surplus  of  the  net  earnings,  if  any,  are 
to  be  divided  upon  the  [stock  of  the  company.  The  road  was 
substantially  completed  January  1,  1872,  and  the  Toledo,  Wa- 
bash &  Western  Company  commenced  running  trains  at  that 
time.  This,  like  all  railroads,  began  with  the  people  without  the 
aid  of  large  capital,  and  this  enterprise  struggled  long  and  hard 
for  success.  Its  final  completion  was  a  matter  of  just  pride  and 
satisfaction  to  those  engaged  in  its  management. 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 


The  hero  of  the  Black  Hawk  War  was  Black  Hawk,  whose 
Indian  name  was  Mucatah  Muhicatah.  He  was  an  old  chief  of 
the  Sacs,  who  had  united  with  the  Foxes,  forming  a  single  na- 
tion. He  was  born  in  a  Sac  village  in  1767.  His  personal 
appearance  was  not  at  first  sight  prepossessing.  He  was  small  of 
stature,  but  he  was  finely  formed,  and  his  eyes  were  bright  and 
intelligent.  He  had  a  quick  sense  of  propriety,  and  his  manners 
were  dignified  and  graceful.  He  had  a  lively  sense  of  honor, 
and  was  remarkable  for  his  uprightness  and  fair  dealing.  He 
was  very  active  and  loved  the  war-path.  Nature  made  him  a 
nobleman,  and  gave  him  that  spirit  of  chivalry,  which  has  been 
celebrated  in  poetry  and  song.  He  was  a  kind  and  affectionate 
father,  and  Ford's  "History  of  Illinois"  tells  us  that  he  went 
every  year  to  visit  the  grave  of  his  daughter  at  Oquaka.  Black 
Hawk  was  a  good  deal  of  a  diplomatist,  too,  he  would  say  the 
right  tiling  at  the  right  time,  and  he  gained  the  good  will  of  all 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  this 
picture  of  Black  Hawk  is  overdrawn.  He  was  indeed  a  remark- 
able genius,  and  had  he  been  born  in  happier  days  and  a  member 
of  a  civilized  race,  his  talents  would  have  made  for  him  a  grander 
name.  He  gained  a  remarkable  ascendency  over  the  fiery,  war- 
like portion  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  was  the  leader  of  that 
portion  of  them  called  the  British  Band.  He  was  very  proud 
and  sensitive,  and  his  feelings  were  outraged  as  he  saw  the  In- 
dians steadily  crowded  westward  before  the  advancing  Avhites. 
He  did  what  he  could  to  oppose  it,  and,  during  the  Avar  of  181-!, 
he  fought  against  the  Americans  under  the  eye  of  Tecumseli. 
He  saw  his  followers  defeated  at  Tippecanoe  under  the  Prophet, 
7 


98  BLACK  HAWK  AVAR. 

and  Tecumseh  slain  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames.  He  was  at  the 
attack  on  Fort  Madison,  at  the  River  Raisin,  at  the  attack  on 
Fort  Stephenson  on  the  Lower  Sandusky.  He  kept  up  some  sort 
of  connection  with  the  British  in  Canada,  and  cherished  the 
hope  of  being  yet  able  to  stop  the  westward  march  of  the  whites. 

In  1804  some  kind  of  a  treaty  had  been  made  between  the 
whites  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  by  which  the  latter  ceded  the 
whites  all  their  lands  lying  east  of  the  Mississippi.  What  this 
treaty  was  it  is  hardly  possible  to  ascertain  very  definitely. 
Black  Hawk  complained  that  it  was  made  without  proper  author- 
ity by  the  chiefs  of  the  nation,  and  that  the  nation  had  never 
been  consulted  in  the  matter.  In  making  an  Indian  treaty  it 
has  never  been  very  easy  to  learn  who  were  the  parties  author- 
ized to  sign  and  enforce  it.  The  whites  have  unfortunately 
shown  more  anxiety  to  make  a  treaty  advantageous  to  them- 
selves and  "get  the  best  end  of  the  bargain,"  than  to  make  it 
with  the  proper  parties  in  a  fair  and  equitable  manner. 

In  the  spring  of  1831,  as  the  countiy  began  to  be  settled,  the 
whites  commenced  to  occupy  the  lands  situated  in  the  vicinity 
of  Rock  Island,  acquired  by  treaty  from  the  Sacs  and  Foxes. 
Many  of  the  Indians  then  removed  to  the  western  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  in  accordance  with  the  order  of  government 
issued  to  that  effect.  But  the  anger  of  Black  Hawk  was  aroused. 
He  collected  a  force  of  Indians,  crossed  over  to  Rock  Island  and 
ordered  the  settlers  to  leave  the  country.  He  unroofed  some  of 
their  houses,  and  his  followers  committed  other  depredations. 
When  Governor  Rejmolds  learned  of  this  he  reported  the  matter 
to  General  Gaines,  of  the  United  States  army,  and  General 
Clark,  superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs.  General  Gaines  with 
some  regular  soldiers  proceeded  to  Rock  Island,  but  without 
taking  further  steps,  called  upon  Governor  Reynolds  for  seven 
hundred  mounted  volunteers.  The  Governor  issued  the  call  and 
about  fifteen  hundred  volunteers  responded.  By  the  tenth  of 
June,  1831,  they  were  organized  at  Beardstown,  and  within  four 
days  had  marched  to  the  Mississippi  River,  where  they  met  Gen- 
eral Gaines  about  eight  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Rock  River. 
The  next  day  they  marched  to  Vandruff's  Island  at  the  mouth 
of  Rock  River,  expecting  to  find  the  Indians  there  to  decide  who 
should  be  master  of  the  situation.  But  an  Indian  is  never  where 


BLACK  HAWK  WAR.  99 

he  is  expected  to  be.  After  beating  around  the  island  for  some 
time  they  learned  that  Black  Hawk  and  his  band  had  crossed  to 
the  western  bank  of  the  Mississippi.  The  volunteers  were  dis- 
appointed, as  some  of  them  were  "spoiling  for  a  tight"  or  pre- 
tended to  be.  It  was  then  necessary  for  them  to  perform  some 
signal  act  of  gallantry  before  going  back  to  their  wives  and  sweet- 
hearts. They  could  not  go  home  and  tell  the  lovely  maidens,  who 
were  waiting  for  them,  that  they  had  simply  done  as  did  a  certain 
king  of  France,  who  "marched  up  the  hill  and  then  marched 
down  again."  Opposite  Vandraff's  Island  stood  the  village  of 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  lonely  and  deserted.  The  volunteers  crossed 
over  to  it,  set  fire  to  the  wigwams  and  reduced  the  village  to 
ashes.  This  wanton  act  of  barbarity  was  no  doubt  performed  for 
the  double  purpose  of  Christianizing  the  Indians  and  of  giving 
a  splendid  exhibition  of  the  bravery  of  the  volunteers  !  Ford's 
History,  while  speaking  of  it,  says  : 

"Thus  perished  an  ancient  village,  which  had  once  been  the 
delightful  home  of  six  or  seven  thousand  Indians ;  where  gener- 
ation after  generation  had  been  born, had  died  and  been  buried; 
where  the  old  men  had  taught  wisdom  to  the  young ;  whence 
the  Indian  youth  had  often  gone  out  in  parties  to  hunt  or  to  war 
and  returned  in  triumph  to  dance  around  the  spoils  of  the  forest, 
or  the  scalps  of  their  enemies ;  and  where  the  dark-eyed  Indian 
maidens,  by  their  presence  and  charms,  had  made  it  a  scene  of 
delightful  enchantment  to  many  an  admiring  warrior." 

The  next  clay  the  volunteers  marched  to  Rock  Island.  Gen- 
eral Gaines  threatened  to  cross  the  Mississippi  and  continue  the 
war.  When  Black  Hawk  heard  this  he  made  peace  and  agreed 
never  again  to  cross  the  Mississippi  without  permission  from  the 
"  Great  Father  at  Washington." 

During  the  following  year  some  Indians  belonging  to  the 
Pottawotamies,  living  near  Lake  Kushkanong  in  Wisconsin 
moved  across  the  Mississippi.  When  they  went  they  gave  per- 
mission to  Black  Hawk  and  his  followers  to  take  possession  of 
their  old  hunting  grounds.  Such  at  least  was  the  claim  made 
by  Black  Hawk  and  the  Indians  under  his  command.  This  offer 
threw  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  into  commotion.  Some  were  anxious 
to  go,  while  some  remembered  the  power  of  the  whites  and  the 


100  BLACK  HAWK   WAR. 

agreement  never  to  cross  the  Mississippi.  Keokuk,  the  leading; 
chief  of  the  nation,  headed  the  party  of  peace,  and  used  all  of 
his  eloquence  to  restrain  his  tribe.  But  Black  Hawk  favored 
the  measure,  and  urged  it  with  all  his  power.  He  collected  a 
band  of  about  seven  hundred  warriors,  composed  of  Sacs  and 
Foxes  with  a  few  Pottawotamies  and  Kickapoos;  and  these  with 
their  squaws  and  pappooses  started  on  their  adventurous  journey. 
When  this  was  made  known  to  Governor  Reynolds  he  called 
for  a  thousand  mounted  volunteers  immediate!  v,  and  the  United 
States  government  also  raised  troops.  Eighteen  hundred  vol- 
unteers responded  to  the  call  of  Governor  Reynolds,  and  by  the 
twenty-seventh  of  April,  1832,  were  on  the  march. 

Black  Hawk  with  his  band  had  proceeded  up  the  Rock  River 
valley  very  quietly.  They  had  done  no  harm  to  the  whites,  and 
no  one  was  afraid  of  their  committing  depredations.  When 
the}7  came  to  Dixon's  Ferry  the  chiefs  of  the  band,  who  were 
Black  Hawk,  Wishick  and  Xaapape,  and  also  Old  Crane,  a  chief 
of  the  Winnebagoes,  went  to  the  house  of  the  old  pioneer,  John 
Dixon,  and  were  by  him  very  hospitably  entertained.  He  de- 
scribes Black  Hawk  as  a  very  inferior  looking  man  in  stature, 
but  with  a  very  expressive  countenance.  He  speaks  of  Wishick 
as  a  man  of  commanding  disposition,  very  stern  and  very  per- 
emptory. He  says  that  when  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  first  came  they 
tilled  his  house  full,  and  his  wife  was  in  great  fear.  Old  Crane, 
a  chief  of  the  Winnebagoes,  spoke  to  Wishick,  who  immedi- 
ately ordered  the  Indians  to  puckachee  (depart),  which  the}-  did 
immediately. 

Before  the  Indians  came,  Mr.  Dixon  had  been  in  consulta- 
tion with  General  Atkinson  with  reference  to  them,  and  was  re- 
quested to  ascertain  their  numbers.  He  estimated  their  force  to 
amount  to  six  hundred  warriors.  Other  accounts  place  their 
number  at  seven  hundred. 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes  proceeded  up  Rock  River,  about  forty 
miles  from  Dixon's  Ferrv,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ivishwaukee 
River  (called  by  some  Sycamore),  where  they  temporarily  fixed 
their  camp.  The  volunteers  under  the  command  of  General 
Samuel  Whiteside  had  in  the  mean  time  been  coming  up  to  the 
scene  of  action.  They  marched  up  to  the  mouth  of  Rock  River 
and  there  met^General  Atkinson,  who  commanded  the  regulars. 


BLACK    HAWK    WAR.  101 

A  part  of  the  volunteers  started  up  Rock  River,  having  orders 
to  stop  at  Prophetstown,  about  fifty  miles  distant.  There  they 
awaited  the  arrival  of  General  Atkinson  with  his  regulars,  who 
were  to  bring  provisions  up  the  river  in  boats.  But  when  the 
volunteers  came  to  the  Indian  village  of  Prophetstown  they 
acted  with  that  folly  which  is  characteristic  of  men  who  have 
been  but  a  few  days  in  the  field,  and  who  are  imperfectly  con- 
trolled by  their  officers.  They  burned  the  Indian  village  and 
proceeded  on  their  march  without  waiting  for  the  regulars,  of 
whom  they  contracted  a  jealousy  which  continued  during  the 
whole  of  the  campaign.  In  order  to  march  easily  they  left  their 
baggage  and  a  large  quantity  of  provisions  at  Prophetstown. 
They  afterwards  felt  the  result  of  their  folly  when  they  had 
lived  for  three  days  on  coffee  and  parched  corn.  The  trouble 
with  the  volunteers  was  that  they  had  been  but  a  short  time  in 
the  field,  and  their  officers  were  in  many  cases  men  who  after- 
wards expected  to  exert  some  political  influence.  The  result  was 
that  the  officers  were  to  some  extent  commanded  by  the  privates, 
and  the  army  was  liable  to  be  governed  by  any  whim  which 
might  overtake  it.  When  the  army  arrived  at  Dixon  it  found 
there  two  battalions  of  mounted  volunteers,  numbering  about 
two  huudred  and  seventy-five  men.  The  men  had  collected 
from  McLean,  Tazewell,  Peoria  and  Fulton  Counties,  and  were 
commanded  by  Majors  Stillman  and  Bailey. 

By  this  time  the  regulars  under  General  Atkinson  were 
near  Prophetstown,  and  were  coming  up  with  boats  filled  with 
provisions.  Their  steady,  careful  movements  made  the  volun- 
teers very  impatient,  and  the  latter  were  also  exceedingly  anxious 
to  obtain  the  laurels  to  be  won.  The}'  were  only  called  out  for 
thirty  days,  and  they  expected  to  wind  up  the  whole  matter  in 
that  short  space  of  time,  very  much  as  our  Union  army  expected 
at  a  later  day  to  crush  the  rebellion  within  three  months.  The 
men  under  the  command  of  Major  Stillman  were  particularly 
anxious  to  "ketch  the  Indians"  before  the  latter  could  get 
away.  They  said  the  regulars  wTould  come  crawling  along  stuff- 
ing themselves  with  beef,  and  the  Indians  would  never  be 
"ketched. "  The  officers  yielded  to  the  impatience  and  jealousy 
of  the  men  and  requested  Governor  Reynolds  to  let  them  go  out 
and  reconnoiter  the  country  and  rind   the   Indians.     A  certain 


102  BLACK    HAWK    WAR. 

Captain  Eades  from  Peoria  came  up  and  insisted  very  strongly 
that  they  should  be  allowed  to  go.  The  other  captains  all  vol- 
unteered, for  they  wished  to  be  considered  very  plucky,  and  the 
question  with  them  was  not  whether  the  matter  was  prudent  and 
necessary,  but  whether  they  dared  to  go.  From  all  that  can  be 
learned,  Major  Stillman  consented  to  go  against  his  better  judg- 
ment. He  asked  Mr.  John  Dixon's  opinion  and  the  latter  told 
him  very  decidedly  that  the  business  of  "ketching  the  Indians' 
would  prove  very  disastrous  for  a  little  force  of  less  than  three 
hundred  men.  Major  Stillman  then  said  that  as  all  of  his  offi- 
cers and  men  were  determined  to  go,  he  must  lead  them  if  it 
cost  him  his  life.  Governor  Reynolds  was  very  angry  at  the 
course  taken  by  the  volunteers  but  reluctantly  gave  his  consent.* 
Major  Stillman's  men  provided  themselves  wTith  some  whisky, 
and  of  course  were  invincible.  They  started  on  the  13th  of 
May,  and,  according  to  David  Simmons,  numbered  two  hundred 
and  six  men.  Nothing  wras  heard  of  them  until  midnight  of  the 
second  day.  At  that  time  John  Dixon  was  aroused  from  his 
slumber  by  a  voice  saying  : 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Dixon,  can  I  lie  down  here  ?" 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter  ?" 

"  Oh,  our  folks  had  a  big  battle !" 

"Are  many  killed  ?" 

"  Oh,  yes  !" 

"  How  many  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know;  it  was  an  awful  battle;  I  don't  know 
who  is  killed  or  who  is  hurt." 

"  Did  you  get  whipped  ?" 

"Oh,  yts!" 

James  Benson  of  White  Oak  Grove  says  that  he  was 
awakened  from  his  slumber  by  a  volunteer,  who  said  that  the 
Indians  had  crawled  on  the  whites  and  said  "  woo,  woo,"  and 
butchered  them  all  in  their  camp. 

This  was  the  way  the  volunteers  "  ketched  the  Indians." 
During  the  remainder  of  the  night  and  all  the  next  day  Major 
Stillman  and  his  men  came  straggling  into  camp.  It  was  at  last 
found  that  only  a  few  of  their. number  had  been  killed  and  sev- 

*  In  his  autobiography  entitled  "  My  Own  Times,"  Governor  Reynolds  gener- 
ously assumes  the  responsibility  for  the  disaster  at  Stillman's  Run,  but  the  movement 
was  certainly  made  against  his  wishes. 


BLACK    HAWK    WAR.  103 

eral  wounded.  The  following  are  facts,  as  learned  from  Thomas 
O.  Rutledge,  James  Phillips-  and  David  Simmons,  who  partici- 
pated in  the  fight. 

At  noon  during  the  second  day,  while  they  were  eating  din- 
ner, an  alarm  was  raised  by  the  guard  in  front,  who  discovered 
moccasin  tracks.  The  men  gathered  up  their  coffee  pots  and 
other  utensils  and  excitedly  rode  forward  a  few  miles,  but  found 
no  Indians,  though  the  tracks  were  fresh.  Then  they  came  to  a 
halt.  Their  baggage  wagon  came  on  slowly,  loaded  with  am- 
munition and  whisky.  In  order  to  dispense  with  the  wagon, 
the  whisky  barrel  was  broken  open  and  every  man  took  what 
he  wanted.  They  filled  their  canteens  and  bottles  and  coffee 
pots,  and  men  rode  up  and  down  the  line  offering  everybody  a 
drink.  The  ammunition  was  also  issued  and  men  filled  their 
powder  horns  and  tied  up  powder  in  handkerchiefs.  Then  they 
moved  forward,  from  three  to  five  miles,  and  crossed  Old  Man's 
Creek,  since  called  Stillman's  Run.  It  was  about  thirty-five 
miles  from  Dixon.  At  the  point  where  the  volunteers  crossed 
was  a  bend,  concave  towards  the  north.  In  that  bend  they 
stacked  their  baggage  and  partly  went  into  camp.  The  guards, 
who  had  been  out  during  the  day  to  the  right,  left,  rear  and 
front,  came  in.  The  left  guard  brought  in  some  Indian  ponies, 
which  they  had  found,  and  this  created  quite  an  excitement. 
Some  of  the  men  began  to  ride  the  ponies.  Just  then  ten  or  a 
dozen  Indians  appeared  on  a  hill  a  quarter  or  half  a  mile  distant. 
The  officers  and  men  inquired  who  they  were,  and  some  thought 
they  were  the  advanced  guard.  David  Simmons  said  to  Still- 
man  :  "No,  the  advanced  guard  came  in  some  time  ago,  Gen- 
eral;  it's  Indians  !"  The  men  then  commenced  saddling  their 
horses  ;  some  started  immediately,  and  some  went  without  their 
saddles.  Twenty-five  or  thirty  men  and  officers  with  Captain 
Covel,  came  up  to  where  the  Indians  had  been.  All  of  the  lat- 
ter had  retreated  except  two,  who  claimed  to  be  Pottawotamies. 
The  men  chased  the  retreating  Indians  and  killed  one.  The 
two  Indians,  wrho  refused  to  run,  were  brought  into  camp.  They 
each  said:  "Me  good  Pottawotamie,"  but  pointed  over  the 
hill  and  said,  "  Heap  of  Sac."  Captain  Covel,  returning,  said: 
"  It's  all  nonsense,  they're  friendly  Indians."  The  two  captured 
Indians  then  proposed  to  trade  for  a   gun    belonging  to  David 


104  BLACK   HAWK    WAR. 

Alexander  from  Pekin.     "While  they  were    poking  their  fingers 
into  the  barrel  some  of  the  men  who  chased  the  retreating  In- 
dians into  Black  Hawk's   camp  on    the   Kishwaukee,  returned 
and  said  :     "  Parade,  parade."     They  declared  that  the  Indians 
were  thick  over  the  hill.     The  men  were  formed  and  moved  for- 
ward.    Before  going  far  an  Indian  prisoner  w7as  brought  in  from 
the  party  in  the  advance  and  sent  to  the  rear.     The  men  moved 
on  and  made  a  halt  near  a  slough.     Here  the  officers  went  ahead, 
and  Thomas  0.   Rutledge  says  some  kind  of  a   parley  was  held 
with  the  Indians.    The  latter  swung  a  red  flag  in  defiance.    Gen- 
eral Gridley,  who  was  then  lieutenant,  came  back  with  orders  to 
march  forward.     Captain   Eades   of  Peoria  came    riding  back, 
and  said  he  was  not  easily  fooled,  that  there  were  not  less  than 
a  thousand  Indians   coming.     The  men  were  then  marched  back 
in  some   confusion    across  the   slough   to  high  ground.     There 
they  formed,  or  tried  to  form,  but  were  in  bad  order.     The  In- 
dians then  poured  out  of  the  timber  to  the  front,  right  and  left, 
and  Mr.    Simmons   said    it  reminded  him  of  the  pigeons  in  In- 
diana flying  over  one  another  and  picking  up  mast.     Both   par- 
ties commenced  firing.     But  the  whites  were  in  such  bad  order 
that  those  in  the  rear  were  in  danger  of  shooting  those  in  front. 
The  Indians   came    on  whooping,    yelling    and   firing,  and   the 
horses  of  the  volunteers   began  to  prance    about.     The  Indians 
circled  around  on  both  sides,  and  Mr.  Rutledge  thinks  they  came 
clear  to  the    rear.     Major  Still  man  ordered    his  men  to   mount 
and  retreat,  and  form  a  line  across  the  creek,  and  also  told  them 
to    break  the  line  of  the    Indians  on  the  left.     Mr.    Rutledge 
says  :     "  Right  there  was   confusion.     We    did  not   go    to    the 
right  or  the  left,  but  right  square  for    home  !"     When  they  ar- 
rived at  the  creek  (Stillman's  Run)  Captain  Covel  tried  to  form 
a  line  on  the  north  side,  but  an  order  was   given  to  cross  it  and 
form  a  line  on  the  south  side.     Here  the  Indian  prisoners  began 
to  whoop,  in  answTer  to  their  friends,  and  the  guard  was  ordered 
to  shoot  them,  and  it  did  so  immediately.     The  whites  plunged 
through  the  mud   and  water  of  the    creek   and  tried   to  form  a 
line  on   the  south  side.     The    Indians  came  up  close    and  both 
parties  were  firing.     But  the  whites  kept  breaking  away  to  the 
rear.     Some  were  calling  "  halt  and  fight."    Those  who  had  lost 
their   horses  said:     "For    God's    sake,  don't   leave   us."     Mr. 


BLACK    HAWK    WAR.  105 

Phillips  particularly  remembers  Captain  Adams,  who  called  out 
continually,  "  Damn  it,  stop  and  fight."  But  in  a  moment  an 
order  was  given  to  retreat  to  Dixon,  and  it  was  obeyed  imme- 
diately. A  few  of  the  Indians  followed  the  volunteers  across 
the  creek,  but  the  most  of  them  stopped  to  plunder  the  bag- 
gage, which  had  been  piled  up  so  convenient  for  them.  The 
whites  ran,  every  man  for  himself,  to  Dixon's  Ferry.  They  lost 
but  few  men  in  the  fight  and  retreat.  Joseph  Draper  was  shot 
when  the  two  lines  met  in  the  retreat,  but  in  the  dusk  of  the 
evening  he  crawled  away  and  lived  some  days  afterwards,  and 
when  his  body  was  found  he  had  marked  his  adventures  and 
wanderings  on  his  canteen.  Andrew  Dickey  was  shot  at  the 
creek  through  the  thigh,  but  crawled  under  the  bank  and  es- 
caped. Mr.  Hackelton  who  was  also  wrounded,  hid  under  the  bank. 
Captain  Adams  had  his  horse  shot  from  under  him  when  the 
retreat  commenced,  but  he  ran  back,  crossed  the  creek  and  went 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  towards  Dixon's  Ferry,  when  he  was 
overtaken  by  the  Indians  and  killed,  but  succeeded  in  killing 
one  or  two  of  the  Indians  who  followed  him  ;  Major  Perkins 
was  oyertaken  and  killed  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  creek. 
He  was  probably  delayed  while  crossing  it.  James  Doty  of 
Peoria  was  also  killed.  The  loss  of  the  whites,  according  to 
Ford's  History  of  Illinois,  was  eleven,  but  James  Phillips  says 
it  was  thirteen.  Seven  of  the  Indians  were  buried,  and  their 
loss  may  have  amounted  to  more. 

A  great  deal  of  fun  was  made  of  Stillman's  men  by  their 
friends  who  had  been  wise  enough  to  remain  behind.  Some  of 
the  gentlemen  who  had  run  so  fast  were  very  angry,  while  some 
took  it  in  good  part.  Colonel  Strode  (an  old  militia  colonel) 
created  a  great  deal  of  amusement  by  his  humorous  accounts  of 
the  fight.  He  said  that  the  Indians  formed  in  solid  columns, 
and  that  their  flanks  extended  to  a  long  distance  on  both  sides 
of  Major  Stillman's  command.  Suddenly  the  flanks  of  the  In- 
dians began  to  close  in  on  Major  Stillman's  men  like  a  pair  of 
scissors,  and  the  whites  turned  and  ran  for  their  lives,  and  Col- 
onel Strode  followed  suit.  He  said  he  was  none  too  quick,  for 
as  the  flanks  of  the  Indians  came  together  they  just  grazed  the  tail 
of  his  horse,  but  he  escaped  !  He  told  a  great  many  humorous 
stories,  and  one  of  his  accounts  is  given  in  Ford's  History  of 
Illinois,  as  follows  : 


10G  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

"  Sirs,  our  detachment  was  eucamped  amongst  some  scatter- 
ing timber  on  the  north  side  of  Old  Man's  Creek,  with  the  prairie 
from  the  north  gently  sloping  down  to  our  encampment.  It  was 
just  after  twilight,  in  the  glooming  of  the  evening,  when  we  dis- 
covered Black  Hawk's  army  coming  down  upon  us  in  solid 
column  ;  they  displayed  in  the  form  of  a  crescent  upon  the  brow 
of  the  prairie,  and  such  accuracy  and  precision  of  military 
movements  were  never  witnessed  by  man ;  they  were  equal  to 
the  best  troops  of  Wellington  in  Spain.  I  have  said  that  the 
Indians  came  down  in  solid  column,  and  displayed  in  the  form 
of  a  crescent;  and  what  was  most  wonderful,  there  were  large 
squares  of  cavalry  resting  upon  the  points  of  the  curve,  which 
squares  were  supported  again  by  other  columns  fifteen  deep,  ex- 
tending back  through  the  woods  and  over  a  swamp  three-quarters 
of  a  mile,  which  again  rested  upon  the  main  body  of  Black 
Hawk's  army  bivouaced  upon  the  banks  of  the  Kishwaukee.  It 
was  a  terrible  and  a  glorious  sight  to  see  the  tawny  warriors  as 
they  rode  along  our  flanks,  attempting  to  outflank  us,  with  the 
glittering  moonbeams  glistening  from  their  polished  blades  and 
burnished  spears.  It  was  a  sight  well  calculated  to  strike  con- 
sternation into  the  stoutest  and  boldest  heart,  and  accordingly 
our  men  soon  began  to  break  in  small  squads  for  tall  timber.  In 
a  little  time  the  rout  became  general,  the  Indians  were  upon  our 
flanks,  and  threatened  the  destruction  of  the  entire  detachment. 
About  this  time  Major  Stillman,  Colonel  Stephenson,  Major  Per- 
kins, Captain  Adams,  Mr.  Hackelton,  and  myself,  with  some 
others,  threw7  ourselves  into  the  rear  to  rally  fugitives  and  pro- 
tect the  retreat.  But  in  a  short  time  all  my  companions  fell, 
bravely  fighting  hand  to  hand  with  the  savage  enemy,  and  I 
alone  was  left  upon  the  field  of  battle.  About  this  time  I  dis- 
covered, not  far  to  [[the  left  a  corps  of  horsemen  which  seemed 
to  be  in  tolerable  order.  I  immediately  deployed  to  the  left, 
when,  leaning  down  and  placing  my  body  in  a  recumbent  pos- 
ture, upon  the  mane  of  my  horse,  so  as  to  bring  the  heads  of 
the  horsemen  between  my  eye  and  the  horizon,  I  discovered  by 
the  light  of  the  moon  that  they  were  gentlemen  who  did  not 
wear  hats,  bv  which  token  I  knew  thev  were  no  friends  of  mine. 
I  therefore  made  a  retrograde  movement  and  recovered  my 
former  position,  where  I  remained  some  time  meditating  what 


BLACK  HAWK  WAR.  107 

further  I  could  do  in  the  service  of  my  country,  when  a  random 
ball  came  whistling  by  my  ear  and  plainly  whispered  to  me, 
'Stranger,  you  have  no  further  business  here !'  Upon  hearing 
this  I  followed  the  example  of  my  companions  in  arms,  and 
broke  for  tall  timber,  and  the  way  I  ran,  was  not  a  little,  and 
quit." 

"The  Colonel  was  a  lawyer,  just  returning  from  the  circuit, 
with  a  slight  wardrobe  and  Chitty's  Pleadings  packed  in  his  sad- 
dlebags, all  of  which  were  captured  by  the  Indians.  He  after- 
Avards  related  with  much  vexation  that  Black  Hawk  had  decked 
himself  out  in  his  finery,  appearing  in  the  wild  woods,  among 
his  savage  companions,  dressed  in  one  of  the  Colonel's  ruffled 
shirts  drawn  over  his  deer-skin  leggings,  with  a  volume  of  Chit- 
ty's Pleadings  under  each  arm." 

A  funny  story  is  also  told  of  Colonel  Strode.  It  is  said  that 
when  he  attempted  to  retreat,  as  the  Indians  came  charging  on, 
he  mounted  his'horse  without  untying  it  from  the  stump  to  which 
it  was  fastened.  As  his  horse  could  not  move  from  the  spot,  he 
thought,  in  his  excitement,  that  the  stump  was  an  Indian  hold- 
ing the  bridle,  and  he  said  : 

"  Don't  shoot,  Mr.  Indian,  I  am  Colonel  Strode  of  the  Illinois 
volunteers,  I  surrender  at  discretion!" 

"While  Major  Stillman  was  carrying  on  his  operations,  the 
forces  at  Dixon's  Ferry  were  increasing.  The  volunteers  came 
in  rapidly,  and  the  quartermaster  was  obliged  to  take  John 
Dixon's  cattle  and  hogs  to  feed  them,  because  by  their  improvi- 
dence they  were  left  without  anything  to  eat  except  corn  and 
coffee.  General  Whiteside,  who  commanded  the  volunteers, 
after  calling  a  council  of  war,  proceeded  to  the  scene  of  the  late 
fight,  and  buried  the  bodies  of  the  eleven  whites,  who  were 
slain. 

In  speaking  of  the  fight  at  Stillman's  Run,  the  follies  of  the 
volunteers  are  pointed  out  without  hesitation,  because  it  is  nec- 
essary for  us  to  know  the  truth  of  the  matter.  It  would,  how- 
ever, be  wrong  to  give  the  impression  that  they  were  in  any 
respect  wanting  in  courage  or  good  sense,  and  those  who  judge 
harshly  of  them  in  all  probability  would  not  have  done  any  bet- 
ter, perhaps  not  as  well.  Volunteers  who  have  been  but  a  short 
time  in  the  field  are  peculiarly  liable   to  take  a  panic,  although 


108  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

they  may  be  possessed  of  unusual  courage  and  coolness.  This 
was  the  case  at  Bull  Run,  at  the  opening  of  the  rebellion,  yet  no 
one  doubts  the  courage  of  the  troops  in  that  battle.  My  dear 
reader,  if  you  had  been  there,  or  if  you  had  been  at  Stillman's 
Run,  you  would  probably  have  made  as  good  time  as  any  of  them, 
though  you  may  be  as  brave  as  the  bravest. 

As  soon  as  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  attacked  they  were  a 
changed  race  of  beings.  Before  that  they  had  been  very  quiet, 
and  had  done  no  one  any  harm.  They  had  not  taken  the  prop- 
erty of  the  white  settlers,  and  had  behaved  themselves  much 
better  than  could  have  been  expected  of  savages.  But  after  they 
were  attacked  they  raised  the  war-whoop,  and  it  is  probable  that 
this  is  the  time  to  which  Black  Hawk  referred  when  he  said  : 
"I  took  up  the  hatchet  to  revenge  injuries  which  could  no  longer 
be  borne." 

After  the  tight  of  Stillman's  Run  the  Indians  scattered'all  over 
the  country,  and  every  settler  who  had  not  taken  refuge  in  some 
well-protected  place  was  killed  and  scalped  and  his  house  burned 
to  the  ground.  Many  of  them  received  timely  notice  and  es- 
caped. Shaubana,  a  friendly  chief  of  the  Pottawotamies,  gave 
notice  to  many  settlers,  and  thus  saved  many  lives.  Mr.  Dixon 
took  occasion  to  warn  as  many  as  possible.  The  Kellogg  and 
Reid  families,  of  Buffalo  Grove,  were  notified  by  his  exertions. 
They  hastily  packed  up  what  things  they  could  and  came  to 
Dixon's  Ferry.  They  had  only  been  gone  from  their  homes  a  few 
hours  when  the  Indians  came  there  and  destroyed  what  things 
could  not  be  carried  away.  They  ripped  open  the  feather  beds 
and  scattered  the  feathers  in  high  glee.  But  there  were  three 
families  living  on  Indian  Creek,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Ottawa, 
which  did  not  soon  enough  come  under  protection.  They  were 
the  Davis,  Hall  and  Pettigrew  families.  The  Indians  appeared 
in  the  day-time  and  massacred  them  in  cold  blood,  taking  a  sav- 
age delight  in  their  infernal  deeds.  They  toldhowr,terror-stricken 
were  the  women  and  how  they  screamed  and,  as  they  said 
"squeaked  like  geese,"  when  they  were  massacred.  But  there 
were  twy  young  ladies,  Rachel  and  Silvia  Hall,  who  tried 
to  conceal  themselves  by  crawling  into  bed.  They  were  discov- 
ered by  two  young  braves,  who   determined  to   have   them   for 


BLACK  HAWK  WAK.  109 

wives.     They  were  aged  fifteen  and  seventeen  years  respectively 
and  were  carried  off  by  the  delighted  braves. 

After  this  deed  the  Indians  rapidly  retreated  with  their  pris- 
oners. The  young  ladies  were  afterwards  ransomed  for  two 
thousand  dollars,  paid  in  trinkets,  horses  and  finery  of  various 
kinds.  It  is  said  that  the  Indians  exacted  by  far  the  largest  ran- 
som for  the  elder  sister,  as  she  was  more  quiet  and  gave  less 
trouble  ;  but  they  let  the  younger  sister  go  pretty  cheap,  as  she 
was  so  saucy  and  impudent  that  she  made  her  captors  much 
difficulty. 

The  volunteers  for  thirty  days  were  mustered  out  of  service 
on  the  twenty-eighth  of  May.  They  had  grown  tired  of  the  ser- 
vice. They  thought  they  would  have  a  play-day,  but  the  war 
turned  out  to  be  a  serious  business  and  promised  to  last  for  some 
time.  They  were  mustered  out  of  service  at  Ottawa,  and  the 
most  of  them  returned  to  their  homes.  Nevertheless  a  regiment 
was  raised  out  of  their  number,  enough  enlisting  for  that  pur- 
pose at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  Governor  Reynolds.  Another 
call  was  made  by  the  Governor  for  two  thousand  men  for  sixty 
days,  but  they  did  not  take  the  field  until  the  twenty-second  of 
June.  In  the  meantime  the  regiment  raised  from  those  recently 
discharged,  was  put  in  active  service.  It  was  commanded  by 
Colonel  Jacob  Fry,  while  James  D.  Henry,  who  was  afterwards 
General  Henry,  was  made  Lieutenant  Colonel.  General  Whiteside, 
wyho  had  commanded  the  volunteers  for  thirty  days,  enlisted  as 
a  private.  The  regiment  was  divided  up  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
tecting as  much  of  the  country  as  possible.  In  the  meantime 
there  were  some  lively  skirmishes  with  the  Iudians.  One  com- 
pany, commanded  by  Captain  Adam  W.  Snyder,  being  fired  upon 
by  four  Indians,  near  Burr  Oak  Grove,  drove  them  into  a  sink- 
hole and  killed  them.  The  warfare  was  of  the  most  merciless 
nature  ;  no  prisoners  were  taken  ;  it  was  simply  kill  or  be  killed. 
Shortly  after  the  Indians  were  killed  in  the  sink-hole,  Captain 
Snyder's  company  was  suddenly  attacked  by  a  force  of  seventy 
Indians.  The  moment  wras  a  most  trying  one,  but  the  men  stood 
it  bravely.  The  Indians  pressed  their  attack,  until  General 
Whiteside,  who  was  a  splendid  marksman,  shot  the  chief  who 
was  riding  on  horseback.  This  discouraged  the  Indians,  and 
they  retired  from  the  contest. 


110  BLACK   HAWK  WAR. 

But  notwithstanding  the  checks  which  they  received,  the  In- 
dians displayed  the  most  astonishing  activity.  They  seemed  to 
be  everywhere,  and  they  fought  with  the  greatest  fierceness. 
They  threatened  Galena,  and  they  attacked  or  threatened  nearly 
every  point  between  Galena  and  Ottawa.  Two  settlers  were 
killed  by  them  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Fox  River,  within  six 
miles  of  Ottawa,  and  another  up  at  Buffalo  Grove,  in  Ogle  Coun- 
ty. Such  wonderful  activity  as  they  displayed  has  seldom  been 
shown  by  the  most  daring  and  war-like  of  savage  foes.  Every 
exposed  place  was  attacked.  The  fort  at  Apple  River  was  used 
as  a  rendezvous  for  the  settlers,  and  protected  a  village  of  miners. 
It  was  defended  by  twenty-five  men.  Suddenly  three  men,  who 
started  on  an  express  from  Galena  to  Dixon,  wrere  fired  on  near 
the  fort  and  retreated  to  it.  They  were  followed  by  one  hundred 
and  fifty  Indians  commanded  by  Black  Hawk  in  person.  The 
miners  and  settlers  collected  in  the  fort,  which  consisted  of  a 
stockade  of  logs,  and  let  their  houses  go.  The  Indians  imme- 
diately took  possession  of  the  houses,  smashed  up  the  furniture, 
tore  open  the  feather  beds,  scattered  the  feathers  to  the  winds 
and  rioted  in  the  work  of  destruction.  Then,  using  the  houses  for 
protection,  they,  for  fifteen  hours,  kept  up  a  keen  fire  on  the 
fort.  But,  as  it  became  clear  that  the  fort  could  never  be  cap- 
tured, thev  retired. 

The  activity  and  fierceness  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  seemed  to 
show  that  they  were  wrought  up  to  a  pitch  of  frenzy.  Mr.  St. 
Vrain,  the  Indian  agent,  had  been  on  terms  of  intimate  friend- 
ship with  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  called  Little 
Bear.  Indeed  he  had  been  adopted  by  Little  Bear  as  a  brother. 
Mr.  St.  Vrain  was  sent  with  a  small  party  of  men  to  Fort  Arm- 
strong, and  on  his  way  there  he  met  Little  Bear  with  a  party  of 
Indians.  Mr.  St.  Vrain,  not  thinking  that  any  harm  would  be 
done  to  him  by  Little  Bear,  by  whom  he  had  been  adopted  as  a 
brother,  approached  without  fear.  But  he  and  his  party  were 
immediately  scalped.  The  very  ties  of  brotherhood  counted  for 
nothing  among  the  infuriated  savages.  Every  place  in  the 
countiw  was  either  attacked  or  threatened.  Galena  was  at  one 
time  in  some  danger,  but  Colonel  Strode,  the  humorous  soldier 
at  Stillnian's  Run,  prepared  thoroughly  for  its  defense.     He  de- 


BLACK  HAWK  WAR.  Ill 

clared  martial  law  and  pressed  every  man  into  the  ranks  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet,  and  the  attack  was  not  made. 

But  the  volunteers  had  by  this  time  learned  some  of  the  arts 
of  Indian  warefare,  and  they  fought  quite  as  desperately  as  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes.  Captain  James  W.  Stephenson,  of  Galena,  with 
a  small  portion  of  his  company  attacked  a  party  of  Indians, 
whom  he  discovered  in  a  thicket  on  the  prairie.  He  charged 
upon  them  again  and  again,  and  even  penetrated  the  thicket,  but 
having  half  a  dozen  or  more  men  killed,  and  being  himself  se- 
verely wounded,  he  was  obliged  to  retreat. 

A  party  of  eleven  Indians  fired  upon  some  whites  near  Fort 
Hamilton,  up  in  the  lead  mines.  General  Dodge,  of  Wisconsin, 
collected  a  party  of  whites  and  went  after  them  in  hot  pursuit. 
His  little  command  came  up  with  the  Indians  on  the  bank  of  the 
Pecatonica  River,  and  killed  every  one  of  them.  Not  one  was 
left  to  carry  the  news  to  Black  Hawk.  The  loss  of  the  whites 
was  one  man  wounded  severely  and  three  mortally. 

But  by  this  time  (20th  of  June)  the  volunteers  for  sixty  days 
were  in  the  field.  Thej^  had  rendezvoused  at  Fort  Wilburn, 
near  LaSalle,and  amounted  to  three  thousand  two  hundred  men, 
exclusive  of  the  regular  troops.  They  were  divided  into  three 
brigades,  commanded  by  Alexander  Posey,  Milton  K.  Alexander 
and  James  D.  Henry.  General  Atkinson,  of  the  regular  army, 
commanded  the  entire  force  of  volunteers  and  regulars.  The  ball 
was  opened  by  Major  John  Dement,  who  commanded  a  spy  bat- 
talion. He  was  ordered  to  push  ahead  while  the  army  should 
follow  and  make  its  headquarters  at  Dixon's  Ferry.  When  he 
came  to  Dixon's  Ferry  his  men  displayed  some  of  that  ineffable 
greenness  for  which  the  volunteers  in  those  days  were  distin- 
guished, before  they  had  seen  service.  One  of  the  volunteers,  a 
long-legged,  awkward  looking  geutleman,  rode  up  to  Mr.  John 
Dixon  and  asked  in  a  voice  rich  with  concentrated  greenness: 

"Where's  y'  Injins  ?  If  you  want  y'  Injins  killed,  fetch  'em 
on!" 

He  soon  had  all  the  fighting  his  heart  could  wish,  for  Major 
Dement  crossed  Rock  River  and  pushed  on  to  Kellogg's  Grove, 
where  he  was  attacked  by  the  Indians  under  Black  Hawk,  fresh 
from  the  Apple  River  fort.  The  circumstances  were  these. 
Major  Dement  learned  that  the  trail  of  a   large  party  of  Indians 


112  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

was  discovered  near  Kellogg's  Grove,  and  he  immediately  started 
for  it.  He  took  twenty  men  and  with  them  kept  in  advance  of 
his  command.  Pretty  soon  they  came  upon  a  few  Indians  who 
rapidly  retreated.  This  excited  the  little  squad  of  inexperienced 
volunteers,  and  they  pursued  the  Indians  as  the  hunter  pursues 
the  game.  But  Major  Dement  was  collected  and  cautious,  and 
made  every  effort  to  restrain  his  men.  They  chased  the  Indians 
ahout  a  mile  on  the  prairie,  and  when  they  came  uear  the  grove 
the  Major's  little  squad,  which  was  slightly  reinforced,  was  at- 
tacked by  a  large  body  of  Indians  under  Black  Hawk.  Dement 
retreated  slowly  to  his  camp,  while  the  Indians  came  yelling 
like  fiends.  The  volunteers  took  refuge  in  some  log  houses 
near  by,  and  were  able  to  successfully  repel  the  attack.  The 
battle  raged  fiercely,  the  Indians  being  determined  to  dislodge 
the  whites  from  their  strong  position.  It  seemed  as  if  the  In- 
dians could  not  bear  to  give  the  matter  up,  but  they  were  finally 
forced  to  do  so,  as  the  volunteers  were  so  well  protected.  The 
loss  of  the  whites  were  five  killed  and  three  wounded,  while  that 
of  the  Indians  wTas  nine  killed  and  left  on  the  field  ;  and  it  is 
supposed  many  others  were  killed  and  carried  away. 

While  Major  Dement  was  contending  with  the  Indians.  Gen- 
eral Atkinson  brought  up  the  army  to  Dixon  and  made  his  head- 
quarters there.  When  he  learned  the  result  of  the  fight  at  Kel- 
logg's Grove,  he  sent  General  Alexander  to  the  mouth  of  Plumb 
Eiver,  to  guard  against  the  possibility  of  the  Indians  crossing 
the  Mississippi,  for  it  was  determined  to  capture  them  and  not 
to  allowT  one  of  them  to  get  away.  But  if  General  Atkinson 
could  have  known  the  fatiguing  marches  which  he  afterwards 
was  obliged  to  make,  and  the  great  difficulty  of  capturing  a 
band  of  the  most  fierce  and  active  Indians  in  America,  he  would 
have  been  perfectly  willing  to  let  them  go  on  any  terms.  After 
remaining  two  days  in  Dixon,  General  Atkinson  started  with  his 
army  northward  to  the  Four  Lakes  in  Wisconsin,  having  heard 
that  Black  Hawk  was  there  fortified,  and  that  he  had  deter- 
mined to  risk  the  whole  campaign  on  a  single  battle.  But  when 
General  Atkinson  arrived  there  he  found  that  the  Indians  had 
vanished. 

It  would  be  a  tiresome  task  to  relate  all  of  the  fatiguing 
marches   made   in  search  of  the  wily  Black    Hawk.     The  volnn- 


BLACK    HAWK    WAR.  113 

teers  for  sixty  days  had,  as  usual,  enlisted  with  no  expectation 
of  hardship.  When  the  campaign  opened  th<-M*e  were  three 
thousand  two  hundred  volunteers  in  the  field  and  four  hundred 
and  fifty  regulars.  But,  after  eight  weeks  of  campaigning 
which  consisted  of  tiresome  marches,  to  find  the  ever  absent 
Black  Hawk,  there  were  left  not  more  than  half  of  the  volun- 
teers, although  the  regulars  had  not  lost  one  of  their  number. 
What  was  the  reason  of  this?  It  is  not  pleasant  to  write  it,  but 
the  truth  must  be  told.  A  great  many  volunteers  took  French 
leave — they  went  away  without  saying  "good-bye" — they  de- 
serted. The  volunteers  made  sometimes  short,  quick  marches, 
and  sometimes  long,  continued  travels;  at  one  time  they  were 
obliged  to  go  fifty  miles  in  one  day.  Sometimes  they  had 
plenty  to  eat  and  sometimes  they  were  nearly  starved.  The  re- 
sult was  that  about  one-half  of  their  number  gradually  dropped 
off  without  permission  and  returned  to  "  home,  sweet  home." 

There  is  very  little  doubt  that  while  the  volunteers  wrere 
hunting  for  Black  Hawk,  that  wily  chieftain  was  posted  with  re- 
gard to  their  movements.  It  was  a  game  of  "blind  man's  buff" 
with  our  arm}'  to  represent  the  blind  man. 

When  General  Atkinson  found  no  enemy  at  the  Four  Lakes 
he  went  to  Turtle  Village,  on  Rock  River,  but  Black  Hawk  was 
not  there.  lie  then  went  to  Lake  Kushkanong,  and  his  army 
was  kept  continually  on  the  alert  by  all  kinds  of  i'alse  alarms, 
but  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  not  to  be  found.  He  then  went  to 
Burnt  Village,  on  the  White  Water  River,  but  the  ever  vanish- 
ing Black  Hawk  was  not  there.  At  this  point  the  brigade  of 
General  Posey  joined  them.  This  brigade  had  been  separated 
from  the  army  ever  since  the  fight  at  Kellogg's  Grove.  The 
army  was  also  reinforced  by  a  battalion  of  troops  under  Major 
Dodge  of  Wisconsin.  It  was  now  strong  enough  to  wipe  Black 
Hawk's  band  out  of  existence,  if  it  could  only  be  found.  At 
the  Burnt  Village  it  was  thought  that  at  last  they  had  the  trail 
of  Black  Hawk,  but  the  army  was,  after  some  troublesome  in- 
vestigation, found  to  be  on  the  wrong  track. 

General  Atkinson  then  sent  General  Posey  with  his  brigade 

to  Fort  Hamilton,  in  the  mining  country,  to  protect  the  settlers, 

while  General  Alexander,  General  Henry  and  Major  Dodge  were 

sent  to  Fort  Winnebago  to  procure  supplies.     General  Atkinson, 

8 


114  BLACK    HAWK    WAR. 

with  the  regular  troops,  fell  back  to  Lake  Tvushkanong,  where 
he  built  a  fort  and  waited  for  supplies. 

And  now  was  found  by  an  accident,  as  it  were,  the  trail  of 
Black  Hawk's  band.  The  troops,  which  were  sent  to  Fort  Win- 
nebago for  supplies,  reached  that  place,  eighty  miles  distant,  in 
three  days.  Here  they  learned  from  some  Winnebago  chiefs 
that  Black  Hawk  and  hi?  band  were  at  Manitou  village  on  Rock 
River.  General  Alexander,  General  Henry  and  Major  Dodge 
immediately  held  a  council,  and  agreed  to  violate  orders  and 
march  upon  the  Indians.  When  this  resolution  was  communi- 
cated to  the  men  they  determined  not  to  go,  and  some  of  them 
seemed  resolved  on  open  mutiny.  But  all  except  Alexander's 
brigade  yielded  to  General  Henry's  vigorous  measures. 

Alexander's  brigade  was  sent   back  to    General    Atkinson, 
while  the  troops  under   General   Henry  and   Major  Dodge  went 
after  the  Indians.     They  threw  aside   all  their  heavy  baggage. 
Some  of  them  had  horses  and  some  had  not.     Those  who  were 
obliged  to  walk   made  their  loads  as  light  as  possible.     Then 
they  started   on   their   race,  and   it  was    a   lively  one.      They 
marched  to  Rock  River  in   three  days,  but  learned  that  the  In- 
dians were   also   doing  their  best  to   make    time,  and  were  en- 
camped at  Cranberry  Lake,  farther  up  the  river.    The  army  had 
now  a  clear  trail  to  follow,  and  they  marched   with  astonishing; 
celerity;  it    is    said  that  in    one   day  they   traveled  fifty  miles. 
Sometimes  the  men  on  foot  were  almost  pressed  into  a  run.     As 
they  drew  nearer  to  the  Indians  they  saw  by  unmistakable  signs 
that  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  also   marching  with  the  greatest 
speed.     The   Indians  threw  away   all    articles    which    impeded 
their  flight.     Their  camp  kettles  and  articles   of  various  kinds 
were  strewn  along  the  trail.     At    noon  on    the  seventh  day   of 
their     march    the    advance   guard    of    the   whites    came    upon 
two  Indians  and   killed  them.     Then    they  occasionally  met  a 
few  Indians  who  guarded  the  rear  of  the  band.     A  little  skir- 
mishing would  follow  for  the  purpose  of  gaining   time  for  the 
Indian-  ;  but  the  whites  pressed  on  without  giving  them  time  to 
breathe. 

Suddenly,  when  they  came  near  the  heights  of  the  Wiscon- 
sin River,  the  advance  guard  of  the  w'hites,  commanded  by  Ma- 
jor Ewingand  Major  Dodge  was  fired  upon  by  the  Indians.  The 


BLACK    HAWK    WAR.  115 

advance  guard  immediately  dismounted  and  formed  in  line. 
The  main  body,  under  General  Henry,  soon  came  up,  and  hav- 
ing formed  into  line,  the  whole  army  charged  without  delay. 
The  Indians  fought  fiercely,  but  they  were  driven  back,  some 
of  them  down  a  hollow  to  the  river  bottom  and  some  alomr  the 
heights  of  the  Wisconsin,  until  gradually  they  came  down  to 
the  river.  The  grass  in  the  river  bottom  rose  very  high  and  the 
ground  was  swampy.  The  Indians  concealed  themselves  in  the 
grass  and,  as  night  was  coming  on,  the  contest  ceased.  The 
next  morning  it  was  found  that  the  Indians  had  crossed  the 
river. 

The  losses  in  this  contest,  according  to  Ford's  History  of 
Illinois,  were,  for  the  whites  one  man  killed  and  eight  wounded, 
while  the  Indians  lost  sixty-eight  dead  on  the  field  and  probablv 
many  wounded  who  escaped.  The  same  authority  says  twenty- 
five  Indians  wounded  in  this  battle  died  on  their  way  to  the 
Mississippi  River.  Such  extraordinary  figures  should  be  re- 
ceived with  some  caution.  The  explanation  given  in  Ford's 
History  is  that  the  Indians  were  taught  to  fire  high,  expecting 
to  shoot  at  men  on  horseback. 

But,  be  this  as  it  may,  the  whole  affair  reflected  great  credit 
on  the  volunteers.  They  had  made  a  most  extraordinary  forced 
march,  and  had  shown  that,  notwithstanding  their  freaks  and 
their  shortcomings  at  the  opening  of  the  campaign,  they  could, 
when  it  became  necessary,  march  longer  and  farther,  and  fight 
as  hard  as  the  soldiers  of  the  regular  army. 

Some  controversy  has  been  occasioned  by  the  various  ad- 
mirers of  General  Henry  of  Illinois,  and  Major  Dodge  of  Wis- 
consin as  to  which  of  these  officers  deserved  the  greatest  credit 
for  the  victory  at  Wisconsin  Heights.  This  controversy  has  oc- 
casioned an  unpleasant  feeling  which  lasts  to  the  present  time. 
As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained  they  were  both  men  of  remark- 
able merit.  They  were  both  men  of  the  very  best  judgment, 
and  of  great  executive  ability.  From  all  that  can  be  learned, 
General  Henry  must  receive  the  credit  of  going  on  the  expedi- 
tion, for  had  it  not  been  for  his  determination  the  revolt  of  the 
volunteers  wrould  have  been  successful  and  they  would  never 
have  started  on  their  race.  They  were  both  men  of  cool  judg- 
ment and  displayed  great  ability  on  the   field  of  battle  ;  but  as 


116  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

to  their  merit,  it   is  not  in  the  power  of  the  author  to  decide  be- 
tween them. 

After  the  light  at  Wisconsin  Heights  General  Henry's  army 
was  without  provisions,  and  he  had  eight  wounded  men  to  take 
care  of.  Under  these  circumstances  he  fell  back  to  Blue  Mounds 
w7here  he  met  General  Atkinson  with  the  regulars  and  with  the 
brigades  commanded  by  Alexander  and  Posey.  After  two  days 
of  preparation  the  army  started  on  its  march  for  the  Indians. 
The  latter  had  started  for  the  Mississippi  River,  which  they  were 
anxious  to  cross  in  order  to  protect  themselves  from  the  perse- 
vering attacks  of  the  whites.  The  Indians  were  now  in  a  starving 
condition.  They  had  with  them  their  squaws  and  pappooses- 
they  had  for  some  time  been  traveling  through  a  wild  country 
where  they  could  obtain  very  little  to  eat.  They  were,  therefore, 
unable  to  march  very  fast,  and  by  the  time  they  had  reached  the 
Mississippi  River  the  whites  were  close  after  them.  The  whites 
reached  the  Mississippi  on  the  fourth  day  of  their  march  from 
the  Blue  Mounds.  The  soldiers  had  been  excited  by  seeing 
along  the  trail  the  various  articles  abandoned  by  the  Indians  in 
order  that  the  latter  might  accelerate  their  flight.  Many  of 
their  wounded  in  the  last  battle  had  died  along  the  route.  All 
of  these  things  encouraged  the  men  and  they  hastened  on  to  the 
closing  battle  of  the  campaign.  The  Indians  had  reached  the 
Mississippi  River  about  forty  miles  above  the  present  city  of 
Prairie  du  Chien  and  some  two  or  three  miles  below  the  mouth 
of  the  Bad  Axe  River.  As  soon  as  they  reached  the  river  they 
began  to  cross,  some  swimming  and  some  crossing  in  canoes. 

On  the  day  of  their  arrival  a  steamboat  came  up  from  Prairie 
du  Chien,  commanded  by  a  certain  Captain  Throckmorton. 
"When  the  Indians  saw  the  steamboat,  they  raised  a  white  flag. 
But  Captain  Throckmorton  said  he  thought  this  was  an  exhibi- 
tion of  their  treachery,  and  hallooed  to  them  to  "send  a  boat 
aboard,"  evidently  expecting  that  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  understood 
English  and  were  versed  in  the  slang  of  steamboat  captains.  As 
the  Indians  did  nothing  but  display  their  white  flag  the  captain 
opened  on  them  with  canister  shot  and  musketry,  and  Ford's 
History  says  that  twenty-three  Indians  were  killed  by  this 
"fight."  But  how7  the  number  killed  in  this  affair  was  ever  as- 
certained,   does    not   appear.       Captain    Throckmorton,    while 


BLACK    HAWK   WAR.  117 

boasting  of  the  "fight,"  said  :  "If  you  ever  saw  straight  blankets, 
you  could  have  seen  them  there." 

The  next  day  the  army  of  General  Atkinson  came  on.  It  was 
met  some  three  or  four  miles  from  the  Indian  camp  by  a  party 
of  about  twenty  Indians  commanded  by  Black  Hawk.  Black 
Hawk's  design  was  to  make  a  little  stand  with  this  small  band 
and  retreat  in  a  different  direction  from  the  Indian  camp  and 
thus  mislead  the  whites  and  give  the  Indians  time  to  cross  the 
river.  But  the  little  stratagem  wras  not  successful.  The  Indian 
trail  was  a  little  too  clear,  and  the  whites  followed  it  up  and 
charged  upon  the  half-starved  remnant  of  Indians  who  had  not 
yet  crossed  the  Mississippi.  Of  course  their  charge  was  success- 
ful for  the  Indians  could  not  hope  to  seriously  oppose  them,  and 
the  little  half-starved  band,  which  was  anxious  to  surrender,  was 
mercilessly  driven  into  the  river  with  their  squaws  and  pap- 
pooses.  Some  of  them  succeeded  in  swimming  across,  some 
were  drowned  and  some  were  shot  in  the  water. 

There  was  a  strange  little  incident  connected  with  this  fight. 
It  is  given  here  on  the  authority  of  the  old  pioneer,  John  Dixon, 
who  was  present : 

Not  far  from  where  the  contest  was  raging  was  a  little  willow 
island,  separated  from  the  shore  by  a  few  rods  of  water.  A 
company  of  regulars,  commanded  by  Captain  Reilly,  was  or- 
dered to  cross  over  and  occupy  the  island.  Ford's  History  says 
they  were  driven  back  by  the  severe  fire  of  the  Indians.  The 
circumstances  were  precisely  these  :  The  company  of  regulars 
charged  into  the  water,  when  one  of  their  number  was  shot 
down.  They  turned  back,  leaving  the  poor  fellow  floundering. 
Two  soldiers  then  sprang  into  the  water  to  bring  him  out,  and 
one  of  them  was  shot  through  the  head  and  killed  instantly. 
Others  then  jumped  into  the  water  for  the  purpose  of  bringing 
both  men  out,  when  still  a  third  was  shot  down.  The  soldiers 
then  kept  out  of  the  water  altogether.  In  the  meantime  they 
caught  sight  of  a  colored  object  on  the  island  and  fired  at  it 
volley  after  volley.  The  next  day  a  small  party,  among  whom 
was  Mr.  John  Dixon,  crossed  over  to  the  island  to  see  how  large 
a  force  of  Indians  had  been  there.  They  found  that  the  island 
had  only  been  occupied  by  one  Indian,  with  his  squaw  and  little 
pappoose.     The  colored  object  which  drew  the  fire  of  the  regu- 


118  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

lars  was  a  blanket  hung  up  for  that  purpose;  it  was  shot  into 
shreds !  The  Indian  had  escaped  ;  the  squaw  was  dead,  being- 
shot  through  the  breast;  the  little  pappoose  was  alive,  but  his 
arm  had  been  broken  by  the  shot  which  killed  his  mother.  The 
little  fellow  was  tenderly  cared  for  at  the  hospital,  but  he  died 
shortly  afterwards.  The  Indian  who  escaped  from  the  island 
swam  the  Mississippi  on  a  little  log.  He  was  tracked  up  by  a 
party  of  Winnebago  Indians  and  soldiers,  who  found  where  he 
landed  with  his  log.  They  followed  his  trail  for  some  distance 
when  one  of  the  Indians  saw  him  in  a  tree-top.  They  tired  a 
volley  at  him,  and  the  poor  fellow  came  tumbling  down — dead. 

The  old  jealousy  between  the  admirers  of  General  Henry  and 
those  of  Major  Dodge  has  made  it  difficult  to  learn  the  truth 
with  regard  to  the  battle  of  Bad  Axe.  Ford's  "History  of  Illinois" 
says  that  the  regulars  and  volunteers  commanded  by  Major  Dodge 
were  led  astray  by  the  little  party  of  Indians  which  met  the  army 
three  or  four  miles  from  the  scene  of  the  fight;  and  it  says  that 
General  Henry,  who  was  jealously  placed  in  the  rear  with  his 
brigade,  came  up,  and  seeing  the  mistake  of  those  who  were  in 
the  lead,  followed  the  main  trail  of  the  Indians  and  charged 
them  into  the  Mississippi.  It  says  further  that  Henry's  brigade 
did  the  most  of  the  fighting,  and  that  General  Henry  was  the 
hero  of  the  battle. 

From  all  that  can  be  learned  this  does  not  appear  to  be  en- 
tirely correct.  The  regulars  were  commanded  by  Colonel 
Zachary  Taylor,  and  the  Wisconsin  volunteers  by  Major  Dodge. 
These  officers,  with  General  Atkinson,  who  commanded  the  en- 
tire army,  were  in  the  advance,  and  possibly  might  have  been 
drawn  a  little  out  of  the  way  by  the  stratagem  of  Black  Hawk  : 
but  it  probably  did  not  interfere  very  seriously  with  their  move- 
ments. The  poiut  is  not  one  of  importance,  as  very  little  honor 
can  be  claimed  for  driving  a  small  band  of  starved  savages  into 
the  river. 

While  the  Black  Hawk  war  was  in  progress  a  great  many 
inducements  were  held  out  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  to  the  Rock 
River  Winnebagoes  to  join  in  the  war,  and  Ford's  History  tells 
us  that  the  Winnebagoes  were  very  treacherous  and  inclined  to 
favor  Black  Hawk.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Winnebagoes 
were  very  much  opposed   to  the  w^ar.     Their  Indian  corn  was 


BLACK  HAWK  WAR.  119 

destroyed,  and  it  annoyed  and  harrassed  them  very  seriously. 
The  Winnebagoes  were  much  opposed  to  the  coming  of  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes,  and  gave  information  concerning  them  to  the  whites; 
but  when  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  determined  to  get  away  and  go  to 
the  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  the  Winnebagoes  were  will- 
ing to  assist  them  a  little.  Some  of  the  Winnebagoes  were  no 
doubt  strongly  tempted  to  join  in  the  war  against  the  whites,  as 
they  feared  that  some  evil  might  be  intended  for  them.  After 
the  war  Deeori,  a  Winnebago  chief,  said  to  General  Street :  "My 
father,  many  little  birds  have  been  flying  about  our  ears  of  late, 
and  we  thought  they  whispered  to  us  that  evil  was  intended  for 
us,  but  now  we  hope  they  will  let  our  ears  alone." 

On  account  of  the  neutrality  of  the  Rock  River  Winnebagoes 
and  because  they  had  not  been  able  to  raise  any  corn,  the  gov- 
ernment ordered  three  thousand  rations  of  flour  to  be  issued  to 
them  during  the  following  winter.  This  was  done  by  John 
Dixon  with  great  care  and  fidelity. 

Our  readers  would  doubtless  be  glad  to  know  the  fate  of 
Black  Hawk.  When  Black  Hawk  found  that  his  stratagem  to 
mislead  the  whites  at  the  battle  of  the  Bad  Axe  was  unsuccess- 
ful, he  and  his  little  band  of  twenty  men,  among  whom  were  his 
son  and  the  chiefs  Wishick,  iSTaapape  and  the  Prophet,  started 
northward,  and  went  near  the  head  waters  of  the  Wisconsin 
River  in  the  Chippewa  country.  A  band  of  Indians,  composed 
of  Sioux  and  Winnebagoes  started  after  them,  with  the  promise 
that  if  Black  Hawk  and  the  other  chiefs  were  captured  no  harm 
should  be  done  to  them.  They  captured  Black  Hawk  and 
brought  him  back  with  his  son  and  the  chiefs  Wishick,  Naapape 
and  the  Prophet,  and  delivered  them  up  to  General  Street  at 
Prairie  du  Chien.  Black  Hawk  and  the  chiefs  surrendered  to 
a  young  Winnebago  Indian,  called  Cheater,  and,  when  they  were 
given  over  to  General  Street,  Cheater  was  allowed  to  make  a 
little  speech.  Among  other  things  he  said  to  General  Street: 
"My  father,  near  the  Dalles,  on  the  Wisconsin  River,  I  took 
Black  Hawk.  No  one  did  it  but  me.  I  say  this  in  the  ears  of 
all  present ;  they  know  it  to  be  true.  My  father,  I  am  no  chief, 
but  what  I  have  done  is  for  the  benefit  of  my  nation  ;  and  I  now 
hope  for  the  good  that  has  been  promised  us.  My  father,  that 
one  Wabokishick  (the  Prophet)  is  my  kinsman.     If  he  is  hurt,  I 


120  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

do  not  wish  to  see  it.  The  soldiers  sometimes  stick  the  ends  of 
their  guns  into  the  back  of  the  Indian  prisoners  when  they  are 
going  about  in  the  hands  of  the  guard.  I  hope  this  will  not  be 
done  to  these  men." 

The  good  sense  and  fine  feeling  shown  by  this  young  savage 
is  unusual,  even  among  white  men. 

The  volunteers  were  mustered  out  of  service  at  Dixon,  and 
they  were  perfectly  willing  to  go  home.  They  had  seen  many 
fatiguing  marches  and  much  severe  fighting.  When  they  entered 
the  army  they  were  as  verdant  and  ignorant  of  their  duties  as 
can  well  be  imagined.  But  they  learned  wisdom  by  experience, 
and  when  they  were  mustered  out  of  service  they  had  received 
a  practical  education  in  the  realities  of  life,  which  assisted 
many  of  them  afterwards  to  rise  to  positions  of  trust  and  re- 
sponsibility. 

Peace  was  concluded  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  at  Jeflersou 
Barracks,  below  Rock  Island.  Here  were  collected  all  the 
chiefs  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  both  those  who  had  been  en- 
gaged in  war  and  those  who  had  been  at  peace.  A  treaty  was 
made  by  which  the  United  States  acquired  not  only  all  the  lands 
east  of  the  Mississippi  River,  but  also  a  large  slice  of  Iowa  Ter- 
ritory from  the  Des  Moines  to  the  Turkey  River.  The  four 
captured  chiefs,  with  Black  Hawk's  son,  were  held  by  the  Uni- 
ted States  as  hostages  for  the  faithful  execution  of  this  treatv. 
At  this  treaty  there  were  present  General  Scott,  who  had  come 
from  Washington  with  the  intention  of  taking  command  of  the 
army  and  conducting  the  campaign  against  the  Indians.  But  his 
troops  were  attacked  on  the  route  with  the  Asiatic  cholera,  and 
he  did  not  arrive  until  the  fight  at  Bad  Axe  ended  the  contest. 

Black  Hawk  and  his  son  were  kept  nearly  a  year  in  captivity, 
but  on  the  fourth  of  June,  1833,  they  were  ordered  to  be  re- 
leased. It  has  been  the  custom  of  the  government  to  take  every 
prominent  savage  it  can  catch,  around  through  the  country  and 
show  the  uncivilized  barbarian  what  a  big  people  the  Americans 
have  become.  This  is  done  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  poor 
fellow  how  hopeless  it  is  to  contend  against  us,  so  that  when  he 
goes  back  to  his  kindred  barbarians  he  will  make  them  keep  the 
peace,  and  will  tell  them  that  the  "long  knives"  (white  men) 
are    more   numerous    than    the    leaves    of  the    forest,    the  peb- 


BLACK  HAWK  WAR.  121 

bles  by  the  riverside,  or  the  stars  in  the  sky.  Acting  on  this 
theory  the  government  invested  a  little  money  in  the  traveling 
expenses  of  Black  Hawk.  It  sent  him  and  his  son  around  to 
the  large  cities,  to  New  York,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia  and 
others.  Great  crowds  turned  out  to  see  the  hero  of  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  They  shook  his  hand  and  made  a  great  ado  over 
him,  as  Americans  always  do  when  they  catch  a  poor  savage. 
The  ladies  all  admired  Black  Hawk, junior;  they  said  he  was 
"perfectly  splendid,"  and  one  of  them  actually  kissed  the  little 
barbarian  before  crowds  of  people.  If  he  had  only  carried  a 
cane  and  parted  his  hair  in  the  middle  he  would  have  driven  the 
whole  of  them  crazy. 

Black  Hawk  returned  to  his  people,  as  he  greatly  desired, 
and  lived  with  them  in  peace  for  some  years  after  the  stormy 
times  of  his  campaign  in  Illinois.  He  died  on  the  third  of  Oc- 
tober, 1840,  and  his  grave  was  made  on  the  bank  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. 

It  has  been  necessary  while  writing  this  account  of  the  Black 
Hawk  war  to  criticise  some  of  the  statements  made  in  relation 
to  it  in  Ford's  "History  of  Illinois."  This  history  is  a  valuable 
one  :  it  contains  a  great  deal  of  information  set  forth  in  the 
clearest  manner.  Judge  Ford  seemed  to  take  pleasure  in  setting 
forth  the  facts  as  they  were  ;  and  he  had  a  love  of  poetic  justice 
and  delighted  in  bringing  the  truths  out  of  hidden  corners.  But 
his  very  love  of  justice  sometimes  made  him  a  little  unjust,  and 
caused  him  to  exaggerate  those  faults,  which  were  plain  to  him. 
His  "History  of  Illinois"  is  invaluable  and  may  be  pronounced 
one  of  the  greatest  works  of  the  age. 

A  great  many  men  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  who  af- 
terwards became  great  generals  or  great  statesmen. 

General  Harney,  who  was  a  distinguished  officer  in  the  Mex- 
ican war,  was  captain  of  a  company  of  regulars  during  the  Black 
Hawk  campaign. 

Colonel  Edward  Baker  was  a  private  in  the  Black  Hawk 
war.  He  was  afterwards  a  member  of  Congress  from  the  north- 
ern district  of  Illinois,  and  still  later  was  a  United  States  Senator 
from  Oregon.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  rebellion  he  was 
very  decidedly  in  favor  of  coercive  measures,  and  entered  the 
army  as  a  colonel.  He  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Ball's  Bluff, 
one  of  the  first  of  the  campaign. 


122  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

John  T.  Stuart  was  a  private  in  the  volunteer  service  during 
the  Black  Hawk  war.  He  was  afterwards  for  many  years  a 
member  of  Congress  from  Illinois.  It  was  in  his  law  office  that 
Abraham  Lincoln  prepared  himself  to  become  a  member  of  the 
bar.  For  many  years  Mr.  Stuart  was,  perhaps,  the  most  influ- 
ential man  in  the  State. 

General  Albert  Sidney  Johnson  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  reg- 
ular army  during  the  Black  Hawk  war.  I  have  not  been  able  to 
find  out  anything  relating  to  his  ability  during  the  hardships  of 
this  Indian  campaign.  He  was  an  aid  to  General  Atkinson.  At 
the  outbreak  of  the  late  rebellion  he  hesitated  for  some  time  as 
to  the  course  he  should  take,  and  at  last  decided  to  go  with  the 
South.  He  commanded  the  rebel  army  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 
and  it  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  the  ability  he  there  displayed 
was  not  employed  in  a  nobler  cause.  He  was  killed  on  the  field 
of  Shiloh,  and  his  death  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  rebel  cause. 
He  was  a  man  of  fine  appearance  and  splendid  talents. 

General  Zachary  Taylor  was  a  Colonel  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Black  Hawk  w^ar,  and  was  second  in  command.  He  was  the 
leading  spirit,  and  the  campaign  was  conducted  according  to 
his  plans.  He  was  breveted  a  Brigadier  during  the  war  against 
the  Seminoles  in  Florida,  and  was  made  a  Major  General  for  his 
services  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Mexican  war.  The  subsequent 
career  of  General  Taylor  is  so  well  known  that  it  is  impossible 
to  add  anything  to  it  here.  The  reputation  he  acquired  in  the 
Mexican  war  made  him  President  of  the  United  States. 

General  Robert  Anderson  was  a  young  lieutenant  in  the  reg- 
ular service  during  the  Black  Hawk  war.  He  was  a  slender, 
pale  looking  young  man,  and  his  health  seemed  very  poor.  He 
was  a  man  who  thought  a  great  deal  of  performing  his  duty.  He 
w^as  very  conscientious,  and  wished  to  attend  to  every  duty  faith- 
fully and  religiously.  His  defence  of  Fort  Sumpter,  at  the 
opening  of  the  rebellion,  gave  him  a  national  reputation,  but  the 
anxiety  to  which  he  was  subjected  so  affected  his  health  that  he 
was  unable  to  perform  any  service  afterwards.  He  said  himself 
that  "for  several  days  and  nights  he  had  no  sleep  during  those 
terrible  scenes  at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion,  and  that  since 
then  he  has  been  unable  to  bear  any  mental  anxiety." 

Jefferson  Davis  was  a  young  lieutenant  in  the  regular  army. 


BLACK  HAWK  WAR.  123 

He  was  a  Southerner,  and  did  not  like  the  Yankees,  but  he  had 
the  Yankee  trait  of  inquisitiveness.  His  curiosity  was  particu- 
larly aroused  concerning  the  Indians,  their  habits,  peculiarities, 
and  modes  of  life,  and  he  was  continually  asking  questions 
about  them.  His  subsequent  life  is  well  known.  He  was  Col- 
onel of  a  Mississippi  regiment  during  the  Mexican  wrar.  After 
the  close  of  that  war  he  made  some  uncomplimentary  remarks 
concerning  the  Illinois  troops.  This  aroused  the  anger  of  Col- 
onel Bissell,  of  Illinois,  who  sent  Davis  a  challenge.  The  matter 
was  explained  away  in  some  shape,  and  Mr.  Davis  apologized  so 
that  the  duel  never  was  fought.  Mr.  Davis  was  afterwards  Uni- 
ted States  Senator  from  Mississippi,  and  still  later  President  of 
the  Southern  Confederacy. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  private  in  the  volunteer  service  dur- 
ing the  Black  Hawk  war,  under  the  call  for  thirty  days.  But 
when  the  call  for  sixty  days  was  made  he  had  become  so  popular 
by  his  humorous  and  pointed  stories  that  he  was  elected  captain 
of  a  company.  Mr.  John  Dixon  says  that  Lincoln  was  the 
pleasantest  man  he  ever  knew.  In  the  evening  Lincoln  would 
sit  by  the  camp  tire  and  tell  stories  until  the  lights  were  ordered 
out.  His  stories  nearly  always  illustrated  some  truth  or  pointed 
some  moral.  He  was  decidedly  the  most  popular  man  in  the 
army,  although  he  was  certainly  the  most  awkward  looking. 
When  he  sat  around  the  camp  fire  with  his  long  arms  and  legs 
twisted  up,  he  appeared  to  be  the  worst  looking  and  best  natured 
backwToodsman  in  the  volunteer  service. 

General  Scott  had  very  little  to  do  with  the  Black  Hawk  war. 
He  was  sent  with  reinforcements  of  regular  troops  to  the  West, 
by  way  of  Chicago,  but  the  Asiatic  cholera  carried  off  so  many 
of  them  that  he  was  delayed  in  getting  to  the  seat  of  war. 
General  Scott  was  a  very  precise  and  dignified  man,  and  his 
dignity  and  precision  gained  for  him  the  title  of  "Fuss  and 
Feathers."  He  thought  a  great  deal  of  his  friends,  but  was  cold 
and  formal  to  strangers.  He  loved  a  good  joke  almost  as  well 
as  Mr.  Lincoln,  but  his  jokes  were  of  a  different  kind.  Mr. 
John  Dixon,  who  had  charge  of  the  cattle  belonging  to  the 
army,  was  introduced  to  General  Scott  as  the  "Major  of  the 
Steer  Battalion."  General  Scott  asked  very  promptly,  whether 
Major  Dixon  had  any  report  to  make.     Mr.  Dixon  replied  with 


124  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

equal  promptness,  that  one  of  his  command  had  deserted,  eight 
had  been  killed,  and  sixteen  were  on  parade,  and  he  pointed  to 
the  steers  straying  around  the  camp.     The  General  replied  : 

"Major  Dixon,  you  have  deserved  well  of  your  country  ;  you 
have  suffered  more  than  any  other  officer  in  my  command." 

When  Mr.  Dixon  saw  General  Scott  in  "Washington,  the  lat- 
ter, recognizing  his  friend  instantly  after  eight  years  of  separation, 
greeted  him  warmly  as  "Major  Dixon."  It  is  not  necessary  to 
say  anything  here  of  the  life  of  General  Scott,  as  it  is  written  in 
the  history  of  his  country. 


OLD  SETTLERS  OF  M'LEAN  COUNTY. 


ALLIN .  TOWNSHIP. 

Presley  Thornton  Brooks. 

Presley  T.  Brooks  was  born  November  9,  1821,  in  Hart 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  Miles  Brooks  and 
his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Lucy  Pulliam.  Both 
were  born  in  Virginia  and  were  of  Scotch  or  Irish  descent. 
Miles  Brooks  volunteered  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812  and 
started  from  home  on  a  campaign,  but  the  war  closed  and  the 
troops  were  discharged. 

In  the  year  1828  Mr.  Brooks,  si\,  sold  his  property  in  Ken- 
tucky for  the  purpose  of  going  to  Illinois  or  Missouri.  He 
started  late  in  the  fall  of  1828,  but  stopped  in  Indiana  until 
September,  1829,  when  he  came  to  Illinois.  During  the  winter 
of  1829  and  '30  he  stayed  at  Clearry's  Grove  in  what  was  then 
Sangamon  County,  but  is  now  contained  in  the  county  of  Me- 
nard. During  that  winter  he  selected  and  entered  land  at  a 
grove  which  has  ever  since  been  called  Brooks'  Grove,  in  the 
present  county  of  McLean.  In  February,  1830,  Mr.  Brooks 
moved  from  Sangamon  Countv  to  Hittle's  Grove  in  Tazewell 
Count}-,  and  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  March  of  that  year  he 
moved  into  a  very  rough  log  cabin  in  Brooks'  Grove.  The 
Brooks  family  was  the  first  to  settle  in  the  present  Allin  town- 
ship. This  was  before  the  organization  of  the  county  of  McLean. 
The  Indians,  wolves  and  deer  seemed  to  have  things  all  their  own 
way  and  were  veiy  numerous.  The  Indians  were  exceedingly 
kind  and  friendly  and  alwaj's  wanted  to  trade  some  of  their 
pappooses  for  white  children. 

Mr.  Brooks  relates  nothing  remarkable  concerning  the  winter 


126  OLD   SETTLERS    OF 

of  the  deep  snow,  beyond  what  is  stated  in  other  places  in  this 
volume.  The  Brooks  family  was  snowbound  for  six  weeks  and, 
during  that  time,  saw  no  living  persons  outside  of  their  own 
family  circle. 

In  1832,  when  the  Black  Hawk  war  occurred,  the  settlers 
were  panic-stricken,  and  Mr.  Brooks  says :  "  When  old  Black 
Hawk  was  captured,  there  was  rejoicing,  you  better  believe." 

Mr.  Brooks  describes  the  sudden  freeze  of  December,  1836, 
and  says  it  came  so  suddenly  that  fowls  were  frozen  into  the 
slush  of  snow  and  water,  which  covered  the  ground.  The  west 
wind  came  cold  after  a  thaw  "  as  quick  as  thought,"  and  the 
water  and  slush  became  a  sheet  of  ice. 

Mr.  Brooks  had  no  opportunity  to  attend  school  until  about 
fifteen  years  of  age.  During  the  winter  of  1836  and  '37  he 
boarded  about  six  miles  from  home  and  attended  school  for 
about  six  weeks.  During  the  next  summer  he  went  to  school 
for  three  months  and  his  education  was  finished.  Money  was 
valuable  in  the  early  days.  Mr.  Brooks  went  to  Chicago  in 
1846,  and  one  dollar  paid  all  of  his  expenses.  But  as  he  camped 
out  during  the  trip  this  does  not  appear  so  wonderful.  In  the 
fall  of  1847  Mr.  Brooks  made  a  visit  to  his  native  hills  in  Ken- 
tucky and  returned  with  his  sister's  family  to  Illinois. 

The  people  of  Allin  township  seem  to  take  pleasure  in  em- 
ploying the  services  of  Mr.  Brooks  in  the  various  township 
offices.  He  has  been  constable,  justice  of  the  peace  and  super- 
visor, and  has  been  elected  to  these  offices  without  opposition 
and  in  some  cases  against  his  will.  At  one  time  he  refused  to 
qualify  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  when  his  townsmen  held  a 
special  meeting  and  chose  him  once  more,  and  he  consented  to 
act.  He  has  been  school  treasurer,  assessor  and  collector,  and 
if  a  new  office  could  be  invented  in  Allin  township  Mr.  Brooks 
would,  in  all  probability,  be  called  to  fill  it. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  December,  1842,  Mr.  Brooks  married 
Miss  Eliza  Silvey  Larison,  and  in  April  following  began  keeping 
house  at  Brooks'  Grove.  There  Mr.  Brooks  had  built  a  frame 
house,  one  of  the  first  in  the  township.  In  November,  1870, 
the  Brooks  family  moved  to  Stanford  where  they  have  resided 
ever  since.  His  son-in-law,  William  J.  Haines,  lives  on  the  old 
farm.     Mr.   Brooks  has  had   ten   children,  of  whom  eight  are 


m'lean  county.  127 

living.  Tbev  are  :  Mali n da  Catherine,  wife  of  William  Haines  : 
Miles  Brooks,  one  of  the  partners  of  the  firm  of  Brooks  &  Son  ; 
Mary,  wife  of  George  W.  Kaufrnann,  who  resides  half  a  mile 
northwest  of  Stanford  ;  Ahel  Brooks  is  a  teacher,  and  lives  at 
home;  Rachel  B.,  Lucy  Ann  B.,  Millie  Frances  B.,  and  Eliza 
Ellen  B.,  the  pet,  live  at  home. 

As  to  personal  appearance,  Mr.  Brooks  is  five  feet,  nine 
inches,  in  height,  well  set,  wears  glasses  when  he  reads  and 
writes.  His  hair  is  turning  gray,  hut  he  has  plenty  of  it ;  he  has 
a  short  aquiline  nose  and  blue  eyes.  He  has  been  very  successful 
in  life,  which  is  due  in  a  great  measure  to  his  wife. 

Greenberry  Larison. 

Greenberry  Larison  was  born  January  21,  1810,  in  Bloom 
township,  Morgan  County,  Ohio,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mus- 
kingum River.  The  ancestors  of  his  father,  Abel  Larison,  came 
from  Holland,  and  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  New  York. 
His  mother's  ancestors  settled  in  Maryland  at  an  early  day,  but 
Mr.  Larison  does  not  remember  from  what  country  they  origi- 
nally came.  The  Larison  family  is  very  large.  There  is  now 
in  New  York  a  large  property,  worth  perhaps  eight  millions  of 
dollars  which  it  is  thought,  belongs  to  the  Larison  family  ;  but 
matters  are  so  mixed  that  it  is  doubtful  whether  they  will  receive 
any  benefit  from  it.  It  consists  of  some  real  estate  which  was 
leased  for  ninety-nine  years.  The  term  of  the  lease  expired  five 
or  six  years  ago,  but  the  difficulty  now  is  to  find  all  the  heirs 
and  to  prove  their  right.  Henry  Ward  Beecher's  church  stands 
upon  one  of  the  lots  comprised  in  the  real  estate  claimed  by  the 
Larison  family. 

There  were  ten  children  in  the  Larison  family,  five  bovs  and 
five  girls;  Greenberry  was  the  oldest  boy.  The  little  education 
he  received  was  obtained  in  a  log  school  house,  where  he  at- 
tended about  three  months  in  the  year  up  to  the  age  of  seven- 
teen or  eighteen.  He  was  a  pretty  bright  scholar,  as  good  as 
there  was  in  the  settlement.  He  learned  reading,  writing,  spell- 
ing and  geography,  and  was  taught  to  cipher  up  to  the  rule  of 
three:   but  grammar  was  badly  neglected. 

When  Mr.  Larison  was  seventeen  years  of  age  he  killed  his 
first  deer.     The  circumstances  were  these.     There  was  a  pretty 


128  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

maid  at  his  father's  house,  and  though  Greenberry  was  then 
young  he  wished  to  do  something  manly  and  chivalrous.  He 
took  his  father's  gun  and  went  hunting,  and  when  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  home  he  killed  a  deer,  a  tine  buck.  The  happy 
youth  cut  off  the  head  of  the  deer,  put  a  stick  through  its  neck 
and  dragged  it  home  in  triumph,  and  succeeded  in  getting  there 
before  the  pretty  maid  had  left,  The  name  of  the  charming 
maiden  was  Araline  Whitehead,  but  a  few  years  afterwards  it 
was  changed  to  Mrs.  Larison. 

When  Mr.  Larison  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  had  shown 
himself  very  bold  and  venturesome  on  the  water,  and  had  found 
some  valuable  articles  and  parts  of  cargoes,  which  had  been 
lost  from  fiatboats  which  had  been  wrecked  on  the  river.  He 
hunted  among  the  drifts  and  became  so  skillful  that  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  "followed  the  river."  This  is  a  rough  life,  and 
the  boatsmen  are  the  hardest  of  characters.  On  the  Muskingum 
River  merchandise  was  floated  on  fiatboats.  These  fiatboats 
were  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in  length  and  eighteen  or  twenty  feet 
wide,  and  were  loaded  with  merchandise  until  they  sank  two  or 
three  feet  in  the  water.  It  can  very  readily  be  seen  that  they 
were  unwieldy,  and  in  order  to  move  them  a  hundred  feet  across 
the  current  the  boatmen  were  obliged  to  let  them  float  a  half 
mile  or  more.  Unless  the  boatmen  were  skillful  they  could  not 
stop  or  hitch  up  their  flatboat  along  the  shore.  A  rope  thrown 
from  the  boat  around  a  tree  would  soon  tighten  up  and  snap  in 
two.  In  order  to  manage  their  craft  the  boatmen  were  obliged 
to  know  the  river  and  understand  all  the  currents  and  shoals  and 
eddies.  If  they  wished  to  stop  their  boat  they  tried  to  run  it 
into  still  water,  or,  better  than  this,  into  an  eddv,  and  gradually 
bring  the  unwieldy  craft  ashore.  Sometimes  the  boat  was  car- 
ried by  the  current  on  rocks,  or  crowded  into  shore  on  some  log 
and  a  hole  torn  in  the  side  or  bottom.  When  such  a  misfortune 
happened  the  boat  was  sure  to  sink,  and  the  merchandise  was 
of  course  pretty  widely  distributed  by  the  water.  Some  of  it 
would  be  carried  down  stream  or  sunk  in  an  eddy,  or  caught  in 
a  drift.  It  was  in  hunting  for  articles  of  merchandise  lost  from 
sunken  flatboats  that  Mr.  Larison  learned  the  river  and  acquired 
skill  in  the  management  of  water  crafts.  He  followed  the  river 
for  some  years,    whenever  the  Muskingum  was  not  frozen  too 


m'lean  county.  I2i> 

hard  for  flatboats  to  run,  and  lie  learned  all  the  currents  and 
eddies. 

But  he  was  not  destined  to  be  a  flatboatrnan  all  his  life.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  he  married  Araline  Whitehead,  the  handsome 
young  lady  who  had  captivated  his  affections  a  few  years  before. 
This  interesting  event  took  place  on  the  first  of  April,  1830. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  Mr.  Abel  Larison  came  West  with  all  of 
the  family  except  Greenberry,  and  settled  at  Kickapoo,  near 
what  is  now  called  the  village  of  Waynesville.  It  was  not  until 
April,  1831,  that  Greenberry  Larison  came  to  Illinois.  He  came 
by  water  and  landed  at  Pekin.  He  had,  in  coming  up  the  river, 
been  carried  past  this  place  up  to  Fort  Clark  (Peoria),  but  came 
back  to  Pekin,  and  from  there  across  to  Kickapoo,  where  his 
father  lived.  His  father  had  bought  three  claims,  those  of  Wil- 
liam and  James  Murphy  and  Josiah  Harp.  The  latter  claim 
was  given  up  to  Greenberry  Larison  on  his  arrival.  At  that 
time  he  had  a  five  franc  piece  in  his  pocket,  a  bed,  and  cooking 
utensils  enough  for  his  young  wife  to  cook  their  scanty  meal. 
He  settled  on  the  farm  without  a  horse,  cow,  pig,  sheep  or  goat. 
There  was  on  the  place  a  curiosity  in  the  shape  of  a  wooden 
grindstone.  It  had  been  made  probably  by  Josiah  Harp,  from 
whom  the  claim  had  been  bought.  When  made  it  was  of  green 
wood,  and  had  sand  and  fine  gravel  pounded  into  it.  When  it 
had  seasoned,  the  sand  and  gravel  were  held  fast,  and  though  it 
did  not  sharpen  an  axe  very  well  or  put  on  a  fine  edge  it  would 
give  it  a  lively  scratching.  The  grindstone  was  a  very  important 
article  always.  Mr.  Larison  was  obliged  to  go  sixteen  miles  from 
his  place  to  'Squire  Gates',  in  Blooming  Grove,  on  the  farm  now 
known  as  the  Kitchel  farm,  to  get  his  axes  sharpened. 

Mr.  Larison  worked  hopefully  though  he  expected  and  re- 
ceived many  set-backs.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  in  which  he  came 
West  he  had  become  wealthy  enough  to  own  a  fine  litter  of  six 
pigs,  but,  during  the  second  night  after  this  sudden  wealth  had 
been  thrust  upon  him,  the  prairie  wolves  came  up  within  thirty 
feet  of  his  house  and  captured  the  youthful  porkers  and  they 
were  never  heard  of  more.  "  Riches  take  to  themselves  wings 
and  fly  away."  But  Mr.  Larison  did  not  despair;  during  the 
fall  he  bought  a  cow  on  credit  agreeing  to  pay  for  her  by  the 
following  Christmas.  He  made  the  money  to  pay  for  her  bv 
9 


130  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

cutting  cord-wood  at  twenty-five  cents  a  cord  from  the  logs  lying 
where  Mr.  Scott  now  lives.  He  also  made  rails  for  Mr.  William 
Murphy  at  thirty-three  cents  per  hundred  and  boarded  himself 
and  walked  three  miles  to  work. 

He  had  in  the  early  days  some  slight  opportunity  for  seeing 
and  understanding  the  Indians.  In  the  fall  of  1831  some  In- 
dians came  to  William  Murphy  and  offered  him  a  little  Indian 
girl  five  years  of  age  for  four  bushels  of  ground  wheat,  but  he 
declined  the  offer.  When  Mr.  Larison  heard  of  this  he  was 
astonished  and  anxious  to  get  the  child  and  willing  to  give  the 
wheat.  He  asked  Murphy  why  he  refused  the  bargain,  and  the 
latter,  having  had  some  experience  and  knowledge  of  the  In- 
dians, replied  that  they  would  soon  return  and  steal  the  little 
girl  away. 

The  season  of  1831  was  cool  and  short  and  few  of  the  farm- 
ers raised  good  corn.  The  winter  previous  Avas  the  winter  of 
the  deep  snow,  and  the  climate  was  so  chilled  that  the  effect  was 
felt  during  the  whole  season  of  1831.  There  was  a  frost  every 
month  in  the  year  and  the  corn  could  not  ripen.  It  was  so 
worthless  that  seed  corn  could  not  be  gathered  to  plant  during 
the  following  season.  In  the  spring  of  1832  nearly  all  the  seed 
corn  was  brought  from  Ohio  and  Kentucky  and  sold  for  two  and 
a  half  dollars  per  bushel  and  sometimes  for  more.  John  Duffy 
of  Randolph  Grove  brought  on  a  lot  of  small  yellow  corn  that 
matured  early  and  this  is  yet  called  the  Duffy  corn. 

Mr.  Larison  was  a  great  hunter.  Although  the  game  was 
made  comparatively  scarce  by  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow,  yet 
the  skillful  hunter  could  find  it.  The  big  game  was  deer  and 
turkey  and  it  was  well  worthy  of  the  hunter's  exertious.  Mr. 
Larison  says  that  he  has  killed  "  a  power  of  deer  and  turkey." 

Mr.  Larison  worked  hard  for  two  years  on  his  farm  at  Kicka- 
poo  and  then  removed  to  Bloomington  and  bought  out  a  drink- 
ing saloon.  In  those  days  saloons  were  patronized  by  nearly 
every  one  and  the  saloon-keeper  was  one  of  the  most  honored 
members  of  society.  It  is  said  that  Abraham  Lincoln  once  sold 
liquor  at  retail  when  he  first  came  to  Illinois.  Some  years  after- 
wards when  Lincoln  took  the  stump  against  Judge  Douglas,  the 
latter  alluded  to  Lincoln's  calling  in  early  western  times;  but 
Lincoln  retorted  that  while  he  had  officiated  in  one  capacity  on 


m'lean  county.  131 

one  side  of  the  bar,  Judge  Douglas   had   officiated  in  the  other 
capacity  on  the  other  side ! 

In  1835  Mr.  Larison  ran  for  constable  at  the  solicitation  of 
his  old  friend,  General  Gridley,  and  was  fortunate  enough  to  be 
elected.  He  served  in  that  capacity  for  five  years,  and  in  1840 
was  elected  sheriff  of  McLean  County  for  two  years.  He  was 
the  third  sheriff  of  the  county,  but  he  was  the  first  one  who  took 
a  prisoner  to  the  penitentiary.  The  prisoner,  whose  name  was 
Webb,  had  been  arrested  by  Larison  for  passing  counterfeit 
money.  He  was  one  of  that  numerous  band  of  counterfeiters 
and  burglars  that  infected  the  western  country,  and  had  just  ar- 
rived from  the  Rock  River  Valley.  As  soon  as  the  prisoner  was 
remanded  to  jail  a  certain  individual  of  Bloomington  began  to 
plot  to  release  him,  for  the  band  of  thieves  had  agents  in  every 
town.  But  Mr.  Larison  "got  wind"  of  this  little  arrangement 
and  carefully  guarded  the  jail,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
Webb  tried,  convicted  and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  five 
years.  Mr.  Larison  carried  the  counterfeiter  to  Alton,  and  has 
every  reason  to  suppose  that  for  five  years  he  did  the  State  sub- 
stantial service. 

Occasionally  the  early  settlers  enjoyed  themselves  by  dancing 
and  the  pleasures  of  society.  At  these  pleasant  gatherings  Mi-. 
Larison  was  usually  the  fiddler,  and  he  did  what  he  could  to 
make  things  lively.  Judge  Davis  was  a  great  dancer  in  those 
days,  and  could  step  around  very  lively,  but  he  was  not  quite  so 
heavy  as  at  the  present  time.  About  five  years  ago  some  peo- 
ple in  Bloomington  got  up  a  dance  in  the  style  of  the  early  days. 
Mr.  Larison  acted  in  the  capacity  of  fiddler,  and  the  company 
had  a  grand  time. 

In  1850  Mr.  Larison  was  anxious  for  a  chance  to  hunt,  and 
went  to  California  with  a  company  of  sixty  persons.  They  had 
a  great  time  of  it,  and  Mr.  Larison  did  not  return  for  two  years. 
While  crossing  the  plains  they  came  upon  the  great  game  of  the 
West,  buffaloes.  Some  of  the  party  mounted  their  horses  and 
started  for  them.  The  buffaloes,  of  course,  made  as  good  time 
as  they  could  to  get  out  of  the  way.  Mr.  Larison  did  not  have 
his  own  horse  near,  so  he  borrowed  one  with  little  ceremony, 
and  started.  He  soon  came  across  a  buffalo  which  had  taken 
refuge  in  a  hollow,  and  gave  chase.     He  rode  up  by  the  side  of 


132  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

it  and  was  about  to  shoot  when  the  ferocious  beast  turned  upon 
him  and,  to  make  matters  more  troublesome,  his  horse  refused 
to  get  out  of  the  way  or  move  until  the  buffalo  was  within 
about  fifteen  feet  of  him.  But  when  the  horse  saw  the  danger 
he  sprang  out  of  the  way.  Shortly  afterwards  Mr.  Larison  dis- 
mounted and  shot  the  buifalo,  but  did  not  kill  it.  John  W. 
Dawson,  after  snapping  a  few  caps  at  the  animal,  held  Larison's 
horse  while  the  latter  tried  again  and  succeeded  in  bringing  the 
buffalo  down.  They  had  a  great  many  interesting  adventures. 
When  they  came  to  Sweetwater  they  heard  of  a  place  a  few 
miles  above  them  called  Devil's  Gate.  It  seems  to  be  a  ledge  of 
rock  cut  through  by  the  washing  of  water.  It  is  about  two  hun- 
dred feet  high  and  not  far  from  perpendicular.  Near  the  top  of 
this  ledge  Fremont  made  his  sign,  and  of  course  all  persons  who 
pass  that  way  must  do  the  same  and  gain  for  themselves  a  cheap 
notoriety.  The  most  of  the  company  went  to  the  top  by  a  wide 
circuit,  but  William  Hodge  (a  son  of  W.  H.  Hodge)  climbed  up 
this  ledge  of  rock  two  hundred  feet,  almost  perpendicularl}-,  and 
when  he  came  within  twenty  or  thirty  feet  of  the  top  he  found 
it  so  steep  that  it  seemed  impossible  to  go  further,  and  equally 
impossible  to  retreat.  In  order  to  climb  the  remaining  short 
distance  the  young  man  pulled  off  his  boots  and  threw  them  up 
to  the  top.  One  of  them  landed  safely,  while  the  other  tumbled 
down  two  hundred  feet  to  the  bottom.  But  the  vounsr  man  sue- 
ceeded  in  getting  to  the  top.  jStow  it  so  happened  that  a  party 
from  the  company  went  to  visit  the  Devil's  Gate  and  while  there 
were  suddenly  astonished  by  a  boot  which  dropped  down  among 
them.  They  carried  it  to  camp  and  found  young  Hodge  coming 
in  barefoot.  He  had  dropped  one  boot  and  thinking  the  other 
of  no  use  threw  it  away.  Mr.  Larison  had  a  little  experience  of 
this  kind.  He  tried  to  climb  a  steep  ledge,  and  when  part  way 
up,  at  a  giddy  height,  he  found  it  impossible  to  retreat,  and  a 
little  green  bush  growing  from  a  crevice  in  the  rock  was  all  that 
made  it  possible  for  him  to  proceed. 

Mr.  Larison  was  a  hundred  and  four  days  on  the  plains.  On 
his  route  he  found  many  things  new  and  strange.  He  saw  In- 
dians, of  course,  but  during  his  trip  he  saw  a  new  variety,  the 
Digger  Indians.  They  live  in  holes  in  the  ground,  and  this  cir- 
cumstance has  given  them  their  name.  They  are  the  lowestin  the 


m'lean  county.  133 

scale  of  humanity,  and  are  as  innocent  of  clothing  as  Adam  and 
Eve  in  the  Garden  before  the  fall.  They  show  very  little  inge- 
nuity, and  rely  upon  their  bows  and  arrows  to  kill  their  game. 
Sometimes  they  build  brush  fences  a  half  a  mile  or  more  in 
length.  Two  of  these  fences  converge  and  form  an  acute  angle 
with  a  small  opening  in  the  angle.  The  Indians  then  collect  in 
large  numbers  and  drive  deer  and  other  game  between  these 
fences,  and  as  it  comes  out  at  the  angle  parties  of  Indians  shoot 
it  down  with  arrows. 

While  in  California  Mr.  Larison  transported  goods  from  the 
sea-coast  inland  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  mines, 
which  were  between  the  summits  of  the  mountains  and  the  val- 
leys. There  he  traded  groceries  and  provisions  to  the  miners. 
But  it  was  during  the  season  of  1850  and  '51  when  there  was  a 
drouth.  During  the  winter  when  rain  was  expected  it  continued 
perfectly  dry,  and  the  miners  could  not  wash  their  gold.  They 
had  great  heaps  of  earth  piled  up  ready  to  be  washed  when  the 
rain  should  come  and  the  water  should  flow  down  the  moun- 
tains. But  the  rain  did  not  come,  the  miners  were  "dead 
broke,"  and  Mr.  Larison  lost  about  twelve  hundred  dollars  in 
his  speculation.  He  then  left  and  went  to  mining,  but  it  was  a 
year  before  he  made  enough  money  to  bring  himself  home. 

The  society  in  California  was  hard,  there  was  no  safety  for 
life  or  property,  and  that  man  was  in  danger  who  had  money  or 
a  good  mule.  The  miners  had  a  very  sure  way  of  stealing 
mules.  When  a  stranger  came  along  with  a  good  mule,  some 
tough  old  miner  would  claim  that  he  had  lost  the  mule  a  few 
months  before,  that  it  had  been  stolen,  and  he  would  bring  up 
four  or  Ave  of  his  companions  who  would  swear  to  his  state- 
ment. The  stranger  was  brought  before  a  justice,  who  ot 
course  was  obliged  to  decide  in  accordance  with  the  weight  ot 
evidence  and  give  the  miner  the  mule  !  Mr.  Lnrison  bought  a 
very  fine  mule  at  Rough  and  Ready.  It  was  a  splendid  creature, 
coal  black,  with  three  Spanish  brands.  It  was  sure-footed,  and 
would  pick  its  way  carefully  with  its  heavy  load  through  the 
dangerous  defiles  and  over  the  mountains.  After  traveling  two 
hundred  miles,  and  having  kept  it  for  a  long  time  he  sold  the 
mule  to  Solomon  Baker  for  seventy  dollars.  Baker  enjoyed 
possession  of  the  animal  but  a  very  short  time.     He  was  incau- 


134  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

tious  enough  to  leave  bis  companions,  and  before  long  a  stalwart 
miner  laid  claim  to  tbe  mule  and  brought  on  a  gang  of  villains 
who  all  swore  the  animal  away  from  the  unfortunate  Baker. 
The  latter  came  back  on  Larison,  who,  in  turn,  was  obliged  to 
refund  the  seventy  dollars  and  pay  also  twelve  dollars  costs  for 
the  crime  of  having  owned  a  pretty  black  mule  !  But  some- 
times this  little  game  does  not  work.  Occasionally  the  owner 
of  the  mule  has  proof  unexpectedly  near.  One  of  the  party 
happened  to  be  riding  a  mule  ten  miles  from  Rough  and  Ready, 
when  a  hard-looking  character  claimed  the  animal  and  said  he 
could  produce  his  witnesses  at  Rough  and  Ready.  The  owner 
said  "come  right  along,"  he  had  some  witnesses  there  too.  This 
rather  astonished  the  strange  claimant,  and  he  concluded  he  had 
"  struck  the  wrong  lead." 

When  Mr.  Larison  had  made  enough  money  by  mining  to 
come  home  he  left  the  hard  societ}*  of  California.  He  was  de- 
lighted with  the  climate,  and  would  have  been  glad  to  have  lived 
there  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  lawless  people  who  first  settled 
in  that  golden  country. 

Mr.  Larison  is  a  man  of  rather  less  than  medium  height  and 
not  heavily  built.  In  his  younger  days  he  was  heavier,  but  he 
had  a  severe  attack  ot  erysipelas  and  has  never  since  been  so 
health}'  and  strong.  His  eyes  are  small,  but  show  good 
sense.  His  hair  and  beard  are  becoming  a  little  gray  with 
age.  He  seems  to  be  a  man  of  very  good  judgment.  He  has 
plenty  of  courage,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  he  has  never  aban- 
doned any  enterprise  on  account  of  fear.  He  is  very  cheerful, 
and  his  conversation  is  very  interesting,  particularly  when  he 
talks  of  early  days. 

Mr.  Larison  has  had  nine  children,  of  whom  seven  are 
living.     They  are  : 

James  M.  and  Lee  Larison,  live  in  Bloomington. 

Sarah,  wife  of  A.  S.  Tompkins,  lives  in  Hittle's  Grove,  Taze- 
well County. 

Melinda  F.,  wife  of  Henry  C.  Fell,  lives  in  Xornial. 

George  AY.  Larison  lives  in  Arrowsmith  township. 

Greenberry  Larison,  jr.  lives  one  mile  northwest  of  his  father. 

John,  familiarly  called  Jack,  lives  at  home. 


m'lean  county.  135 

Richard  A.  Warlow. 

Richard  A.  Warlow,  sou  of  Benjamin  Warlow,  was  born 
March  20,  1822,  in  Oneida  County,  New  York.  The  family 
moved  to  Ohio,  and  in  the  fall  of  1834  they  came  to  Dry  Grove, 
McLean  County,  Illinois.  There  they  settled  on  a  farm  bought 
by  Joshua  Bond,  an  uncle  to  Richard.  The  family  soon  became 
acquainted  with  the  people  in  the  West,  and  during  the  fall  of 
their  arrival  had  a  great  corn-husking  frolic.  The  inconven- 
iences of  the  country  were  severely  felt,  and  Mrs.  Warlow 
often  said  she  would  be  perfectly  satisfied  if  she  could  only  have 
what  wheat  bread  she  wished  to  eat.  The  paradise  on  earth 
would  be  prepared,  if  she  could  have  an  unlimited  supply  of 
wheat  bread. 

Mr.  Warlow  sustains  all  that  has  been  said  of  the  great 
change  in  the  weather  of  1836,  and  speaks  of  the  geese  which 
he  saw  frozen  fast  to  the  ice  which  covered  the  ground. 

In  the  fall  of  1836  Mr.  Warlow,  si\,  entered  land  a  little 
north  of  Brown's  Grove.  There  he  built  a  little  cabin  of  split 
logs,  roughly  notched  and  fitted  and  covered  with  bark.  In 
this  cabin  three  of  the  Warlow  boys  lived  for  a  while,  and  cut 
rail  timber  and  hauled  it  out  of  the  grove.  In  February  the 
family,  which  then  numbered  eight,  moved  down  to  their  log 
cabin,  which  was  twelve  by  fourteen  feet.  This  cabin  was  near 
the  place  where  R.  A.  Warlow  now  resides,  in  Allin  township. 

Mr.  Warlow's  opportunities  for  obtaining  an  education  have 
not  been  good.  For  two  winters  he  attended  school  in  Dry 
Grove.  After  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  boarded  and 
attended  a  subscription  school  at  Dry  Grove  for  twenty  days, 
but  at  that  time  the  school-house  burned  dowu  and  his  school  days 
were  ended.  When  he  began  work  for  himself  he  engaged  in 
various  occupations  ;  he  worked  at  pump  making ;  for  many 
years  he  ran  a  threshing  machine,  and  for  a  short  time  he  at- 
tended to  a  saw-mill.  He  was  handy  at  everything  and  suc- 
ceeded well. 

Mr.  Warlow  tells  a  pretty  hard  story  of  the  prices  of  things 
in  early  days.  In  the  year  1844  he  attended  a  sale  of  stock  at 
Dry  Grove,  and  there  bid  off'  a  yearling  steer  for  $3.50  and  was 
allowed  one  year's  credit.  After  keeping  it  for  a  year  or  more 
he  sold  it  for  nine  dollars  !     II.  A.  Warlow  obtained  his  start  by 


136  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

raising  corn  and  selling  it  in  the  neighborhood  for  twelve  and  a 
half  cents  per  bushel.  With  money  so  obtained  he  bought  the 
Clark  estate  at  Stout's  Grove.  It  consisted  of  about  one  hun- 
dred and  thirteen  acres,  and  he  paid  four  hundred  dollars  for 
it.  He  afterwards  sold  oufin  order  to  enter  land  at  Brown's 
Grove;  but  when  he  was  ready  to  enter,  the  land  office  was 
closed.  The  charter  had  been  passed  for  building  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  and  no  land  was  sold  until  the  company  had 
selected  what  belonged  to  it.  But  when  the  Illinois  Central 
Company  at  last  obtained  its  land  the  remainder  of  the  unen- 
tered government  land  was  all  sold  at  once.  When  the  sale 
took  place  the  speculators  were  numerous.  They  would  allow  a 
farmer  to  buy  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  for  a  farm,  but 
this  was  all.  If  the  farmer  attempted  to  buy  more  they  would 
bid  up  on  the  land  until  he  was  driven  off  altoo-ether.  Mr. 
Warlow  afterwards  bought  land  of  the  railroad  company,  and 
now  owns  six  or  seven  hundred  acres.  He  has  been  once  burned 
out,  and  has  lost*  some  money  by  becoming  security,  but  other- 
wise has  had  good  fortune.  The  good  luck,  which  always  at- 
tends the  careful  and  industrious  farmer,  has  been  wTith  him,  and 
he  is  prosperous. 

Mr.  Warlow  married  Miss  Lavinia  Bosarth,  April  29,  1849. 
He  has  had  seven  children,  all  of  which  are  living.     They  are  : 

Leslie,  John,  Belle,  Ellen,  Julia,  Charlie  and  Annie. 

Mr.  Y\  arlow  is  six  feet  and  an  inch  and  a  half  in  height,  is 
rather  spare  but  muscular.  He  has  dark  and  rather  straight 
hair  and  dark  eyes.  His  features  are  prominent,  and  his  face  is 
somewhat  long.  He  is  a  good-natured  man  and  very  kind.  He 
attends  to  his  business,  sees  quickly  what  will  pay,  and  manages 
all  of  his  affairs  well.     He  is  very  straightforward  in  his  deal- 


ings. 


Jonx  B.  Thompson. 


John  B.  Thompson  was  born  January  31,  1790,  in  Culpepper 
County,  Virginia.  His  father's  name  was  William  Thompson 
and  was  of  French  descent.  William  Thompson  enlisted  in  the 
Continental  army  when  only  sixteen  years  vf  age,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  stru«;°-le.  William  was 
sometimes  up  to  his  capers,  and  one  little  trick  which  he  played 


m'lean  county.  137 

came  very  near  winding  up  his  career  as  a  soldier,  lie  by  some 
means  obtained  possession  of  two  kegs  of  powder,  which  had 
been  wet  and  were  taken  out  to  dry.  He  tired  them  with  a  slow 
match,  and  the  excitement  which  followed  may  be  imagined. 
The  soldiers  of  the  entire  camp  were  called  into  line,  and  great 
efforts  were  made  to  discover  the  perpetrator  of  the  trick,  but 
without  success.  William  Thompson  was  in  a  number  of  severe 
engagements.  When  the  war  was  ended  and  peace  declared,  he 
returned  to  his  farm.  He  became  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of 
the  Baptist  denomination,  and  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age.  He  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Gardner,  who  was  born  in  Albemarle 
County,  Virginia,  but  who  was  of  Irish  descent. 

In  1805  the  Thompson  family  moved  to  Madison  County, 
Kentucky,  and  in  1812  they  moved  to  Boone  County,  same 
State.  On  the  24th  of  June,  1813,  John  B.  Thompson  was  mar- 
ried to  Polly  Steers,  who  was  born  August  4,  1791,  and  was  of 
Irish  parentage.  He  remained  in  Boone  County  until  Septem- 
ber, 1829,  when  he  determined  to  seek  a  home  in  the  far  West. 
He  was  not  in  affluent  circumstances,  and  he  did  not  like  to  live 
in  the  midst  of  slavery  and  bring  up  a  family  there.  His  outfit 
consisted  of  a  four-horse  wagon,  one  yoke  of  oxen,  a  few  cows, 
and  a  little  money.  After  a  journey  of  twenty  days  he  pitched 
his  tent  on  the  Mackinaw,  about  five  miles  east  of  where  Lex- 
ington now  stands.  After  looking  around  in  various  places  he 
at  last  settled  in  the  old  Delaware  Indian  Town,  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  Mackinaw.  Many  of  the  Indian  lodges  were  then 
standing,  and  he  used  them  for  stabling  and  other  purposes. 
The  appearance  and  prospects  of  the  country  were  not  then  very 
bright,  as  the  people  were  obliged  to  go  long  distances  for  the 
necessaries  of  life.  They  were  obliged  to  go  nearly  a  hundred 
miles  to  mill.  Mr.  Thompson's  house  was  a  large  sized  log 
cabin,  with  a  clapboard  roof,  and  greased  paper  windows.  When 
the  "  mansion  "  was  built,  Mr.  Thompson  went  to  Orendorff 's 
mill,  down  on  Sugar  Creek,  and,  in  his  absence,  as  the  family 
was  without  breadstuff's,  it  was  necessary  for  the  children  to 
grate  and  pound  the  corn  to  make  the  meal. 

During  the  spring  of  1830  Mr.  Thompson  was  very  busy  com- 
pleting an  improvement  on  his  farm.  It  seems  that  when  the 
Indians  were  there,  they  had  cut  down  many  trees  for  the  pur- 


138  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

pose  of  burning  the  tops,  and  in  some  places  had  cut  enough  to 
make  a  little  Indian  farm  or  patch  for  growing  corn.  With  this 
clearing  Mr.  Thompson  had  about  fifteen  acres  under  cultivation 
and  raised  a  fair  crop  during  the  first  season. 

During  the  latter  part  of  December,  1830,  Mr.  Thompson, 
with  his  brother-in-law,  John  Steers,  each  with  a  team,  started 
to  mill.  They  had  been  gone  only  a  few  days  when  the  deep 
snow  began  to  fall.  Not  anticipating  the  great  storm,  they  kept 
on -their  course,  obtained  their  loads  of  meal  and  returned  to 
within  eleven  miles  of  home.  By  this  time  the  snow  became  so 
deep,  that  they  were  compelled  to  leave  one  of  their  wagons  and 
double  their  teams  to  an  ox-cart,  in  order  to  travel.  They  each 
took  a  sack  of  meal  and  succeeded  in  reaching  home.  But  this 
did  not  last  long,  and  the  families  were  obliged  to  pound  corn 
during  the  remainder  of  the  winter,  though  they  had  plenty  of 
meal  only  eleven  miles  distant.  While  the  snow  was  on  the 
ground,  Mr.  Thompson  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  go  to 
Indian  Grove,  a  distance  of  ten  miles,  to  see  his  brother-in-law, 
Martin  Darnell,  who  was  the  only  settler  there.  Mr.  Thompson 
did  not  make  another  attempt  to  go  there  until  the  deep  snow 
was  partly  melted,  when  he  and  John  Henline  were  successful 
in  making  their  way  to  the  grove.  The  Darnell  family  were  in 
good  health,  but  had  lost  the  day  of  the  week,  and  were  ob- 
serving Saturday  as  the  Lord's  day  of  rest. 

The  Mackinaw  is  a  very  uncertain  stream,  and  sometimes 
rises  very  high,  and  Mr.  Thompson  built  a  canoe  to  be  used  in 
this  stream  when  it  overflowed  its  channel.  It  was  used  several 
years  for  this  purpose  until  a  bridge  was  built. 

During  the  year  1831,  many  people  came  to  the  western 
country;  the  older  settlements  were  strengthened  and  new  ones 
were  formed.  Society  was  then  forming,  election  districts  were 
formed  and  officers  were  chosen.  During  that  year  Mr.  Thomp- 
son was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  served  in  this  capacity 
for  eight  years.  He  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  county 
and  was  one  of  the  first  grand  jurors.  He  was  at  Bloomington 
when  the  county  seat  was  located,  and  saw  the  stakes  driven 
with  a  "  nigger  head  "  mall. 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war  in  1832,  the  settlers  on  the 
Mackinaw  were  very  much  afraid  of  an  attack  by  the  Kicka- 


m'lean  county.  139 

poos,  who  had  a  camp  at  Indian  Grove,  and  a  fort  was  builtat 
the  house  of  John  Henline  to  afford  protection.  A  full  descrip- 
tion of  this  matter  is  given  in  other  sketches,  and  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  repeat  it  here. 

The  early  settlers  were  not  immortal,  and  occasionally  had  a 
funeral,  and  this  of  course  made  the  services  of  an  undertaker 
very  convenient.  Mr.  Thompson  made  coffins  out  of  lumber 
dressed  down  from  split  puncheons. 

In  1834  immigration  to  Illinois  was  strong,  and  all  comers 
met  with  a  hearty  welcome  at  their  cabins.  But  money  was 
liable  to  great  fluctuation,  as  the  land  was  in  market,  and  settlers 
made  great  efforts  to  collect  money  enough  to  enter  their  im- 
proved claims.  This  they  were  sometimes  unable  to  do,  and 
their  improvements  were  in  some  cases  sold  at  a  great  sacrifice. 

John  B.  Thompson  is  a  man  of  fine  appearance,  rather  above 
the  medium  height,  with  dark  complexion  and  dark  eyes.  His 
head  is  a  little  bald  ;  his  hair,  which  in  his  younger  days  was 
very  black,  is  now  partly  gray;  in  walking  his  step  is  quick,  but 
not  so  buoyant  as  formerly ;  he  retains  his  original  vigor  of 
mind,  is  a  fluent  talker,  and  while  speaking  of  the  country  and 
telling  how  "it  used  to  be,"  he  is  very  animated  and  earnest.  It 
is  said  of  him  that  "  he  is  quite  a  young  man,  to  be  nearly 
eighty-one  years  of  age." 

On  the  twentieth  of  April,  1873,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Thompson 
died,  after  a  happy  married  life  of  nearly  sixty  years.  All  of 
their  living  children,  seven  in  number,  were  present  at  their 
mother's  funeral.     They  are  : 

Eliza  Travis,  born  March  31,  1814. 

William  II.  Thompson,  born  January  12,  1818. 

Simson  E.  Thompson,  born  February  29,  1820. 

James  F.  Thompson,  born  September  13,  1822. 

Cirenia  J.  Cunningham,  born  October  3,  1824. 

David  L.  Thompson,  born  January  20,  1827. 

George  W.  Thompson,  born  September  11,  1832. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  have  had  three  children  who  are 
now  dead,  making  thus  in  all  a  family  of  ten  children. 


140  old  settlers  of 

Jacob  Smith. 

Jacob  Smith  was  born  April  21, 1821,  in  Switzerland  County, 
Indiana.    His  father's  name  was  Charles  Smith,  and  his  mother's 
name  before  her  marriage  was  Elizabeth  Adams.    Charles  Smith 
was  of  Irish  descent;  that  of  his  wife  Elizabeth  is  not  known. 
Charles   Smith  was   not  confined  to   one  occupation.     He  was 
sometimes  a  farmer  and  sometimes  a  flatboatman  on   the   Ohio 
River.     He  was  a  captain  in  the  militia  and  held  this  position 
until  death,  which  occurred  in  the  fall  of  1832.  During  the  spring 
of  1833  the  Smith  family  of  seven  children,  four  girls  and  three 
boys,  came  with  their  mother  to  the  head  of  the  Mackinaw, 
about  five  miles  above  where  Lexington  now  is.     Their  journey 
was  a  hard  one,  as  it  was  rainy  and  muddy.     They  broke  down 
on  one  Sunday,  and  an  old  Quaker  on  his  way  to  church  stopped 
and  helped  them  to  mend  the  wagon.     That  was  the  way  the 
spirit  moved  him.     They  bought  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  with  a  cabin  on  it  and  twelve  acres  fenced 
and  broke.    But  during  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  the  family 
took  the  ague;  it  was  a  family  affair  and  all  came  down  with  it. 
This  discouraged  them  so  much  that  in  the  fall  of  the  year  they 
went  back  to  Indiana.     There  they  remained  a  year,  and  in  De- 
cember,   1834,    started    again    for    Illinois.     At  Indianapolis  it 
began  snowing  and  continued  until  eight  inches  of  snow  covered 
the  ground.     They  stopped  in  an    old   shanty  for  a  week,  b}r 
which  time  the  roads  became  broken  and  smooth  and  they  again 
started  on  their  journey.     When  they  came   near   Terre  Haute 
they  found  it   difficult  to  get  a  place  to  stop,  but  at  last  a  good 
man  named  Steele  took  them  and  charged   them  nothing  for 
entertainmeut.     When  they  arrived  at  Cheney's  Grove  they  had 
twenty-five  cents  in  money,  which  they  used  to  buy  a  bushel  of 
corn  meal.     They  went  on  to  the  head  of  the  Mackinaw,  where 
they  stayed  one  year  and  then  moved  back  to  Cheney's  Grove, 
where  they  made  a  permanent  location.     Mr.  Smith   has  lived 
near  Cheney's  Grove  ever  since.     For  the  last  twenty-eight  or 
nine  years  he  has  lived  on  his  place,  about  a   mile  west  of  the 
grove,  in  Arrowsmith  township.     He  farmed  for  a  while  on  old 
Jonathan   Cheney's  place.     For   a  long   time   he   was  not  rich 
enough  to  afford  a  strap  for  a  line  with  which  to  guide  his  horses, 
but  used  linn  bark. 


m'lean  county.  141 

Mr.  Smith  has  hunted  deer,  wolves  and  wild  hogs.  The  lat- 
ter he  considers  very  dangerous  game,  as  their  tusks  grow  out 
long,  forming  the  most  effective  weapons  for  fighting.  At  one 
time,  while  hunting,  he  saw  a  dog  take  a  wild  hog  by  the  ear; 
but  the  hog  threw  up  its  snout  and  struck  its  tusk  into  the 
breast  of  the  dog,  penetrating  to  the  heart  at  one  stroke,  killing 
the  dog  instantly. 

Mr.  Smith  married  in  April,  1842,  Rosanna  Neweom.  He 
has  had  seven  children,  but  only  three  are  living. 

Ethan  Allen  Smith,  the  eldest  son,  enlisted  in  the  116th  Illi- 
nois Volunteers,  during  the  late  war,  and  died  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  of  typhoid  fever. 

Charles  W.,  Annie  J.  and  Joseph  Smith  live  at  the  home- 
stead with  their  father.  Albert,  Mary  Ellen  and  Lucinda  J. 
Smith  are  dead. 

Mr.  Smith  is  about  five  feet  and  eleven  inches  in  height,  has 
brown  hair,  rather  gray  whiskers,  and  light  grayish-blue  eyes. 
He  is  broad-shouldered  and  very  muscular.  He  has  worked 
hard,  has  saved  his  earnings  and  never  gone  security  for  any 
one.  He  would  rather  pay  a  debt  or  lend  the  money  than  go 
security  for  it.  He  has  never  sued  any  one  or  been  sued.  He 
has  a  fine  farm,  well  arranged,  and  certainly  ought  to  enjoy  life. 

BLOOMINGTON  TOWNSHIP. 
John  Hendrix. 

John  Hendrix  was  born  December  9,  1790,  in  Virginia.  His 
parents  were  Susannah  and  William  Hendrix.  The  Hendrix 
family  moved  to  Champaigu  County,  Ohio,  and  there  John 
Hendrix  married  Jane  Britton,  in  about  the  year  1813  or  1814. 

In  the  fall  of  1821  John  Hendrix  and  John  W.  Dawson  came 
with  their  families  to  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  where  they 
arrived  about  Christmas  time,  and  there  remained  during  the 
wi nter.  In  April,  1822,  the  Hendrix  family  came  to  what  is 
now  called  Blooming  Grove.  Mr.  Dawson  came  with  them,  but 
left  his  family  in  Sangamon  County.  An  old  man  named  Segar 
was  also  with  the  company.  Mr.  Hendrix  settled  on  the  place 
now  owned  by  Oliver  II.  P.  Orendorff.  This  was  the  first  set- 
tlement made  within  the  limits  of  the  present  McLean  County. 


142  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.- Hendrix  was  therefore  the  first  white  settler  with  a  family, 
and  Mrs.  Hendrix  was  the  first  white  woman,  who  set  foot  upon 
this  soil.  Mr.  Segar  also  made  a  claim  and  commenced  work 
upon  a  place  which  he  sold  to  William  Orendorff.  Mr.  Dawson 
brought  his  family  shortly  afterwards  and  settled  where  Mr.  Cox 
now  lives.  This  was  just  north  of  Segar's,  afterwards  Oren- 
dorff's  claim.  The  Hendrix  and  Dawson  families  lived  about 
one  mile  apart,  and  visited  each  other  every  Sunday.  Indeed 
they  seemed  two  branches  of  one  family.  They  could  see  no 
one  else  and  they  formed  a  world  for  themselves.  The  Hendrix 
family  was  very  religious.  Mr.  Hendrix  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church  and  his  house  was  for  many  years  a  preach- 
ing place  for  that  denomination.  The  first  sermon  preached  in 
what  is  now  McLean  County  was  delivered  in  1823,  in  Mr.  Hen- 
drix's  house,  by  James  Stringfield  from  Kentucky,  an  uncle  to 
Squire  A.  M.  Stringfield  of  Randolph's  Grove.  Mr.  Hendrix 
was  for  many  years  previous  to  his  death  a  class-leader  in  the 
church.  He  was  an  industrious  man  and  accumulated  enough 
property  to  enable  him  to  live  in  comfort.  He  never  became 
wealthy,  for  he  died  before  the  land  became  valuable.  Mr. 
Hendrix  had  eight  children,  of  whom  five  lived  to  be  grown. 
They  are  : 

Nathan  Evans  Hendrix,  who  now  lives  in   Monroe  County, 

Iowa. 

William  Hendrix,  who  lives  in  Placerville,  Eldorado  County, 
California.     He  has  been  there  since  1850. 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  Hiram  Harbert,  who  died  in  1842. 

John  Britton  Lewis  Hendrix,  who  lives  in  Monroe  County, 
Iowa. 

Sarah  Lovina  Sales  Hendrix,  now  Mrs.  Orendorff,  lives  at 

Blooming  Grove. 

Mr.  Hendrix  was  rather  above  the  medium  stature  and 
weighed  perhaps  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds.  His  hair  was 
rather  dark  and  his  eyes  blue.  He  was  very  quiet  in  his  man- 
ner, was  always  ready  to  do  a  favor,  indeed  always  glad  to  do 
so.  He  died  on  the  farm  where  he  made  his  early  settlement 
and  was  buried  there. 


m'lean  county.  143 

John  Wells  Dawson. 

John  W.  Dawson  was  born  March  9,  1792,  on  a  farm  near 
Maysville,  Kentucky.  His  father  was  of  English  descent  and 
his  mother  was  of  Welch.  He  belonged  to  a  family  of  eight 
children.  His  parents  died  when  he  was  quite  young.  He 
served  in  the  war  of  1812  as  a  wagon-master.  A  few  months 
after  peace  was  declared  he  married  Ann  Cheney,  who  was  born 
September  17,  1794,  in  Kentucky.  John  W.  Dawson  lived  for 
some  time  in  Alabama  and  afterwards  in  Clark  County,  Ohio. 
From  the  latter  place  he  came  with  John  Hendrix  to  Sangamon 
County,  Illinois,  in  the  fall  of  1821,  arriving  about  Christmas 
time.  Their  journey  lasted  six  weeks.  It  was  at  times  unpleas- 
ant because  of  the  swamps,  the  wolves  often  came  howling 
around  them,  particularly  while  cooking,  but  they  came  through 
safely  at  last.  On  the  road  they  killed  turkeys,  prairie  chickens 
and  deer.  In  April,  1822,  John  W.  Dawson  came  with  John 
Hendrix  and  his  family  to  Blooming  Grove.  The  family  of  Mr. 
Dawson  remained  in  Sangamon  County  at  the  house  of  Evans 
Britton,  an  uncle  of  Mrs.  Hendrix.  This  was  on  account  of  the 
sickness  of  Mrs.  Dawson.  Sometime  in  June  the  family  came 
on  to  Blooming  Grove  and  made  a  permanent  settlement  on  a 
farm  now  owned  by  David  Cox  about  one  mile  from  Hendrix's 
place.  Here  he  remained  four  years,  and  the  settlers  came  in 
rapidly.  In  March,  182^  he  sold  out  for  four  hundred  dollars 
and  moved  to  Old  TotM  timber.  The  land  was  not  then  in 
market,  and  when  he  sold  his  farm  it  was  simply  the  claim  and 
improvement  to  which  he  gave  title.  He  made  a  settlement  at 
Old  Town  timber  on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  ;  but  when 
the  land  came  in  market  he  entered  nine  hundred.  It  is  now 
all  cut  up  into  farms. 

Mrs.  John  W.  Dawson  was  a  jovial  and  witty  woman.  At 
one  time  while  Harrison  and  Van  Buren  were  candidates  for 
president,  an  opponent  of  General  Harrison  declared  that  the 
latter  had  mismanaged  his  men  at  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  and 
that  they  were  nearly  all  killed.  "  Oh  no,"  said  Mrs.  Dawson, 
"enough  are  left  to  elect  him."  The  stranger  gazed  at  her  for 
some  time  and  then  concluded  to  drop  the  discussion  of  political 
questions.  Mrs.  Dawson  thought  a  great  deal  of  her  neighbors 
and  liked  to  visit  them.     People,  who   lived   a   long   distance 


144  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

away,  were  neighbors.  On  a  very  cold  day  Mrs.  Dawson  mount- 
ed a  horse  and  started  with  her  babe  in  her  arms  to  visit  a  friend 
ten  miles  distant.  On  her  way  she  met  a  stranger,  who  came 
to  look  over  the  country.  "  Arn't  you  afraid  of  freezing  ?"  said 
the  stranger.  "  No,"  said  Mrs.  Dawson,  "I  am  only  going  over 
to  the  neighbors." 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  the  Dawson  family  lived 
happily,  pounded  their  corn,  of  course,  but  had  flour  which 
lasted  until  March.  Mr.  Dawson  amused  himself  during  that 
long  winter  by  teasing  an  elderly  maiden  lady  and  a  bachelor 
by  making  propositions  to  unite  them  in  the  holy  bonds  of 
matrimony.     His  efforts  were  unsuccessful. 

Mr.  John  Hendrix  sometimes  hauled  goods  for  James  Allin 
from  Pekin.  At  one  time,  when  he  arrived  at  Bloomington, 
Mr.  Allin  examined  the  bill  of  lading  and  asked  "Where  is  the 
box  of  fish  ?"  "  The  fish  were  spoiled,"  said  Mr.  Hendrix,  "and 
smelt  fearfully,  and  I  threw  off"  the  box  at  Mackinaw  timber." 
"Why,  Mr.  Hendrix,  they  were  codfish.  Don't  you  know  that 
codfish  always  smell.'"'     Hendrix  returned  for  the  box. 

In  about  the  year  1853  Mr.  Dawson  moved  to  Iowa  about  four 
miles  from  Fort  Dodge.  Only  his  wife  and  his  youngest  daugh- 
ter went  with  him.  He  died  there  on  the  7th  of  October,  1865, 
and  his  wife  died  during  the  fall  of  1871. 

Henry  Dawson,  who  lives  in  Indianola,  Iowa ;  Maria,  who 
married  Owen  Cheney,  who  died  some  years  ago.  She  is  now 
the  wife  of  Mr.  William  Paist  of  Bloomington. 

John  Dawson,  whose  sketch  appears  in  this  volume.  Isaac 
Dawson,  who  was  born  in  Sangamon  County,  when  the  family 
first  came  to  Illinois.  He  is  now  dead.  Nancy  Jane,  wife  <>t" 
William  Harrison  of  Old  Town,  died  some  vears  since. 

Lucinda,  wife  of  Dr.  A.  H.  Luce,  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Mary,  wife  of  Daniel  Stine,  lives  in  Olathe,  Johnson  County, 
Kansas. 

Clarinda,  wife  of  Alexander  Miller,  lives  in  De  Sota,  John- 
son County,  Kansas. 

Lewis  Dawson  died  six  or  seven  }-ears  ago. 

Martha  Ann,  wife  of  Sillman  Sherman,  lives  at  Fort  Dodge, 
Iowa. 


John  W.  Dawson  had  ten  children,^)!' whom  nine  lived  to  be 
grown.     They  are : 


m'lean  county.  145 

John  W.  Dawson  was  of  medium  size,  was  heavy  set,  had 
black  hair  and  black  eyes  and  weighed  one  hundred  and  sixty 
or  seventy  pounds.  He  was  very  hospitable,  and  strangers 
always  found  a  home  there. 

John  Dawson,  (of  Bloomington.) 

Among  the  earliest  and  best  known  settlers  in  McLean 
County  was  John  Dawson.  John  Dawson  was  born  August  14, 
1819,  on  Buck  Creek  Farm,  Clark  County,  Ohio.  His  ancestors 
were  from  old  English  and  Welch  stock,  his  grandfather,  Henry 
Dawson,  having  emigrated  from  the  old  country  at  a  very  early 
day.  Both  his  grandfather  and  his  father,  John  Wells  Dawson, 
were  farmers,  and  from  their  out-of-door  life  acquired  healthy, 
rugged  constitutions.  There  were  ten  children  in  the  Dawson 
family,  six  girls  and  four  boys.  One  of  the  boys,  the  eldest  son, 
now  resides  at  Indianola,  Iowa.     He,  too,  is  a  pioneer. 

John  Wells  Dawson  came  with  his  family  to  Sangamon 
County,  Illinois,  in  the  year  1821,  about  Christmas  time,  young 
John  Dawson  being  then  only  three  years  old.  In  April,  1822, 
John  W.  Dawson  and  John  Hendrix  and  family  came  to  Bloom- 
ing Grove  about  four  miles  from  the  present  city  of  Blooming- 
ton  and  built  three  shanties.  The  present  farm  of  David  Cox 
and  that  of  the  widow  of  John  Cox  were  Mr.  Dawson's  property. 
Hendrix  settled  one  mile  west  of  this,  at  a  place  now  known  as 
the  Orendorff  farm.  It  was  here  that  they  had  a  lively  experi- 
ence with  "  Lo,"  the  poor  Indian.  The  Ivickapoo  Indians  were 
jealous  of  the  incoming  white  men  and  their  chief,  Machina, 
ordered  Mr.  Dawson's  family  to  quit  the  country  before  the 
leaves  fell.  This  he  did  by  throwing  leaves  in  the  air.  By  this 
and  other  signs  he  gave  them  to  understand  that  if  they  were 
not  gone  when  the  leaves  in  the  forest  should  fall,  he  would  kill 
all  the  bootanas  (white  men).  Mrs.  Dawson  replied  to  him  that 
the  time  he  had  given  would  be  sufficient  to  call  together  enough 
bootanas  to  exterminate  all  the  Indians.  The  old  chief  was 
very  "wrathy"  at  this  and  made  some  terrible  threats  which  he 
had  the  good  sense  never  to  carry  out.  At  the  close  of  the 
summer  of  1822  some  Indians,  about  fifteen  hundred  in  number, 
encamped  in  front  of  Mr.  Dawson's  farm-gate  and  remained 
during  the  following  winter.  Contrary  to  expectation  they  were 
10 


146  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

the  best  of  neighbors  and  were  on  terms  of  perfect  friendship 
with  the  Dawson  family.  The  youthful  John  was  highly  de- 
lighted with  his  copper-colored  friends  and  was  a  great  favorite 
with  them,  especially  with  the  squaws.  Two  of  the  old  squaws, 
called  aunt  Peggy  and  aunt  Nancy,  dressed  him  up  in  a  heavy 
suit  of  buckskin  and  made  a  fine  looking  papoose  out  of  him. 
But  the  Indians  could  never  stand  before  civilization,  and  in 
the  winter  of  1833  and  '34  they  were  paid  at  Chicago  the  money 
due  them  from  the  government  and  removed  to  the  far  West. 

"When  the  Dawson  family  settled  at  Blooming  Grove  in  1822 
there  was  not  a  single  house  between  their  place  and  Chicago  ; 
the  whole  country  was  wild  prairie.  Springfield,  Danville  and 
Peoria  were  their  nearest  neighbors.  Mr.  Dawson  lived  on  the 
Blooming  Grove  farm  until  the  spring  of  1826,  when  he  moved 
to  Old  Town  timber  or  Dawson's  Grove  about  fifteen  miles  east 
of  the  present  city  of  Bloomington.  Two  miles  southeast  of 
his  farm  was  the  Indian  village  of  the  Kickapoo  nation.  The 
old  Indian  fort  is  still  to  be  seen,  and  curiosities  of  all  kinds, 
such  as  brass  kettles,  Indian  brooches,  etc.,  are  still  found  there. 
The  early  settlers  were  anxious  for  the  education  of  their  chil- 
dren, and  indeed  a  plentiful  crop  of  school  children  is  better  for 
the  material  interest  of  the  country  than  a  crop  of  wheat  or  corn. 
There  were  many  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  but  the  pioneers 
had  learned  never  to  hesitate  at  trifles.  The  school-houses  were 
not  the  little  palaces  of  learning  in  which  the  children  now  study 
their  lessons ;  they  were  not  so  comfortably  heated  in  winter, 
but  on  the  other  hand  there  was  no  lack  of  ventilation,  for  the 
fresh  prairie  breezes  could  come  through  the  chinks  between 
the  logs  without  any  patent  appliances.  There  were  no  pale 
students  driven  into  the  early  stages  of  consumption  for  want  of 
pure  air. 

In  1828  Mr.  Dawson  (senior)  built  the  first  school-house  in 
McLean  County.  It  was  made  of  logs  and  lighted  with  win- 
dows of  white  paper  iustead  of  glass.  The  first  school-teacher 
was  Delilah  Mullen,  who  taught  her  young  pupils  at  Mr.  Daw- 
son's house  before  the  school-house  was  finished.  The  first 
house  where  the  city  of  Bloomington  now  stands,  was  built  by 
William  Evans  in  1827.  But  this  house  was  not  in  the  original 
town.     The  south  part  of  the  city  was  then   scattering  timber, 


m'lean  county.  147 

commencing  from  near  Gridley's  residence   and   running  up  to 
the  Court  House. 

In    the   winter  of  1830   aud   '31  Bloomington    was    chosen 
county  seat  of  McLean   County.     Judge   Lockwood    held  the 
first  session  of  court  in  1832;  but  as  far  as  Mr.  Dawson  can  re- 
member there  were  no  cases  on  the   docket.     The  first  Court 
House  was  a  frame  building  twenty  by  thirty  feet  and  stood  on 
the  site  of  the  present  Court  House,  but   was  afterwards  moved 
away  to  make  room  for  a  finer  building.     The  first  sale  of  town 
lots  in  Bloomington  took  place  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1831.     It 
was  then  that  John  Dawson  bought  a  lot  which  was  sixty  feet  by 
one  hundred  and  fifteen  for  four  dollars  and  thirty  cents.     In 
1848  he  built  a  house  on  it  and  sold  it  to  a  Rev.  Mr.  Perry  for 
$800.     It  now  belongs  to  Dr.  II.  Schroeder  who  purchased  it  of 
Perry  for  $5,500.     The  lot  and  house  are  east  of  Schroeder's 
Opera  House  and  belong  to  the  Postoflice  Block.     Of  the  origi- 
nal town  of  Bloomington  only  forty  acres  were   laid  out;  all  of 
the  other  parts  are  additions.     The  streets  of  the  original  town 
running   east  and  west  are  Washington,  Jefferson  and  North 
streets ;  those  running  north  and  south   are  East,  Main,  Center 
and  West  streets. 

In  early  days  the  modes  of  travel  were  more  picturesque  than 
convenient.  On  land  were  ox-teams  and  on  water  were  fiat- 
boats.  The  railroad  was  a  "  down  east"  institution.  Pullman 
had  not  then  invented  palace  cars,  and  if  he  had  done  so,  the 
early  settlers  could  not  have  enjoyed  their  magnificence.  The 
forest  and  the  prairie  were  occasionally  marked  by  solitary  In- 
dian trails,  and  these  were  all  the  guides  from  point  to  point, 
Old  Town  timber  and  Peoria,  which  was  then  called  Fort  Clark, 
were  connected  by  an  Indian  trail. 

The  first  train  of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  ran  into 
Bloomington  from  La  Salle  in  the  spring  of  1853  and  the  Chica- 
go and  Alton  road  was  finished  in  June  of  the  same  year. 
Bloomington  had  at  that  time  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants  and 
its  progress  has  been  rapid  ever  since. 

The  weather  was  a  matter  of  greater  moment  to  the  pioneers 
than  to  us,  as  they  were  always  exposed  to  its  changes,  and  all 
of  them  have  sharp  recollections  of  the  frosts  of  winter.  The 
year  1830  was  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  for  the  severity  of 


148  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

weather.  During  that  year  the  snow  commenced  falling  on  the 
last  day  of  December,  until  in  the  timber  it  laid  three  feet  in 
depth  while  on  the  prairie  the  drifts  rose  to  great  heights.  The 
wild  animals  became  ferocious  and  the  wolves  killed  nearly  all 
the  deer ;  the  few  deer  that  remained  could  scarcely  iind  any- 
thing to  eat.  They  were  so  poor  and  hungry  that  they  could  be 
caught  by  hand.  They  could  be  attracted  by  felling  a  tree  and 
when  the  poor  creatures  came  to  pick  the  leaves  they  could  be 
easily  caught.  Since  that  time  deer  have  been  comparatively 
scarce.  But  the  year  1836  was  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  for 
its  sudden  changes.  Mr.  Dawson  relates  that  during  that  year 
he  had  a  very  severe  experience.  During  the  winter  he  went  to 
William's  mill  which  is  located  on  Salt  Creek,  six  miles  south 
of  LeRoy.  He  had  two  yoke  of  oxen  drawing  a  load  of  wheat 
and  corn  to  be  ground.  The  snow  was  two  feet  deep;  in  the 
afternoon  it  commenced  raining  and  continued  until  noon  the 
next  day.  On  that  day  Mr.  Dawson  started  for  home  and  at 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  he  was  one  mile  from  Henry 
Crumbaugh's  place.  Suddenly  he  heard  a  noise  like  the  roar- 
ing of  distant  thunder  and  on  looking  around  could  see  the 
approach  of  a  storm.  An  intensely  cold  wind  then  came,  freez- 
ing everything  almost  immediately.  He  had  scarcely  gone  one 
hundred  yards  with  his  ox-team  before  the  frozen  slush  would 
bear  his  weight,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  he 
succeeded  in  getting  back  to  Crumbaugh's  and  in  preventing 
his  team  from  slipping. 

Of  course  Mr.  Dawson  has  been  married.  This  interesting 
event  took  place  in  the  year  1842  at  Albana,  Champaign  County, 
Ohio.     The  name  of  the  happy  bride  was  Caroline  Wiley. 

Perhaps  the  reader  who  has  taken  some  interest  in  the  expe- 
dience of  this  pioneer  may  wish  to  know  something  of  his  per- 
sonal appearance.  John  Dawson  is  well  formed  and  is  a  little 
above  the  medium  size.  He  has  a  very  honest  and  intellectual 
countenance  and  his  nose  is  sometimes  ornamented  with  spec- 
tacles. He  is  not  a  man  of  much  book  learning,  as  the  pioneers 
did  not  have  the  best  facilities  for  education;  but  he  has,  as 
much  as  possible,  educated  himself.  He  possesses  a  jewel  which 
we  are  sorry  to  say  is  somewhat  rare,  and  that  is  good  common 
sense.  He  is  a  man  who  commands  respect  among  his  fellows 
and  is  able  to  clear  the  way  and  contend  with  difficulties. 


m'lean  county.  14!> 

William  Orendorff. 

William  Orendorff  was  born  March  26, 1792,  in  Georgia.  He 
is  of  German  descent.  His  father's  name  was  Christopher  Oren- 
dorff and  his  mother  was  Elizabeth  Phillips  before  her  marriage. 
William  OrendorfT  was  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
eight  boys  and  four  girls,  all  of  whom  grew  up  to  manhood  and 
womanhood  and  all,  except  one,  were  married.  He  visited  Illi- 
nois first  in  1816  and  emigrated  to  the  State  with  his  family 
during  the  following  year,  to  St.  Clair  County  and  lived  there 
and  in  Clinton  County  until  the  fall  of  1822.  During  the  winter 
of  1822  and  '23  he  lived  in  Sangamon  County.  In  the  spring 
of  1823  he  moved  to  Blooming  Grove.  Fayette  County,  in  what 
is  now  the  county  of  McLean,  and  arrived  there  on  the  second 
of  May,  1823.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  was  ordered  away  by 
Machina  and  others  of  the  Indians,  but  refused  to  go  and  was 
not  molested.  Mr.  Orendorff  was  a  man  of  first-rate  judgment 
and  very  popular  and  in  1825  was  appointed  justice  of  the 
peace  by  Governor  Coles.  It  is  seen  by  his  commission  that  he 
was  first  nominated  by  the  House  of  Representatives,  confirmed 
by  the  Senate  and  commissioned  by  the  Governor,  and  hold  the 
office  during  good  behavior.     The  following  is  the  commission  : 

"  Know  ye  that  William  Orendorff",  having  been  nominated 
by  the  House  of  Representatives  to  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace  for  the  County  of  Fayette  and  his  nomination  having  been 
confirmed  by  the  Senate,  I,  Edward  Coles,  Governor  of  said 
State,  for  and  on  behalf  of  the  people  aforesaid,  do  appoint  him 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  said  county  and  do  authorize  and  em- 
power him  to  execute  and  fulfill  the  duties  of  that  office  accord- 
ing to  law.  And  to  have  and  to  hold  the  said  office  with  all  the 
rights  and  emoluments  thereunto  legally  appertaining  during 
good  behavior.  In  testimony  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my 
hand  and  caused  the  State  seal  to  be  affixed  this  sixth  day  of 
January  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  twenty-five,  and  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States 
the  forty-ninth. 

By  the  Governor : 
[seal.]  EDWARD  COLES: 

M.  Birkbeck,  Secretary  of  State." 

He  did  not  take  the  oath  of  office  until  the  following  Decern- 


150  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

ber.  When  Tazewell  County  was  cut  oft'  from  Fayette,  Mr. 
<  )rendorff  was  re-commissioned  during  good  behavior,  but  when 
the  new  constitution  of  Illinois  making  his  office  elective  went 
into  effect,  Mr.  Orendorff  was,  at  the  first  election  held  in  Taze- 
well County,  chosen  justice  of  the  peace  and  was  commissioned 
Sept,  29,  1827.  This  election  was  held  at  William  Orendorff 's 
house. 

The  great  hurricane,  which  passed  through  Blooming  Grove, 
came  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  nineteenth  of  June,  1827.  Mr. 
Orendorff  returned  soon  after,  and  when  he  saw  the  destruction 
it  caused  and  the  trees  in  the  timber  piled  up  twenty  feet  high,, 
he  declared  that  he  would  sell  out  everything  for  S200,  if  he 
could  get  it,  and  move  away.  This  great  hurricane  covered 
seven  acres  of  land,  which  William  Evans  had  planted  in  corn^ 
with  limbs  and  brush  and  it  was  considered  utterly  ruined.  Then 
William  Orendorff,  who  was  one  of  the  most  generous  and  kind- 
hearted  of  men,  gave  Mr.  Evans  five  acres  of  growing  corn,  pro- 
vided only  that  the  latter  would  cultivate  it.  Evans'  corn,  which 
was  so  injured,  afterwards  produced  something  of  a  crop,  and 
he  sold  it  for  $100,  and  entered  with  the  money  eighty  acres  of 
land  which  he  lived  on  near  Bloomington  and  which  is  now 
included  in  the  city.  Mr.  Evans  always  gave  the  credit  for  his 
start  in  the  world  to  William  Orendorff. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  he  helped  Major  Baker 
to  build  his  mill,  with  "  nigger  head"  stones  for  grinding.  In 
the  fall  of  1832  Mr.  Orendorff  was  sick  with  the  cholera,  so 
sick  that  his  physicians  gave  him  up.  At  one  time  he  arose  in 
his  bed  and  said :  "  What  is  the  use  of  a  man's  being  dead 
and  alive  again,"  and  from  his  flightiness  it  was  thought  he 
had  but  a  few  moments  yet  to  live,  but  he  rallied  and  recovered 
from  the  jaws  of  death.  The  disease  was  accompanied  by  a 
troublesome  hiccough,  and  when  the  hiccough  ceased  the  dis- 
ease was  broken  up. 

Mr.  Orendorff  was  married  four  times.  He  first  married  in 
Kentucky  in  about  the  year  1811  Miss  Sally  Nichols.  By  this 
marriage  he  had  three  children,  James,  Elizabeth  and  William. 
She  died  not  long  afterwards.  He  next  married  in  Illinois 
Miss  Lovina  Sayles,  in  about  the  year  1819,  and  by  this  mar- 
riage had  five  children,  two  boys  and  three  girls.     They  were 


m'lean  county.  151 

Sarah,  Oliver,  Lewis,  Mary  J.  and  Nancy.  His  wife  Lovina  died 
November  9,  1831.  In  1834  he  married  Miss  Susan  Ogden, 
and  by  this  marriage  had  two  children,  Christopher  and  Mar- 
garet. She  died  not  long  afterwards.  On  his  sixty-second 
birth-day  Mr.  Orendorff  married  Miss  Naomi  Abel  and  by  this 
marriage  had  four  children,  Francis,  Orrin,  Emma  and  William. 
Four  of  his  children  are  now  living  in  McLean  County.  James 
K.  Orendorff,  Oliver  H.  P.  OrendoriF  and  John  Lewis  Orendorff 
live  at  or  near  Blooming  Grove.  Christopher  Orendorff  lives 
near  Cheney's  Grove. 

Mr.  Orendorff  was  a  man  of  great  popularity  and  had  many 
friends.  He  took  great  pleasure  in  entertaining  everyone  who 
came  to  his  house.  He  loved  to  see  their  friendly  faces  and 
probably  thought  that  the  most  perfect  happiness  consisted  in 
giving  the  people  of  the  earth  a  good  dinner  and  enjoying 
their  smiles  and  friendly  greetings.  He  had  indeed  a  generous 
disposition,  too  generous  for  his  own  good.  He  was  always 
ready  to  help  and  assist.  This  disposition  made  him  a  man  of 
great  popularity  and  influence.  He  became,  not  long  before 
his  death,  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church;  he  had  pre- 
viously inclined  to  uuiversalism.  He  died  May  12,  1869,  in  the 
seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

Thomas  Orendorff  and  John  Berry  Orendorff. 

Thomas  Orendorff  was  born  August  14,  1800,  in  Spartan- 
burg, South  Carolina.  His  father's  name  was  Christopher 
Orendorff  and  his  mother's,  before  her  marriage,  was  Elizabeth 
Phillips.  His  father  was  of  German  descent,  and  his  mother 
was  American.  His  father  had  a  family  of  twelve  children,  all 
of  whom  grew  to  be  men  and  women.  The  Orendorff  family 
left  Spartanburg  before  Thomas  was  seven  years  old  ;  neverthe- 
less he  remembers  much  of  the  place,  and  particularly  calls  to 
mind  a  fire  in  the  thickly  wooded  pine  forest.  This  fire  was  grander 
than  any  prairie  fire  he  has  ever  seen  in  the  West.  Impressions 
made  upon  children  are  sometimes  very  lasting.  Mr.  Oren- 
dorff remembers  a  preacher  by  the  name  of  Golightly,  who 
did  indeed  go  light!}-  upon  his  religion,  for  he  became  very 
worldly   minded.     Mr.    Orendorff  remembers  very  well  the  ne- 


152  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

groes  of  South  Carolina,  who  were  very  kindly  treated  and  lived 
in  comfortable  quarters. 

In  about  the  year  1807  the  OrendorfF  family  moved  west  of 
the  Cumberland  Mountains,  to  Franklin  County,  Tennessee. 
The  land  there  was  owned  principally  by  speculators,  and  had 
been  surveyed  in  large  tracts,  so  the  Orendorff  family  took  a 
new  departure,  and  in  1811  came  to  Kentucky.  The  country  was 
then  very  wild.  He  remembers  that  two  little  boys  were  lost  in 
the  mountains,  one  a  white  and  one  a  negro,  and  were  not  found 
until  nearly  starved  to  death.  Religious  excitement  sometimes 
became  very  high  in  Kentucky,  and  at  revivals  the  most  out- 
rageous antics  would  be  performed.  People  would  dance  and 
jerk  and  run  and  fall  on  the  floor. 

It  was  in  the  year  1811  that  the  earthquake  of  New  Madrid 
occurred  and  the  shocks  were  plainly  felt  in  Kentucky.  They 
felt  the  earth  shake  and  heard  noises  similar  to  distant  thunder. 
Mr.  Orendorff  afterwards  saw  many  chimneys,  which  had  been 
shaken  down  on  the  American  bottom  opposite  St.  Louis,  but 
the  earthquake  did  no  particular  damage  in  Kentucky.  After 
raising  one  crop  in  Christian  County,  the  Orendorff  family 
moved  to  Henderson  County,  Kentucky,  near  the  site  of  the 
present  town  of  Hendersonville,  and  remained  there  until  the 
spring  of  1817,  when  they  came  to  Illinois.  They  stayed  one 
year  on  the  Little  Wabash,  and  in  the  spring  of  1818  came  to 
St.  Clair,  east  of  Belleville.  In  the  spring  of  1819  Thomas 
Orendorff  went  to  Sangamon  County,  and  the  family  followed 
in  the  fall.  It  was  then  called  the  Saint  Gamy  country,  but  the 
words  were  afterwards  united  by  common  usage  and  became 
Sangamon.  Their  occupation  was  fighting  mosquitoes,  breaking 
prairie,  splitting  rails,  &c.  At  that  time  very  few  settlers  had 
come  to  Sangamon  County;  but  during  the  year  1820  they  came 
in  very  fast.  That  part  of  the  country  was  then  very  wet,  and 
Thomas  Orendorff  determined  at  once  to  find  a  better  loca- 
tion. In  1823  he  and  his  brother  William  mounted  their  horses 
and  came  to  Blooming  Grove,  then  called  Keg  Grove,  where 
they  found  two  settlers,  Dawson  and  Hendrix.  They  looked 
over  the  country  for  some  time,  and  at  last  Thomas  found  a  spot 
at  Blooming  Grove  that  suited  him,  and  said :  "There's  my 
claim,"  and  took  it.     This  is  the  place   now  owned  by  Stephen 


m'lban  county.  153 

Houghton.  William  Orendorft'  bought  a  claim  for  fifty  dollars 
in  the  southeast  of  Blooming  Grove  and  settled  there.  Thomas 
Orendorff  returned  twice  to  Sangamon  County,  and  the  last 
time  brought  the  family  of  William  Orendorff  from  there  to 
Blooming  Grove,  where  they  arrived  on  the  second  of  May, 
1823. 

When  Thomas  and  William  Orendorff  settled  in  McLean 
County  the  old  chief  of  the  Kickapoos  came  with  Machina  (af- 
terwards their  chief)  and  ordered  them  to  leave.  But  the  old 
chief  spoke  English  in  such  a  poor  manner  that  Thomas  Oren- 
dorff told  him  to  keep  still  and  let  Machina  talk.  Then  Machina 
drew  himself  up  and  said  in  his  heavy  voice :  "Too  much  come 
back,  white  man.  T'other  side  Sangamon."  Mr.  Orendorff  told 
Machina  that  the  latter  had  sold  the  land  to  the  whites ;  but 
Machina  denied  it,  and  the  discussion  waxed  warm,  and  the 
chiefs  went  away  feeling  very  much  insulted.  Mr.  Orendorff's 
friends  considered  his  life  very  much  in  danger,  and  he  was 
advised  to  leave  the  country  by  Judge  Latham,  the  Indian 
agent,  but  he  attended  to  his  business  and  was  not  molested.  At 
one  time  an  Indian,  called  Turkey,  came  to  Mr.  Orendorff  and 
gave  him  warning  that  Machina  would  kill  him  ;  but  no  attempt 
was  made  to  put  such  a  threat  into  execution. 

The  Indians  in  this  locality  wrere  principal^  Kickapoos,  but 
after  a  while  some  Delawares  came,  but  they  looked  to  the 
Kickapoos  for  protection.  The  Pottawotamies  also  passed 
through  occasionally. 

The  Delawares  were  much  like  the  Kickapoos.  For  the  cu- 
riosity of  the  reader  we  give  here  a  few  words  of  the  Delaware 
language,  which  were  remembered  by  Mrs.  Orendorff.  They 
used  the  decimal  system  in  counting,  and  the  following  are  their 
numerals  up  to  ten  :  Cota,  nitia,  naha,  nawai,  palini,  cotosh, 
nishhosh,  hosh,  pashcon,  telon. 

The  Indians,  it  is  well  knowm,  never  loved  work,  but  occa- 
sionally they  indulged  in  it  by  way  of  variety.  One  Indian, 
called  Moonshine,  chopped  logs  for  Mr.  Orendorff  while  the 
latter  split  rails.  Mr.  Orendorff  paid  him  a  twist  of  tobacco 
for  each  cut,  which  made  fifteen  or  twenty  rails.  The  Indian 
earned  nine  twists  of  tobacco  and  was  rich.  Mr.  Moonshine 
also  assisted  Mr.  Orendorff  in  putting  up  a  cabin. 


154  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Among  the  Kickapoos  were  two  Delaware  squaws,  who  were 
really  curiosities.  They  were  Aunt  Peggy  and  Aunt  Nancy. 
The  former  was  said  to  have  been  the  wife  of  one  of  the  Girtys, 
who,  it  is  well  known,  left  civilization,  joined  the  Indians  and 
fought  against  the  whites.  These  were  well  educated  squaws, 
and  Aunt  Peggy  was  a  Presbyterian,  but  it  is  unpleasant  to  relate 
that,  notwithstanding  Aunt  Peggy's  education  and  her  member- 
ship in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  she  had  the  failing  so  common 
among  Indians — she  drank  more  whisky  than  was  good  for  an 
elderly  matron. 

Mr.  Orendorff  says  the  Indians  have  the  same  little  jealousies 
and  heartburnings  which  trouble  the  whites,  and  these  little 
feelings  are  sometimes  manifested  in  curious  ways.  At  one  time 
he  saw  a  Kickapoo  and  a  Delaware  talking  together  in  a  pleasant 
way.  They  seemed  to  be  on  the  most  intimate  terms  of  friend- 
ship. They  had  been  to  a  dance  together  during  the  evening 
previous,  and  it  seemed  that  they  were  Damon  and  Pythias  come 
to  earth  again,  and  that  in  their  warm  affection  they  would  be 
willing  to  «;ive  their  lives  for  each  other.  But  a  moment  after- 
wards  their  backs  were  turned  and  the  Delaware  said  to  Mr. 
Orendorff:  "Ugh!  don't  like  Kickapoo:  Kickapoo  is  mean": 
and  probably  the  Kickapoo  had  the  same  opinion  of  the  Dela- 
ware. 

Mr.  Orendorff  settled  on  his  claim  in  Blooming  Grove  in  the 
fall  of  1824,  and  in  October  of  that  year  married  Mary  Malinda 
Walker.    The  service  was  performed  by  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rhodes. 

Mr.  Ollendorff's  experience  with  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow 
was  very  much  like  the  experience  of  others.  His  stock  walked 
over  stake  and  rider  fences,  and  he  pounded  corn  as  did  the  rest 
of  his  neighbors. 

When  Mr.  Orendorff  came  to  this  country,  the  county  was 
called  Fayette,  but  shortly  afterwards  Tazewell  County  was  or- 
ganized, and  the  excitement  over  it  was  very  great.  The  first 
election  in  Tazewell  County  was  held  at  the  house  of  William 
Orendorff,  where  Mr.  W.  H.  Hodge  was  elected  sheriff  and 
Thomas  Orendorff  coroner. 

Mr.  Orendorff  thinks  he  was  the  first  who  gave  the  name  of 
Blooming  to  the  grove.  The  circumstances  are  related  in  the 
sketch  of  John  Rhodes.     The  two  men  were  writing  letters  and 


m'lean  county.  155 

when  Rhodes  asked  what  name  to  give  the  grove,  Mr.  Orendorff 
looked  up  to  the  maple  trees  which  were  just  coming  out  with 
blossoms  and  said  :  "It  looks  blooming  here,  I  think  we  had 
better  call  it  Blooming  Grove. 

In  the  year  1830  the  county  of  McLean  was  organized. 
Various  petitions  were  circulated  for  that  purpose,  and  in  order 
to  show  that  no  "snap  judgment"  was  taken  a  small  protest 
against  it  was  presented  from  Waynesville.  The  petition  was 
taken  to  Vandalia  by  Thomas  Orendorff  and  Colonel  James 
Latta.  Mr.  William  Lee  D.  Ewing,  a  very  fine  man,  who  was 
the  speaker  of  the  house,  interested  himself  in  the  matter.  But 
Mr.  Ewing  was  rather  slow  about  it  and  the  two  men  were 
obliged  to  wait  for  several  days.  At  last  Mr.  Ewing  called  them 
into  his  room  and  asked  what  the  name  of  the  county  should  be. 
Colonel  Latta  wished  it  named  Hendricks  County  after  Mr. 
Hendricks  of  Indiana;  but  Mr.  Ewing  remarked  that  he  was 
afraid  to  have  it  called  after  any  living  man,  for  no  person's 
reputation  was  safe  before  he  was  in  his  grave,  for  if  he  was 
living  he  might  possibly  do  some  thing  mean  and  the  county 
would  be  ashamed  of  him.  Mr.  Ewing  therefore  proposed  to 
call  the  name  of  the  county  McLean  after  John  McLean,  who 
had  been  their  representative  in  congress  and  was  very  much 
thought  of.  This  was  done  and  the  great  county  of  McLean 
received  its  name.  The  bill  was  passed  without  any  opposition 
through  the  Lower  House  in  the  forenoon  and  through  the  Sen- 
ate in  the  afternoon.  In  the  bill,  creating  the  county,  three  com- 
missioners were  named  to  locate  the  county  seat.  They  were 
Mr.  Freeman  and  Jonathan  Pugh  of  Macon  County  and  Lemuel 
Lee  of  Vandalia.  The  commissioners  appointed  Thomas  Oren- 
dorff the  first  assessor.  The  first  assessment  was  made  roughly 
on  what  each  person  was  worth  without  specifying  his  property, 
and  was  completed  in  thirteen  days.  The  lowest  valuation  of 
property  was  eleven  dollars. 

After  remaining  at  Blooming  Grove  for  some  time,  Mr. 
Orendorff  began  to  take  a  philosophical  view  of  the  country  and 
of  the  general  prospect,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
groves  would  be  well  settled  around  their  edges  in  the  course  of 
time,  and  he  expected  some  day  to  see  Blooming  Grove  sur- 
rounded by  a  cordon  of  farms.     Then  he  began  to   ask  himself 


156  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

how  in  such  a  case  the  cattle  could  get  out  from  the  grove  to  the 
prairie  to  graze.  After  thinking  the  matter  over  for  some  time 
he  moved  to  Little  Grove  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  east  of 
the  lower  end  of  Blooming  Grove,  where  he  lives  at  the  present 
time.  But  his  expectations  of  always  having  range  for  his  cattle 
have  been  blasted.  The  prairie  has  become  thickly  settled  and 
is  covered  Math  farms,  and  the  almost  boundless  pasture  is  gone. 

Mr.  Orendorff  has  had  thirteen  children  of  whom  eleven 
grew  up  to  manhood  and  womanhood.     They  are : 

John  Berry  Orendorff  who  lives  near  his  father. 

David  Owen  Orendorff  who  now  lives  in  Kansas. 

Mrs.  Mar}r  Sophronia  Able,  wife  of  Daniel  Able  of  Cheney's 
Grove. 

Mrs.  Catherine  Scott,  wife  of  John  Scott  of  Bloomington 
township. 

Mrs.  Caroline  Baremore,  wife  of  John  Baremore  of  Bloom- 
ington township. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Margaret  Orendorff,  wife  of  Thomas  Orendorff  of 
Hopedale. 

Thomas  Walker  Orendorff. 

Mrs.  Martha  Malinda  Luce,  wife  of  Albert  Luce  of  Bloom- 
ington township. 

Charles  Orendorff  lives  at  home. 

Ben  Jay  Orendorff,  who  lives  in  Chicago. 

Mrs.  Olive  Jane  Hollis,  wife  of  Allen  Hollis,  lives  at  her 
father's  house. 

Mr.  Orendorff  is  veiy  tall,  is  six  feet  four  and  one-half  inches 
high.  It  is  pretty  hard  to  give  a  clear  idea  of  his  appearance 
and  expression.  When  he  smiles,  his  laugh  goes  into  his  chin 
and  he  appears  exceedingly  amused.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  be  in 
his  presence  and  see  him  smile.  He  is  kind  to  his  family  and 
his  neighbors,  and  when  he  parts  with  them  he  says  kindly  "  I 
wish  you  well."  We  are  sure  that  everyone  who  knows  him 
must  wish  him  well,  and  even  if  old  Machina,  the  Kickapoo 
chief,  were  living,  he  would  be  willing  to  forget  their  old  ani- 
mosity and  "  shake  hands  across  the  bloodv  chasm." 


m'lean  county.  157 

John  Berry  Orendorff. 

John  Berry  Orendorff  was  born  May  3,  1827,  on  the  old 
Mason  farm,  in  the  south  part  of  Blooming  Grove,  on  the  place 
now  owned  by  Stephen  Houghton.  Although  he  was  very  young 
when  the  deep  snow  came  in  1830  and  '31,  he  clearly  remembers 
it,  and  remembers  the  walls  of  snow  which  were  thrown  up  to 
make  a  path  from  the  house  to  the  barn. 

The  sudden  change  in  the  weather  which  came  in  Decern- 
ber,  1836,  came  when  the  little  Orendorffs  were  out  at  play  in 
the  yard  and  nearly  blew  them  away  and  froze  their  little  noses 
before  tbey  could  get  into  the  house. 

Mr.  Orendorff 's  experience  has  been  that  of  nearly  all  the 
old  settlers.  He  has  fought  fire  on  the  prairies  when  it  threat- 
ened to  take  everything  before  it;  he  has  at  a  single  time  been 
obliged  to  fi^ht  it  for  two  miles  and  a  half,  when  it  rolled  on  be- 
tween  Blooming  and  Randolph's  Grove. 

Mr.  Orendorff  remembers  very  clearly,  and  gives  a  good  de- 
scription of  the  queer  contrivances  used  by  the  people  of  early 
days.  It  was  the  duty  of  every  settler  to  exercise  his  ingenuity 
in  fighting  against  the  common  enemy  of  the  farmers,  the 
wolves,  which  carried  off  the  chickens  and  sheep  and  little  pigs. 
Traps  were  made  for  them  of  the  most  ingenious  kind.  A  trap 
was  made  of  logs  or  heavy  poles,  and  was  ten  feet  square  and 
two  and  a  half  or  three  feet  high.  The  fioorwas  of  puncheons, 
so  that  the  wolves  could  not  scratch  out  underneath.  One  of  the 
top  logs  was  hinged,  and  was  raised  up  and  braced  with  a  trig- 
ger after  the  fashion  of  a  rabbit  trap.  The  trigger  was  inside, 
and  had  attached  to  it  a  piece  of  meat.  The  wolves  would 
smell  the  meat  for  a  long  distance  and  come  up  to  the  trap  cau- 
tiously and  jump  in  and  grab  the  meat,  when  the  log  above 
would  fall  and  capture  them. 

The  first  plows  used  by  the  settlers  were  made  of  wood,  the 
next  of  iron  and  the  last  of  steel.  The  first  plow  which  Mr. 
Orendorff"  used  was  called  the  Barshear.  This  was  a  plow  hav- 
ing a  piece  of  iron  for  a  shear,  which  ran  fiat  on  the  ground 
and  had  a  bar  attached  which  extended  from  the  point  several 
feet  back,  and  held  the  plow  steady.  The  mould  board  was 
made  of  wood,  and  the  plow  worked  very  well.  Many  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  acres  have  been   ploughed   with  the  Barsheiir. 


1-58  OLD  SETTLERS  OF 

But  after  a  while  an  improvement  was  made,  and  the  Gary  plow 
with  an  iron  mould  board  was  manufactured.  But  this  would 
not  scour,  and  a  plow  with  a  mould  board  of  steel  was  substi- 
tuted. 

Corn  was  formerly  ploughed  by  going  three  times  through 
the  furrow,  but  with  the  modern  cultivator  it  is  only  necessary 
to  go  once.  The  wheat  was  formerly  cut  with  a  sickle,  pitched 
with  wooden  forks  and  tramped  out  with  horses.  The  first  har- 
rows were  A  shaped,  and  had  wooden  teeth,  but  now  they  are 
of  various  shapes  and  have  teeth  of  steel.  Wheat  was  cleaned 
by  throwing  it  in  the  air,  or  slowly  dropping  it  from  some  high 
place  and  fanning  it  as  it  fell,  with  a  sheet  which  two  persons 
raised  and  lowered.  The  people  raised  their  own  sheep,  cut 
the  wool,  washe  it,  picked  it  to  pieces  and  carded  it,  and  the 
women  spun  it.  Every  farmer  raised  flax.  It  was  pulled  by 
hand  and  laid  in  .ales,  until  it  was  bleached  and  rotted,  then  it 
was  tied  up  and  hauled  in.  When  dry  it  was  broken  with  a 
hand  break  and  the  shives  (or  bark)  were  separated  by  striking 
the  iiax  with  a  wooden  knife,  as  the  flax  was  held  over  a  board, 
called  a  scutcheon  board.  The  tow  was  afterwards  separated 
by  a  fine  hackle  or  comb,  and  was  used  for  coarse  goods,  while 
the  flax  was  used  for  fine  goods.  It  was  spun  and  woven  by  the 
women,  liopes  were  made  of  tow  by  twisting  the  single  strands 
with  crank-,  then  passing  them  through  holes  and  twisting  thorn 
all  together  Cotton  was  often  raised  and  taken  to  Springfield 
to  be  ginned,  :  fter  which  it  was  spun  and  woven  by  the  indus- 
trious women. ' 

Mr.  Orendoiil'is  a  man  rather  above  the  ordinary  .-tature  and 
is  quite  heavily  built.  He  is  a  thriving  and  industrious  farmer, 
a  hard  worker,  and  a  good  father  to  his  interesting  family,  lie 
likes  to  see  his  friends  and  usually  keeps  some  good  cider  for 
them.  He  married  Xovember  18,  1847,  Xancy  Jane  McCairn, 
and  has  had  six  children  in  all,  five  of  whom  are  living. 

James  K.  Orbndokff. 

James  K.  Orendorffwas  born  December  28,  1812,  near  Hop- 
kinsville,  Kentucky.  His  parents  were  of  German  and  Welch 
descent.  His  father,  William  Orendorff,  was  born  in  Georgia. 
He  made  a  visit  to  Illinois  in  1816,  and  in  1817  came  with  his 


m'lean  county.  159 

family  to  live  here.  He  settled  in  St.  Clair  County  and  lived 
there  and  in  Clinton  County  until  the  fall  of  1822.  He  lived 
during  the  winter  of  1822  and  '23  in  Sangamon  County,  within 
six  miles  of  Springfield.  During  the  fall  of  1822  he  made  a  visit 
to  Blooming  Grove,  and  moved  there  on  the  second  of  May, 
1823.  He  first  made  a  log  cabin,  then  hewed  puncheons  and 
clapboards  and  made  a  house.  These  early  houses  were  curios- 
ities in  their  way.  The  door  of  Mr.  OrendorfT's  cabin  was,  he 
thinks,  pinned  on  with  wooden  pins.  The  shelves  were  made 
of  boards  held  up  with  pins.  The  hearth  and  fire  place  were  of 
beaten  earth,  and  the  chimney  was  made  of  sticks  and  clay.  The 
first  school  teacher  to  whom  he  went  was  "William  II.  Hodge, 
who  understood  how  to  teach  the  little  pioneers  their  a,  b,  c's 
successfully.  When  Mr.  OrendorfF  came  here  the  country  was 
an  almost  unbroken  wilderness.  A  few  miners  were  at  work 
near  Galena,  and  a  few  whites  at  the  salt  works  about  six  miles 
this  side  of  Danville. 

Mr.  Orendorft"  remembers  the  changes  in  the  weather. 
These  are  matters  more  particularly  noted  by  the  early  settlers, 
as  the}7  were  more  exposed  to  wind  and  storm  and  sudden 
changes.  In  the  spring  of  1827,  by  the  middle  of  March,  the 
grass  was  ankle  high  in  the  marshes,  and  the  prairies  had  a 
greenish  tinge,  but  not  enough  grass  for  cattle,  except  near  the 
sloughs. 

The  people  did  their  trading  at  Springfield,  and  there  they 
wont  to  mill.  Every  settler  who  went  did  trading  for  himself 
and  his  neighbors.  People  then  had  very  little  money  to  buy 
with,  and  nearly  all  business  was  done  by  exchange. 

The  people  then  practised  the  most  rigid  economy.  They 
spun  their  own  clothing  and  colored  it  with  walnut  bark,  indigo 
and  hickory  bark.  They  raised  their  own  cotton  and  flax  and 
made  their  own  sugar.  They  boiled  maple  sap  .in  large  iron 
kettles,  which  they  bought  by  weight,  giving  for  them  maple 
sugar  and  trading  pound  for  pound.  The  settlers  made  their 
own  boots  and  shoes  and  clothing  of  all  kinds.  Mrs.  Orendorff 
has  a  quilt  made  of  cotton  by  hand  before  the  deep  snow.  It  is 
finely  made  and  a  great  curiosity,  and  Mrs.  Orendorff  is  justly 
proud  of  it. 


160  OLD    SETTLEKS    OF 

The  taxes  paid  by  the  people  at  first  went  to  Vandalia,  as 
that  was  then  the  county  seat  of  the  great  county  of  Fayette. 
In  1831,  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  William  Orendorft',  the  father 
of  James,  was  the  auctioneer  to  sell  the  town  lots  of  Blooming- 
ton,  as  on  that  day  the  little  town  was  born. 

Mr.  James  K.  Orendorft'  takes  great  interest  in  the  peculiar 
customs  of  the  first  settlers  and  the  devices  used  by  them  in 
their  labor.  Their  wheat  was  first  separated  from  the  straw  by 
tramping  it  out  with  horses.  They  cleaned  the  wheat  by  throw- 
ing it  in  the  air  and  allowing  the  wind  to  blow  out  the  chaft',  or 
by  letting  it  fall  from  some  altitude  and  fanning  it  with  a  sheet 
which  two  persons  waved  in  the  air.  The  settlers  would  use  a 
hollow  log  or  one  which  they  gouged  out  with  an  axe,  for  a  sugar 
trough  or  as  a  convenient  receptacle  for  pork.  Old  Ephraim 
Stout  was  most  skillful  in  the  work  of  makiug  these  troughs 
and  used  them  for  wash  tubs.  He  put  legs  to  them  to  hold  them 
up  and  fitted  pins  in  the  bottoms  to  empty  the  water.  An  old 
ATermonter  used  a  tin  pan  scoured  up  brightly,  as  a  looking 
<dass.  One  would  think  that  a  device  of  such  a  nature  would 
have  been  discovered  by  a  woman.  The  pitchforks  used  Irv 
early  settlers  were  made  of  wood,  and  it  was  many  years  before 
the  iron-toothed  forks  were  seen  in  the  West. 

Mr.  Orendorft'  was  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  was  a 
member  of  the  company  commanded  by  Merritt  Covel.  The 
company  went  first  to  Pekin,  from  there  to  Peoria  and  on  to 
Dixon's  Ferry.  They  had  very  few  provisions.  On  their  way 
to  Dixon  they  joined  the  command  of  Major  Stillman  at  Red 
Oak  Grove.  There  Mr.  Orendorft  and  six  others  lost  their 
horses,  but  he  came  along  on  foot.  When  the  command 
came  to  a  high  ridge,  overlooking  the  Winnebago  Swamps,  they 
saw  far  off"  to  the  left  down  Rock  River  a  smoke  suddenly  rising, 
which  was  supposed  to  be  a  signal  made  by  the  Indians  of  the 
coming  of  the  whites.  Major  Stillman's  men  left  their  baggage 
wagons  at  the  Winnebago  Swamps,  and  made  a  forced  march  to 
Dixon's  Ferry,  where  they  arrived  at  night.  The  next  morning 
their  baggage  wagons  came  in,  and  one  of  the  soldiers  (Bob 
Harbert)  said,  "they  arrived  more  by  good  luck  than  good  con- 
duct." They  remained  for  several  days  at  Dixon,  until  the 
"Governor's  troops"  with  Governor  Rejmolds  came  up.     Major 


m'lean  county.  101 

Stillman's  men  there  drew  live  days'  provisions  and  went  up 
Rock  River  on  the  famous  expedition  which  resulted  in  ''Still- 
man's  Run."  When  the  five  days'  provisions  were  drawn,  the 
baggage  wagons  were  empty.  As  Mr.  Orendorff  had  no  horse 
he  did  not  go  up  Rock  River  with  his  company,  but  took  the 
empty  baggage  wagons  back  to  Winnebago  Swamps  to  meet 
Captain  McClure's  company,  and  carried  orders  for  Captain  Mc- 
Clure  to  turn  up  Rock  River  with  his  men  and  provisions,  in 
order  to  supply  the  men  under  Stillman.  There  Mr.  Orendorff 
got  his  horse,  which  had  been  found  by  John  Rhodes,  Owen 
Cheney,  and  others.  It  was  a  fine,  dark,  chestnut  sorrel,  and  he 
has  the  same  breed  yet.  Captain  McClure's  company  had  no 
provisions,  and  they  came  immediately  on  to  Dixon's  Ferry, 
where  they  arrived  the  evening  before  Stillman's  defeat.  The 
second  morning  afterwards  from  two  o'clock  until  eleven  Still- 
man's  men  came  straggling  in.  On  that  day  the  greater  part  of 
the  army  went  up  to  bury  the  dead  of  Stillman's  Run,  but 
Mr.  Orendorff  was  sent  with  some  others  down  to  the  rapids, 
ten  or  fifteen  miles  distant,  to  bring  up  provisions  which  were 
taken  up  that  far  in  keel  boats.  Nothing  further  of  any  conse- 
quence occurred,  in  which  Mr.  Orendorff  took  part,  previous  to 
the  discharge  of  the  men,  and  the  re-organization  of  the  army. 
The  soldiers  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  were  remarkable  for  their 
ingenuity  and  good  management  under  the  difficulties  and  hard- 
ships to  which  they  were  subjected.  They  mixed  up  their  flour 
in  a  hollow  hickory  bark,  put  a  piece  of  the  dough  on  a  stick 
and  roasted  it.  They  made  meal  soup  of  water,  meal  and  gravy, 
after  frying  their  meat ;  and  they  resorted  to  a  thousand  ingen- 
ious devices  to  prepare  their  food  and  make  themselves  com- 
fortable under  difficulties. 

When  the  country  was  new,  all  lumber  for  building  purposes 
was  first  hewed  out  with  axes,  but  afterwards  a  great  improve- 
ment was  made  when  the  whip  saw  was  introduced.  The  log  to 
bg  sawed  was  first  made  square,  then  raised  high  enough  from 
the  ground  for  a  man  to  stand  under  it  conveniently,  and  the 
whip  saw  was  pulled  up  and  down,  one  man  standing  above  and 
another  below.  Two  hundred  feet  of  lumber  could  be  sawed 
out  in  a  day. 

11 


162  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

The  land  in  Illinois  was  surveyed  in  October,  1823,  but  the 
sale  did  not  take  place  until  1829,  and  then  the  settlers  had  to  be 
active  in  securing  their  titles. 

Game  was  plenty  in  early  days.  On  the  Okaw  River  Mr. 
Orendorff  saw  deer  in  droves  of  from  fifty  to  three  hundred,  in- 
deed the  number  of  deer  in  the  country  was  astonishing.  "When 
the  settlers  came  in  they  cultivated  corn,  which  stood  ungathered 
during  the  winter,  and  the  deer  fed  on  it  and  came  out  in  the 
spring  in  fine  condition.  In  addition  to  this  the  settlers  made 
constant  war  on  the  wolves,  gave  bounties  for  their  scalps,  and 
hunted  them  with  dogs  and  horses,  and  as  these  pests  of  the 
earth  became  thinned  out  the  deer  multiplied  more  rapidly.  The 
Indians  went  down  to  the  Okaw  in  the  fall  to  hunt  deer  and  re- 
turned in  the  spring. 

Mr.  Orendorff  remembers  among  the  Indians  two  old  squaws, 
Peggy  and  Nancy,  who  stayed  in  Blooming  Grove  during  the 
wi nter  while  the  tribe  went  down  on  the  Okaw.  Aunt  Peggy 
was  supposed  to  have  been  the  wife  of  Simon  Girty,  the  cele- 
brated white  renegade.  Both  of  these  squaws  were  splendidly 
formed  women.     Aunt  Nancy  was  fully  six  feet  in  height. 

James  K.  Orendorff  is  of  rather  less  than  the  medium  sta- 
ture, has  small,  dark,  expressive  eyes,  is  a  hard  worker,  gets  on 
well  in  the  world,  has  a  fine  farm  well  stocked,  and  appears 
prosperous.  He  is  a  man  of  positive  ideas,  and  thinks  he  would 
rather  rely  upon  the  honesty  of  the  old  settlers  than  upon  the 
obligations  imposed  by  law.  He  thinks  a  great  deal  of  his  fam- 
ily, takes  pride  in  them  and  makes  great  exertions  for  their 
welfare  and  comfort.  He  married,  May  4,  1837,  Miss  Lovina 
Sales,  daughter  of  Elias  and  Sarah  Sales.  They  have  had  six 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living.  One  died  in  infancy.  The 
children  are  : 

William  Orendorff,  born  December  9,  1839,  lives  temporarily 
on  his  grandfather's  place,  about  half  a  mile  north  of  his  father's 
house. 

Perry  Orendorff,  born  July  7,  1842,  lives  in  West  township, 
section  thirty-six. 

James  Orendorff,  born  August  20,  1844,  lives  at  home. 
Mary  Francis  Orendorff,  born,  September  21,  1847,  lives   at 
home. 


m'lean  county.  163 

Sarah  Adeline  Orendorff,  born  January  21,  1854,  died  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1857. 

Oliver  Hazard  Perry  Orendorff. 

Oliver  IT.  P.  Orendorff  was  born  May  16,  1822,  in  Washington 
County,  Illinois.  When  he  was  about  one  year  old  his  father 
came  to  that  part  of  Fayette  County,  which  now  forms  the  coun- 
ty of  McLean,  and  settled  at  Blooming  Grove.  This  was  on  the 
second  of  May,  1823.  Mr.  O.  II.  P.  Orendorff  has  lived  here 
ever  since.  The  first  school  he  attended  was  kept  by  William 
H.  Hodge.  Books  were  then  scarce  in  the  West  and  the  one 
Oliver  studied  was  an  old  fashioned  almanac.  He  was  rather  a 
precocious  youth  and  his  memory  goes  back  to  an  early  period. 
He  remembers  when  David  Cox  came  to  the  country,  which  was 
in  September,  1826.  Mr.  Orendorff  went  to  school  to  Mr.  Hodge, 
when  it  was  kept  about  a  mile  distant.  He  was  then  very  small, 
and  at  one  time,  when  the  weather  was  cold,  he  would  have  been 
frozen  to  death,  had  he  not  been  dragged  to  the  school-house  by 
his  sister  and  Maria  Dawson. 

The  great  hurricane,  which  swept  through  Blooming  Grove 
came  on  the  nineteenth  of  June,  1827.  Although  the  house, 
where  the  Orendorffs  lived,  was  not  in  the  immediate  track  of 
the  hurricane,  it  blew  there  fearfully.  While  it  was  coming  up 
even  the  beasts  of  the  field  understood  the  danger.  The  Oren- 
dorff boys,  who  were  at  home  alone,  had  just  driven  up  the 
cattle,  and  when  the  dumb  creatures  saw  the  coming  storm  they 
took  refuge  in  a  new  and  unoccupied  log  house.  The  hurricane 
unroofed  the  houses  of  William  Evans  and  William  Walker 
although  the}7  were  not  in  its  immediate  track.  It  passed  through 
the  timber  and  piled  up  the  trees  in  some  places  twenty  feet 
high.  Nothing  in  the  forest  could  stand  before  it.  The  trees 
were  broken  and  twisted  and  torn.  About  nineteen  days  after- 
wards as  Mr.  William  Orendorff  and  some  others  were  looking 
at  the  wreck  of  the  scattered  timber,  they  found  a  hog  pinned 
fast  to  the  ground  by  the  limb  of  a  tree  and  much  bruised  and 
unable  to  move.  The  logs  were  cut  and  it  was  released  from 
confinement  and  afterwards  made  a  fine  porker.  The  width  ot 
the  hurricane  was  about  half  a  mile  and  its  lengrth  no  one  knows. 


164  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Its  direction  was  almost  due  east.     It  passed  through  Blooming 
Grove  at  about  twilight  in  the  evening. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  Mr.  Orendorff  went  to 
school  to  Cheney  Thomas  through  the  timber.  After  the  heavy 
snow  fell  a  road  was  broken  and  the  little  Orendorffs  by  passing 
back  and  forth  kept  the  road  clear.  But  outside  of  the  timber 
no  road  remained  broken  longer  than  a  few  hours,  as  the  snow 
drifted  over  it.  The  Orendorff  family  suffered  very  little  during 
this  winter,  but  many  families  were  so  distressed  with  the  cold 
and  lack  of  corn  that  they  allowed  their  cattle  to  take  care 
of  themselves.  The  corn  crop  during  the  season  previous  was 
very  line,  but  the  season  following  was  so  cold  and  short  by 
reason  of  the  length  of  time  required  to  melt  away  the  deep 
snow,  that  very  little  corn  came  to  maturity.  The  suffering 
caused  by  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  food  was  sometimes  ex- 
treme. A  man  named  Rook,  who  lived  on  Rook's  Creek  about 
twenty  miles  north  of  Lexington,  became  short  of  provisions, 
and  it  seemed  that  his  family  must  starve.  He  made  himself 
some  snow  shoes,  took  a  hand  sled  and  walked  twenty  miles  to 
wThere  Lexington  now  is,  and  there  found  corn  which  he  took 
home  to  his  starving  family. 

Mr.  Orendorff  has  a  lively  recollection  of  the  Indians,  and 
particularly  of  two  squaws,  Aunt  Peggy  and  Aunt  Nancy. 
These  squaws  were  pretty  well  educated,  and  it  is  said  that,  while 
listening  to  a  backwoods  preacher,  they  amused  themselves  by 
criticising  his  grammatical  blunders.  They  often  came  to  the 
house  of  Mrs.  Orendorff  (mother  of  Oliver)  and  helped  her  wash 
and  do  her  work.  They  were  particularly  pleased  with  children, 
and  greatly  .admired  every  likely  looking  white  papoose.  They 
took  a  great  fancy  to  Oliver,  and  wished  to  bring  him  up  and 
make  an  Indian  chief  of  him. 

Mrs.  Orendorff  died  on  the  9th  of  November,  1831,  and  this 
sad  event  affected  Oliver  very  deeply. 

Oliver  Orendorff'  had  a  somewhat  adventurous  disposition. 
When  he  was  very  young  he  went  with  his  brother  James  with 
a  six  horse  team  to  St.  Louis  for  a  load  of  goods  for  Greenberry 
Larison.  They  passed  through  Springfield,  which  was  then  a 
village  of  log  huts.  In  1834  he  went  with  a  party  of  drovers  to 
White  Oak  Springs,    near  Galena,   with    a    lot  of  hogs.     They 


m'lean  county.  105 

crossed  Rock  River  at  Dixon's  Ferry,  and  there  Mr.  Orendorff 
saw  old  Father  Dixon,  then  the  only  white  inhabitant  at  that 
point.  At  Kellogg's  Grove,  where  during  the  Black  Hawk  war 
Colonel  Dement  had  fought  the  Indians  with  his  Spy  Battalion, 
he  saw  the  bones  of  horses  and  a  human  skull.  Although  Oli- 
ver was  only  twelve  years  of  age,  he  was  taken  along  with  these 
drovers  for  something  besides  amusement ;  it  was  his  business  to 
take  care  of  a  team.  He  was  then  a  "sassy"  little  driver,  but 
hardy  and  tough.  He  had  no  remarkable  adventure  on  the  way. 
He  often  went  to  Chicago,  was  once  seventeen  days  on  his  jour- 
ney, and  received  only  fift}^  cents  a  bushel  for  his  wheat.  Of 
course  he  always  camped  out  on  these  expeditions. 

During  the  sudden  change  in  the  weather  in  December, 
1836,  Oliver  Orendorff  was  at  school.  The  ground  was  covered 
with  slush  and  water,  and  young  Benjamin  Cox  made  a  wish 
that  the  weather  would  turn  cold,  and  freeze  over  the  creek.  It 
did  turn  cold,  so  cold  that  many  of  the  scholars  could  not  go 
home  ;  the  little  Orendorffs  were  "weather-bound,"  and  staid  over 
night  at  William  Michael's.  The  following  morning  Oliver  went 
home  on  horseback,  and  while  crossing  a  creek  his  horse  broke 
through  the  ice  at  a  riffle  and  at  the  same  time  went  under  a  low 
hanging  limb  of  a  tree  which  brushed  Oliver  from  the  horse's 
back.  Unfortunately  he  got  his  boot  full  of  water,  but  he  mount- 
ed his  horse  and  rode  home,  a  half  a  mile  distant,  on  the 
keen  run.  When  he  arrived  there  his  boot  was  frozen  fast  to 
his  foot,  and  he  had  great  difficulty  in  pulling  it  off. 

During  the  famous  wet  season  of  1844,  Mr.  Orendorff  moved 
the  goods  and  stock  of  an  aunt  of  his  to  Iowa.  He  started  on 
the  Itlh  of  May,  walked  the  whole  distance  and  with  his  cousin 
drove  twenty  head  of  cattle.  They  waded  and  swam  the  sloughs 
and  creeks,  and  crossed  the  Illinois  River  by  wading,  ferrying 
and  swimming.  The  horses  attached  to  their  wagon  went 
through  with  much  kicking,  and  scratching,  but  came  out  safe 
at  last.  He  returned  home  by  the  fourth  of  June,  and  says  that 
daring  all  the  time  he  was  gone  his  clothes  were  never  once  en- 
tirely dry.  He  helped  his  uncle  plant  corn  before  he  started, 
and  on  his  return  helped  his  father  plant  corn,  as  the  ground  had 
been  difficult  to  plow  on  account  of  the  wet. 

The  first  camp-meeting  Mr.  Orendorff  ever  attended  was  held 


166  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

on  the  place  where  he  now  lives.  The  Rev.  Peter  Cartwright 
was  present,  and  preached  in  his  most  interesting  and  humorous 
stvle. 

Mr.  Orendorff"  married,  April  1,  1847,  Sarah  Levina  Hendrix, 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Jane  Hendrix,  the  first  settlers  within 
the  limits  of  the  present  McLean  County.  The  marriage  was 
celebrated  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Jane  Hendrix,  near  where  Mr. 
Orendorff"  now  lives.  They  have  had  two  children,  one  daugh- 
ter and  one  son,  both  of  whom  are  now  living.     They  are : 

Mrs.  Mary  Jane  Cox,  wife  of  William  M.  Cox,  lives  near 
the  line  between  Bloomiugton  and  Randolph  townships. 

George  Perry  Orendorff  lives  at  the  homestead  with  his 
father. 

Mr.  Orendorff  is  five  feet  and  ten  and  one-half  inches  high, 
is  not  heavily  built,  seems  to  enjoy  a  fair  degree  of  health,  and 
appears  pretty  muscular  and  well  developed.  He  is  very  posi- 
tive in  his  opinions,  is  a  man  of  good  sense,  is  very  kind  and 
sociable  and  ready  to  do  a  favor,  thinks  a  great  deal  of  old 
times  and  the  old  settlers,  and  is  himself  one  of  the  best  of 
them.  He  works  hard,  is  careful  and  thrifty,  and  is  blessed 
with  a  fair  portion  of  the  world's  goods. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  sketches  in  this  book  that  the  Oren- 
dorff" family  has  certain  characteristics  which  are  common  to  all 
of  its  members.  They  are  all  of  them  blessed  with  social  and 
pleasant  dispositions,  and  they  all  of  them  have  that  kindness  of 
heart  and  genuine  good  feeling  for  which  the  early  settlers  were 
so  distinguished. 

Rev.  Ebenezer  Rhodes. 

The  information  necessary  to  write  the  following  sketch  of 
Rev.  Ebenezer  Rhodes  was  furnished  by  Mrs.  Jeremiah  Rhodes, 
his  daughter-in-law.  Reverend  Ebenezer  Rhodes  was  born  in 
1780  in  Holland.  He  has  often  said  that  when  he  was  very 
young  the  people  were  obliged  to  go  in  boats  to  milk  their  cows. 
Mr.  Rhodes  was,  even  when  a  boy,  very  tender-hearted.  Atone 
time  a  widow  lady  came  to  his  father's  house  and  asked  for  a 
little  corn.  But  provisions  were  scarce  then,  and  the  old  gentle- 
man  was   afraid   of  a  famine,  and   refused.     But  when  you  tig 


m'lean  county.  167 

Ebenezer  and  his  brother  learned  of  the  circumstance  they  took 
a  bushel  and  a  half  of  the  old  gentleman's  corn  to  her,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  four  miles.  The  Rhodes  family  came  to  America 
when  Ebenezer  was  very  young,  so  that  he  was  enabled  to  learn 
a  few  of  the  pranks  to  which  the  American  youths  were  addicted. 
His  father  was  very  particular  about  the  watermelon  patch,  but 
Ebenezer  sometimes  "  lifted"  it. 

When  he  was  about  nineteen  years  of  age  he  married  Mrs. 
Mary  Starr,  a  widow,  who  lived  in  Maryland.  In  about  the 
year  1803  he  moved  to  Champaign  County,  Ohio,  near  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Urbana,  on  Derby  Creek.  "While  near  there  in 
1806  the  neighborhood  was  alarmed  by  threats  of  an  Indian 
massacre,  and  the  Rhodes  family  rode  forty  miles  in  one  day  to 
escape.  But  it  proved  a  false  alarm,  caused  by  an  Indian  dance. 
In  1807  Mr.  Rhodes  moved  to  Buck  Creek,  six  or  seven  miles 
distant.  In  about  the  year  1819  or  '20  he  was  ordained  as  a 
preacher.  In  October,  1823,  he  came  to  Sangamon  County,  Illi- 
nois, and  in  April  following  he  came  to  McLean  County.  As 
soon  as  three  or  four  families  could  be  collected  together,  Mr. 
Rhodes  began  preaching.  He  preached  without  receiving  any 
salary  or  any  hope  or  thought  of  reward..  He  belonged  first  to 
the  Separate  Baptists,  but  afterwards  united  with  the  Christian 
church.  He  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Latta,  a  Methodist  minister,  often 
traveled  together  and  frequently  preached  at  the  same  place. 
Mr.  Rhodes  preached  at  Hittle's  Grove,  Cheney's  Grove,  Sugar 
Grove,  Long  Point,  Big  Grove,  Twin  Grove,  Dry  Grove,  the 
head  of  the  Mackinaw  and  other  places.  He  was  the  first 
preacher  in  McLean  County  and  for  a  long  time  the  only  one. 
He  organized  the  first  church  within  the  bounds  of  the  present 
McLean  County  at  his  house  at  Blooming  Grove,  and  everybody 
in  the  county  met  there  to  celebrate  the  occasion.  This  was  in 
1829.  No  building  for  public  worship  had  then  been  put  up, 
but  people  met  everywhere  in  private  houses.  While  not  en- 
gaged in  preaching  Mr.  Rhodes  made  chairs  and  reels  and  wheels 
for  spinning  flax,  cotton  and  wool. 

In  February,  1840,  Mr.  Rhodes  met  with  an  accident  which 
made  him  an  invalid  the  remainder  of  his  days.  While  cutting 
a  tree  in  the  timber  it  fell  on  him  breaking  one  of  his  thighs 
and  mashing  the  knee  of  the  other  leg.     He  was  obliged  always 


168  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

afterwards  to  go  on  crutches  and  lived  only  two  years  more. 
He  died  of  consumption  which  was  probably  brought  on  by  the 
accident  in  the  timber. 

In  1832  Mr.  Rhodes  and  his  son  Samuel  built  a  saw  mill  on 
Sugar  Creek  which  they  ran  by  water  for  two  years.  They  made 
the  mill,  dug  the  race  and  ran  it  together.  But  young  Aaron 
Rhodes  was  drowned  there  while  swimming  in  the  pond,  and 
this  sad  event  so  disheartened  the  old  gentleman  that  he  tore 
down  his  mill  shortly  afterwards  and  sold  his  saw  and  the  iron- 
work with  it. 

There  were  in  the  Rhodes  family  six  boys  and  three  girls, 
and  of  these  four  boys  and  one  girl  are  now  living.     They  are  : 

John  H.  S.  Rhodes  lives  about  two  miles  southeast  of  Bloom- 
incjton  on  the  Lerov  road. 

Samuel  Rhodes  lives  in  Iowa,  near  Winterset. 

Mrs.  Xaorni  digest,  wife  of  Samuel  Xigest,  lives  in  Jones 
County.  Iowa. 

Jeremiah  Rhodes  lives  three  miles  southeast  of  Bloomington 
on  the  Leroy  road. 

Rev.  James  Rhodes  lives  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

Rev.  Ebenezer  Rhodes  was  about  six  feet  in  height,  had  a 
Roman  nose,  weighed  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds, had 
a  long,  narrow  face  and  was  ver}-  stoop-shouldered.  He  was  an 
earnest  preacher  and  an  active  wide-awake  man.  He  read  the 
Scriptures  carefully  and  was  well  versed  in  biblical  lore. 

John  H.  S.  Rhodes. 

John  H.  S.  Rhodes  was  born  October  16,  1796,  on  George's 
Creek  in  Maryland.  His  father,  Ebenezer  Rhodes,  and  his 
mother,  Mary  Starr,  were  of  English  and  German  descent. 
"When  he  was  three  years  of  age  he  moved  to  Pennsylvania  with 
his  father's  family,  and  at  the  age  of  nine  years  he  came  to  Ohio. 
Here  he  grew  up  to  manhood,  and  in  course  of  time  was  mar- 
ried, as  would  naturally  be  expected.  In  1823  all  of  the  Rhodes 
family  came  to  Illinois.  During  the  first  winter  of  their  arrival 
they  stayed  in  Sangamon  County,  and  in  April,  1824,  came  to 
Blooming  Grove,  then  called  Keg  Grove.  There  are  two  ex- 
planations of  the  change  of  name  to  Blooming  Grove;  one  is 
that  its  latter   name  was  suggested  by  Mrs.  William  Orendorff, 


m'lean  county.  169 

and  the  other  is  that  it  was  agreed  to  by  Thomas  Orendorff  and 
John  Rhodes.       It  is    very  probable  that  both    of  these    ex- 
planations are  correct,  and  indeed  the  evidence'in  favor  of  either 
cannot  be  disputed.     Mr.  Rhodes  says  that  while  he  and  Thomas 
Orendorff  were  writing  letters  they  asked  each  other  what  they 
should  call  the  place,  and  Mr.  Orendorff,  glancing  at  the  maple 
trees,  which  were  in  full  bloom,  said  :  "It  looks  blooming  here, 
I  think  we  will  call  it  Blooming  Grove."     It  has  kept  the  name 
ever  since.     Mr.  Rhodes  was  very  poor  when  he  came  to  Bloom- 
ing Grove,  indeed  his  worldly  possessions  consisted  at  that  time 
of  almost  nothing  at  all.     The  winter  after  he  came  to  the  Grove 
he  went  to  Sangamon  Count}'  and  husked  corn  for  Hardy  Coun- 
cil and  his  brother-in-law,   McClellan.'    He   received  his  wages 
in  corn,  and  was  allowed  two   and   a  half  bushels  per  day  for 
himself  and  team.     He  husked  corn   until  his  wages  amounted 
to  a  load   and  then  started  home.     When  he  arrived  at  Elkhart 
Grove  he  ground  his  corn  at  the  little  horse  mill  belonging  to 
Judge  Latham,  the  Indian  agent.     He  crossed  Salt  Creek  and 
the  Kickapoo  during  the  following  day.     As  the   Kickapoo  was 
high  he  took  his  load  across  in  a  canoe,  took  his  wagon  across  in 
pieces,  and   swam  his  horses  over.     It  was  very  cold  and  they 
were  covered  with  a  coating  of  ice.     After  going  three  miles  he 
stopped  over  night  at  the  house  of  a  man  named  Lantrus,  and 
the  following  morning  started  at  day-break  for  home.     After 
going  about  five  miles  he  was  obliged  to  walk  on  account  of  the 
cold;  but  after  a  few  miles  walking  he  found  that  the  bottoms 
of  his  moccasins  were  worn  off  and  his  bare  feet  were  pressing 
the  snow,  for  in   the  meantime  a  severe  snow  storm  had  set  in 
from  the.  northwest.     When  he  had  gone  half  way   home    it 
seemed  that  he  must  freeze  to  death.     Then  he  thought  of  his 
wife  and  children,  who  would  starve  for  the  want  of  the  corn  in 
his  wagon  ;  and  the  strong  man  began  to  cry.     But  the  thought 
of  his  family  nerved  him,  and  he  hung  on  to  the  wagon,  and  his 
horses  walked  home.     It  was  after  night  when  he  arrived,  and 
found   his  feet  frozen  to  his  ankles.     He  immediately  put  them 
in  a  tub  of  water,  while  his  wife  took  care  of  the  horses.     For 
weeks  afterwards  his  feet  were  all  drawn  up  and  he  felt  in  them 
a  burning  sensation  as  if  a  hot  iron  had  passed  over  them. 


170  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

While  he  had  been  gone  every  one  at  home  had  been  indus- 
trious ;  even  the  dogs  had  done  their  duty  and  killed  fourteen 
wolves. 

Mr.  Rhodes  has  had  many  adventures  while  hunting.  A  few 
years  after  he  came  to  Blooming  Grove,  he  went  on  a  hunt  to 
Old  Town  timber.  There  he  slept  one  night  in  a  hollow  log, 
and  the  next  morning  started  a  buck,  and  shot  it  a  little  too  far 
back  to  kill  it.  After  following  the  buck  some  distance,  he 
saw  it  standing  and  tossing  his  head  up  and  down  as  if  in  dis- 
tress. Mr.  Rhodes  shot  at  the  head,  as  the  buck  was  not  standing 
sideways  to  him,  and  down  it  came.  The  hunter  incautiously 
ran  up  and  struck  the  deer  in  the  forehead  with  a  tomahawk ; 
but  the  deer  sprang  up  and  pitched  Mr.  Rhodes  on  the  ground, 
and  attempted  to  gore  him  with  its  horns.  Mr.  Rhodes  grasped 
the  antlers,  and  they  struck  in  his  stomach.  The  buck  tried  to 
draw  back  to  come  with  force  on  the  prostrate  hunter,  but  Mr. 
Rhodes  held  it  fast.  Then  it  lifted  Mr.  Rhodes  up  on  its  antlers 
and  tried  to  pitch  him  over  its  head,  but  the  hunter's  shoulder 
struck  on  the  neck  of  the  deer.  Then  the  buck  thrashed  him 
around  for  nearly  three-quarters  of  an  hour  and  made  a  noise 
like  the  bellowing  of  a  bull.  But  at  last  it  tired  of  the  contest 
and  stopped  to  blow,  with  its  tongue  hanging  out  of  its  mouth. 
The  second  time  he  stopped  to  blow,  Mr.  Rhodes  grasped  his 
butcher  knife  and  quickly  cut  the  cords  behind  the  deer's  fore 
leg,  and  the  next  time  the  buck  made  a  lunge  it  came  down  on 
one  knee.  Then  Mr.  Rhodes,  with  another  stroke  cut  the  cords 
of  the  remaining  fore  leg,  and  the  buck  fell,  and  the  hunter 
rolled  off  of  the  horns.  He  was  so  badly  bruised  that  he  ex- 
pected to  die  immediately,  and  was  for  a  while  in  great  pain ; 
but  he  recovered  himself  soon  after  and  killed  his  deer.  After 
this  contest  he  never  approached  his  game  without  a  loaded  gun. 
The  buck  was  one  of  great  size,  and  when  dressed  his  meat 
weighed  nearly  two  hundred  pounds. 

Mr.  Rhodes'  experience  with  the  Indians  has  usually  been 
pleasant.  He  found  them  to  be  like  their  white  brethren  in 
many  things;  some  were  honest  and  some  were  dishonest.  There 
were  large  numbers  of  Kickapoos  when  he  first  came,  and  after- 
wards a  few  hundred  Delawares  made  their  appearance,  and 
stayed  until  the   commencement  of  the  Black  Hawk  troubles. 


m'lean  county.  171 

The  Indians  were  usualty  very  playful  and  loved  fun  and  prac- 
tical jokes.  The  old  chief  Machina  was  a  very  cunning  Indian 
and  had  some  strange  peculiarities.  He  always  denied  selling 
the  country  to  the  whites.  John  Rhodes  told  him  that  he  did 
sell  the  country  to  the  whites,  and  that  Boss  Stony  (the  Presi- 
dent) had  it  on  paper.  Machina  replied:  "D — n  quick  putting 
black  upon  white." 

When  what  was  called  the  Winnebago  war  was  threatened, 
John  Rhodes  called  out  the  company  of  men  of  which  he  was 
captain  and  responded  to  the  call  made  by  the  Governor  for 
troops ;  but  the  matter  was  soon  settled  and  the  troops  never 
took  the  field. 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war,  which  occurred  a  few  years 
afterwards  in  1832,  Major  McClure  and  Captain  Rhodes  called 
out  a  company,  of  which  McClure  was  chosen  captain  and 
Rhodes  first  lieutenant.  They  marched  to  Dixon  where  they 
arrived  the  evening  before  the  fight  at  Stillman's  Run.  After 
the  fight  they  moved  with  the  rest  of  the  army  up  to  the  battle- 
ground and  helped  to  bury  the  dead.  From  there  his  company 
went  to  Indian  Creek  where  the  families  of  Davis,  Hall  and 
Pettigrew  were  massacred.  These  they  buried  and  John  Rhodes 
himself  carried  out  their  bodies.  It  seems  that  these  people  had 
been  told  of  the  coming  of  the  Indians;  but  Davis,  who  was  a 
blacksmith  and  a  man  of  great  strength  and  courage,  refused  to 
heed  the  warning.  When  the  Indians  came  they  found  him  at 
a  building  at  work  and  the  families  in  the  house.  The  families 
were  massacred  almost  without  resistance,  but  Davis  had  his 
gun  with  him  and  fought  with  desperation.  He  was  found 
covered  with  a  hundred  wounds  and  his  gun  was  bent  and  twist- 
ed in  every  direction.  Shortly  after  the  burial  of  these  families 
the  troops  were  discharged,  and  the  army  was  re-organized,  and 
John  Rhodes  and  the  most  of  his  company  came  home. 

In  early  days  great  attention  was  paid  to  military  drill.  At 
first  a  company  was  organized  under  the  militia  law  of  the  State, 
and  Mr.  Rhodes  was  chosen  captain ;  but  afterwards  the  country 
became  so  well  settled  that  the  company  grew  to  a  regiment,  of 
which  Merritt  Covel  was  chosen  colonel,  Robert  McClure  was 
made  major  and  A.  Gridley,  adjutant.  The  regiment  was  obliged 
to  drill  five  times  a  year,  and  whoever  failed  to  come  to  training 


172  OLD   SETTLERS    OF 

was  court-martialed.     On  these  occasions  the  colonel  presided 
and  in  his  absence  the  eldest  captain,  which  was  John  Rhodes. 

Mr.  Rhodes  takes  great  pleasure  in  calling  to  mind  the 
scenes  of  the  early  settlement.  He  helped  to  build  the  first  mill 
on  his  father's  place  in  1825,  with  the  grinding  stones  of  nigger- 
heads.  He  has  been  a  great  hunter  and  often  killed  deer  and 
wolves  where  the  court  house  stands.  While  bringing  up  a  lot 
of  hogs  from  Sangamon  County,  he  was  followed  by  a  wild  boar. 
He  shot  the  animal  twice  without  killing  it,  when  it  attacked 
him  and  he  was  obliged  to  climb  a  cherry  tree  to  escape.  The 
wild  hogs  had  once  been  tame,  but  had  lost  all  the  qualities  of 
domestic  animals,  and  were  as  wild  as  if  their  swinish  ancestors 
had  never  known  a  pig-pen. 

Mr.  Rhodes  was  a  natural  hunter,  and  a  sharp  marksman 
and  never  felt  the  cold  tremors  or  "  buck  ague  "  come  over  him 
when  about  to  shoot.  He  was  a  man  of  steady  nerve,  and  when 
his  finger  pressed  the  trigger  the  gun  was  covering  the  game. 
In  his  early  youth  he  was  a  hunter.  At  one  time  while  living 
in  Ohio,  and  only  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  was 
called  to  help  kill  a  bear,  which  had  been  found  not  far  away. 
The  dogs  drove  the  bear  into  a  swamp  and  brought  him  to  bay, 
and  when  Mr.  Rhodes  came  up,  the  animal  climbed  a  tree,  the 
dogs  hanging  to  him  until  he  was  ten  feet  high.  The  bear's 
jaw  was  broken  by  a  shot  and  he  came  down  when  the  dogs 
pitched  into  him.  Mr.  Rhodes  joined  in  the  melee,  and  struck 
the  bear  in  the  forehead  with  a  tomahawk.  The  weapon  stuck 
fast  and  the  bear  raked  Rhodes'  arm  from  the  shoulder  down. 
He  succeeded  in  loosening  it  and  struck  again,  when  it  again 
stuck  fast,  and  he  received  another  rake,  from  the  shoulder 
down.  Then  a  hunter,  who  was  looking  on,  called  out  :  "John, 
a  little  lower,"  and  Mr.  Rhodes  struck  the  bear  just  above  the 
eyes,  which  killed  it. 

Unlike  most  hunters,  Mr.  Rhodes  has  acquired  a  great  deal  of 
property.  He  has  purchased  in  all  about  two  thousand  acres  of 
land  and  has  five  hundred  acres  under  his  own  management. 

John  Rhodes  is  fully  six  feet  in  height  and  was  formerly  very 
straight  and  muscular.  Although  he  is  now  far  advanced  in 
years,  his  eyes  have  a  bright,  expressive  look  when  he  is  inter- 
ested in  anything.    He  is  a  good  business  man,  and  has  as  much 


m'lean  county.  173 

confidence  in  his  ability  to  manage  his  financial  affairs  as  in  his 
ability  to  kill  a  deer  or  run  a  wolf.  He  appears  younger  than 
he  is,  and  seems  to  be  in  the  full  possession  of  all  his  faculties. 
It  would  appear  that  he  has  many  years  yet  to  live,  and  his 
great  vitality  would  even  now  bear  him  up  under  many  hard- 
ships. 

John  Rhodes  has  been  married  three  times,  and  has  had  thir- 
teen children,  seven  of  whom  are  living.  He  first  married  Mary 
Johnson,  who  died  December  15,  1845.  Five  children  of  this 
marriage  are  living.     They  are  : 

Cynthia  Ann,  wife  of  Benjamin  Turnipseed,  born  July  28, 
1819,  lives  at  the  head  of  the  Mackinaw. 

Caroline  Bellew,  wife  of  William    Bellew,  was  born  February 
6,  1823,  and  lives  at  the  head  of  the  Mackinaw. 

William  J.  Rhodes,  born  February  16,  1825,  lives  a  mile  east 
of  his  lather's. 

Emily  Brewster,  wife  of  John  Brewster,  was  born  June  21, 
1827,  and  lives  one  mile  south  of  her  father's. 

Aaron  Pain  Rhodes  was  born  April  28,  1833,  and  lives  one 
and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  his  father's,  on  the  Leroy  road. 

John  Rhodes  married  the  second  time  to  Mrs.  Mary  Ann 
Yazel,  a  widow,  and  by  this  marriage  has  two  living  children. 
They  are : 

Samuel  M.  Rhodes,  born  September  16,  1850,  and  Cinderella 
Rhodes,  born  August  15,  1852,  live  at  home. 

John  Rhodes  married,  the  last  time,  Mrs.  Maria  Ensminger, 
a  widow,  on  the  13th  of  March,  1863.  They  appear  to  take  the 
world  comfortably.  Mrs.  Rhodes  is  a  wide  awake  lady.  She 
takes  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  the  history  of  other  days,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  agreeable  of  women. 

Jeremiah  Rhodes. 

Jeremiah  Rhodes,  son  of  Rev.  Ebenezer  Rhodes,  was  born 
February  11,  1806,  in  Champaign  County,  Ohio.  There  he  re- 
ceived his  common  school  education  until  he  wTas  eighteen 
years  of  age.  School  began  there  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing and  was  kept  eight  hours  during  the  day.  He  remembers 
the  war  of  1812  very  clearly,  though  he  was  then  very  young. 
His  father  was  a  corporal  in  the  army  during  that  exciting  con- 


174  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

test.  Ill  the  fall  of  1823  the  Rhodes  family  came  to  Illinois,  to 
Sangamon  County.  Thev  had  no  very  exciting  adyentnres  on 
their  journey,  but  'when  they  arrived  at  their  destination  at 
Blooming  Groye  matters  became  interesting  enough.  The  In- 
dians came  for  them  and  ordered  them  away  from  the  country. 
Mr.  Rhodes,  sen.,  was  out  in  the  woods  making  rails,  when  a 
party  of  Indians  came  to  his  house  and  sent  one  of  their  number 
to  bring  him  in.  Old  Machina,  the  chief,  then  told  Mr.  Rhodes 
not  to  make  corn  there,  but  to  go  back  to  the  other  side  of  the 
Sangamon  Riyer.  The  chief  declared  he  had  never  signed  any 
treaty  ceding  the  land  to  the  whites,  and  that  white  men  should 
not  settle  there.  The  facts  relating  to  the  treaty  were,  that  Old 
Machina  was  sick  at  the  time,  but  sent  his  son  to  treat  with  the 
whites,  and  the  son  signed  the  articles.  When  the  Indian  agent 
told  Machina  of  this  he  acknowledged  its  truth,  but  said:  "My 
heart  did  not  go  with  it."  Old  Machina  threatened  to  burn  the 
houses  of  the  settlers,  but  at  last  allowed  Mr.  Rhodes'  family  to 
remain  until  fall  to  gather  their  crops.  Mr.  Rhodes'  recollection 
of  the  Indians  is  pretty  clear.  He  remembers  one  time  when 
the  whole  tribe  of  the  Kickapoos  went  on  a  spree  or  drunken 
dance.  They  used  up  twenty  gallons  of  whisky,  and  invited  in 
their  Pottawotamie  friends.  On  this  grand  occasion  one  of  the 
Indians  showed  that  he  had  learned  a  beautiful  lesson  from  civ- 
ilization, for  while  drunk  he  beat  his  wife  over  the  head  with  a 
whisky  bottle.  At  the  great  dance,  about  six  or  eight  Indians 
formed  in  twos  and  jumped  around  flat-footed,  with  tinkling 
bells  attached  to  their  ankles.  Old  Machina  had  a  gourd  with 
stones  in  it,  and  these  he  shook  up  and  down  to  keep  time.  An- 
other musical  instrument  was  formed  from  a  ten  gallon  keg  with 
a  deer  skin  drawn  tightly  over  one  end.  This  was  carried  on 
the  back  of  a  half-grown  papoose,  and  was  beaten  with  a  stick. 
The  dancers  had  their  bodies  painted  black,  but  over  their  breasts 
was  painted  in  white  a  pair  of  hands  and  arms  crossed.  Outside 
of  the  circle  of  dancers  an  Indian  held  up  a  stick  cut  in  the 
shape  of  a  gun.  The  stick  was  pointed  upwards,  and  was  sup- 
posed to  be  an  emblem  of  peace.  Another  Indian  held  up  a 
tomahawk,  with  his  hand  close  to  the  blade,  but  what  this  meant 
is  not  easy  to  be  seen.  The  Indians  received  a  little  assistance 
in  their  performance  by  old  John  Dawson,  who  danced  and  sang 


m'lean  county.  175 

with  them.  They  were  willing  to  allow  his  dancing,  but  stopped 
his  singing,  as  it  spoiled  the  exquisite  music  of  the  gourd  full  of 
rocks  and  the  keg.  The  Indians  kept  time  by  repeating  monot- 
onously the  words  :  "Hu  way,"  "hu  way,"  &c,  and  the  squaws, 
who  were  gathered  in  a  circle  around  the  dancers,  looked  on 
admiringly. 

The  Indians  were  very  superstitious,  and  their  ideas  some- 
times took  queer  shapes.  At  one  time  a  squaw  died  from  some 
sickness,  which  brought  on  the  lockjaw,  and  as  she  was  drawing 
her  last  breath  an  Indian  went  out  and  fired  his  gun  in  the  air  to 
send  her  spirit  up  to  heaven.  The  Indians  believed  in  witch- 
craft. An  old  squaw  was  once  accused  of  bewitching  a  child, 
which  was  sick,  and  it  was  said  that  she  held  communication 
with  an  Indian  at  Fort  George,  four  hundred  miles  distant,  and 
that  they  flew  to  each  other  as  fast  as  a  chicken,  and  held  con- 
sultation as  to  how  many  people  they  were  able  to  kill. 

The  Indians  were  very  revengeful,  and  their  quarrels  nearly 
always  resulted  fatally.  They  sometimes  practiced  the  duello  to 
settle  their  difficulties.  Mr.  Rhodes  remembers  two  Indians  who 
fought  a  duel  on  the  banks  of  the  Illinois  River.  One  of  them 
was  a  Kickapoo  and  the  other  a  Pottawotamie.  One  fought  with 
a  tomahawk  and  the  other  with  a  butcher  knife  ;  the  one  with 
the  butcher  knife  was  successful. 

The  Indians  wished  very  much  to  prevent  the  settlement  of 
the  country  by  frightening  off  the  whites,  and  succeeded  in  scar- 
ing away  three  families,  who  had  settled  on  the  Mackinaw,  by 
firing  guns  and  brandishing  butcher  knives.  They  threatened 
to  kill  Mrs.  Benson's  cattle  and  pigs  if  she  went  to  her  husband 
who  lived  at  Blooming  Grove,  thirty  miles  away.  But  the  brave 
woman  replied  to  the  threat  by  holding  up  one  of  her  children 
and  saying  :  "And  my  papooses  too  ?"  "No,"  replied  the  chief, 
Machina,  "I  would  go  to  damnation  if  I  should  do  that." 

The  Indians  traded  with  the  settlers  giving  them  beeswax 
and  moccasins  in  return  for  corn.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  when 
they  made  preparations  to  move  into  winter  quarters,  they  fre- 
quently buried  their  corn  to  keep  it  during  the  winter. 

The  Indians  had  occasionally  some  curiosity  to  hear  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  to  learn  something  of  the  God  of 
the  white  man.     At  one  time  the  Kickapoos  went  so  far  as  to 


176  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

hold  a  meeting,  and  have  an  interpreter  to  tell  them  what  the 
]' readier  said. 

Among  the  various  devices  for  grinding  wheat  and  corn  was 
the  mill  with  grinding  stones  cut  from  nigger  heads  on  the  prai- 
rie. After  the  wheat  was  ground,  the  flour  was  separated  from 
the  bran  by  sifting  in  a  box  with  a  bottom  of  two  cloths,  through 
which  the  flour  passed.  Mr.  Rhodes'  father  built  one  of  these 
mills,  which  served  the  neighborhood  for  three  3-ears.  The 
nearest  mill  besides  this  one  was  forty-five  miles  distant.  It  is 
not  easy  for  us  to  appreciate  the  difficulties,  which  sprang  from 
the  absence  of  the  common  conveniences  of  life.  The  settlers 
were  obliged  to  go  to  the  Sangamon  River  to  get  their  plough 
irons  sharpened,  a  distance  of  fifty  miles. 

The  old  settlers  being  liable  to  all  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to 
occasionally  stood  in  need  of  the  attentions  of  the  doctor  or  the 
surgeon.  They  could  get  along  very  well  so  far  as  the  doctor 
was  concerned,  but  the  surgeon's  skill  was  not  easily  obtained. 
Mr.  Rhodes'  younger  brother  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  break  his 
leg,  and  old  John  Dawson  attended  him  and  set  the  limb.  The 
patient  recovered,  but  his  leg  was  always  crooked. 

The  West  was  formerly  subject  to  occasional  whirlwinds 
and  hurricanes,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  have  been  visited  bv 
them  of  late  years.  A  terrible  hurricane  passed  through  Bloom- 
ing Grove  and  tore  down  many  forest  trees.  Still  another  passed 
through  in  1859,  and  was  strong  enough  to  pick  up  a  mule  out 
of  a  pasture  and  carry  it  over  two  fences. 

The  Rhodes  family  tell  some  curious  things  of  the  memora- 
ble change  in  the  weather,  which  occurred  in  December,  1836. 
After  being  warm  and  rainy  it  turned  so  suddenly  cold  that  the 
geese  and  chickens  froze  fast  in  the  slush  of  snow  and  water. 
When  they  became  frozen  fast,  they  squalled  as  they  always  do 
when  caught.  Mrs.  Rhodes  thawed  them  out  with  warm  water. 
Some  of  the  chickens  had  their  bills  frozen  full  of  ice.  When 
the  sudden  change  took  place  and  the  wind  came,  the  cattle  ran 
bawling  for  the  timber  and  were  not  seen  again  for  three  days. 
Mr.  Rhodes  has  been^a  thrifty  farmer,  but  his  trade  was  that 
of  a  chairmaker.  He  built  the  substantial  dwelling  where  he 
now  lives,  with  the  assistance  of  his  eldest  son. 


m'lban  county.  177 

Mr.  Rhodes  now  feels  the  effects  of  age,  though  he  enjoys  a 
fair  decree  of  health.  He  is  about  five  feet  and  eleven  inches 
in  height.  His  hair  was  onee  dark,  but  is  now  sprinkled  with 
gray.  His  eyes  are  dark,  but  have  a  mild,  honest  expression, 
and  he  is  a  kind-hearted,  pleasant  old  gentleman. 

Mr.  Rhodes  was  married  March  26,  1835,  to  Mathurza  John- 
son. He  has  raised  ten  children,  five  boys  and  five  girls,  and 
of  these  nine  are  living. 

William  Herron  Hodge. 

In  writing  this  work  the  author  has  had  some  difficulty  in 
getting  such  items  as  he  wished  ;  but  whenever  he  made  any  in- 
quiry he  was  always  directed  "  to  Mr.  Hodge."  "Hodge  knows 
all  about  it.  He  remembers  everything."  If  the  writer  asked 
information  of  any  one  concerning  the  Indians,  the  reply  was  : 
"Oh,  ask  Hodge,  he  knows  as  much  about  them  as  if  he  was  an 
Indian  himself."  This  reputation  which  Mr.  Hodge  has  ac- 
quired for  knowledge  of  the  early  history  of  the  country  has 
been  fully  sustained,  and  many  of  the  most  interesting  facts  and 
incidents  related  in  this  work  have  been  furnished  by  him. 

William  Herron  Hodge  was  born  January  4,  1794,  on  a  farm 
near  the  town  of  Windworth,  the  county  seat  of  "Rockingham 
County,  North  Carolina.  His  father,  Francis  Hodge,  came  from 
English  stock,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Nancy 
Walker,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  ancestors  came  from 
England  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  about  the  year  1700,  and 
moved  from  there  to  North  Carolina.  From  here,  his  father,  Fran- 
cis Hodge,  came  to  Tennessee  in  the  year  1812.  Young  William 
received  some  slight  education  in  North  Carolina,  but  he  after- 
wards took  the  matter  in  hand  himself  and  became  well  enough 
advanced  in  his  eighteenth  year  to  teach  school.  He  taught 
school  in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  obtaining  his  scholars  by 
the  subscription  system. 

In  1820  he  started  for  Illinois,  where  he  arrived  on  the  twen- 
tieth of  February  of  that  year.  He  settled  first  in  Sangamon 
County,  which  he  helped  to  organize.  In  1824  he  moved  to 
Blooming  Grove.  Here  he  bought  land  quite  extensively.  At 
this  time  there  were  but  twelve  families  in  Blooming  Grove  and 
three  at  Randolph  Grove.  When  the  country  was  divided  into 
12 


178  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

counties,  Vandalia  became  the  county  seat,  one  hundred  and 
four  miles  south  of  the  present  city  of  Bloomington.  But  as 
the  State  grew  in  population,  these  enormous  counties  were  sub- 
divided. Tazewell  County  was  organized  in  1827.  Mr.  Hodge 
assisted  in  its  organization.  McLean  County  was  not  organized 
until  1831,  and  in  this  organization  Mr.  Hodge  also  assisted. 
At  that  time  he  lived  in  a  house  situated  in  three  counties.  It 
was  section  ten,  town  twentj-three,  range  two  east  of  the  third 
principal  meridian.  Only  four  men  are  now  living  who  were 
settlers  in  McLean  County  when  it  was  organized  in  1831. 
These  are  John  II.  S.  Rhodes,  Thomas  Orendorff,  John  Ben- 
son and  William  II.  Hodge,  whose  sketch  we  are  writing. 

The  settlers  first  took  their  produce  to  the  Illinois  River, 
where  it  was  shipped  to  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Hodge 
saw  the  first  shanty  built  in  Pekin,  on  the  Illinois  River,  in  1825. 
It  was  put  up  by  three  citizens  of  Blooming  Grove,  namely, 
John  Hendrix,  James  Latta  and  a  man  named  Egman. 

Mr.  Hodge  is  particularly  eloquent  over  the  growth  of  Chi- 
cago. He  says  that  when  he  first  saw  it  in  1834,  it  contained 
about  fifty  families,  and  was  scarcely  a  fly  speck  compared  with 
the  great  metropolis  of  to-day.  The  people  of  Chicago  were  al- 
ways hopeful  and  sanguine  of  the  coming  greatness  of  their 
city,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  imagination  has  ever  exceed- 
ed the  reality.  Ford,  in  his  history  of  Illinois,  reproves  those 
who  in  early  days  had  great  expectations  of  Chicago,  and  said, 
while  speaking  of  a  certain  man  :.  "  Politicians  estimate  the 
value  of  such  a  man  as  the  speculators  estimated  the  value  of 
Chicago  lots  in  1836.  Chicago  was  then  a  village,  but  it  was 
believed  that  it  would  soon  be  a  city,  which  made  lots  sell  for 
more  than  they  are  worth,  now  that  it  has  become  a  city  of  fif- 
teen thousand  inhabitants !"     This  was  written  in  1846  or  '47. 

Mr.  Hodge  remembers  many  interesting  items  about  the 
weather  ;  indeed,  he  is  a  perfect  weathercock.  He  remembers 
particularly  the  circumstances  of  the  deep  snow  which  came  in 
the  winter  of  1830  and  '31.  During  that  terrible  winter  the 
first  great  snow-fall,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  December,  covered 
the  ground  three  feet  deep  with  snow,  and  from  that  time  until 
the  thirteenth  of  February  it  snowed  nineteen  times.  When  the 
snow  began  to  fall  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  December,  Mr.  Hodge 


m'lean  county.  179 

was  fifty  miles  away  from  home,  and  it  took  him  three  days  to 
return.  The  snow  stopped  nearly  all  communication  between 
the  settlers  living  at  different  groves,  and  people  did  not  attempt 
to  travel  except  in  the  most  urgent  cases.  During  this  winter 
people  suffered  severely  from  want  of  food,  and  every  old  settler 
tells  how  he  pounded  corn  in  a  pestle,  or  ground  it  in  a  coffee 
mill  and  made  it  into  hominy.  Mr.  Hodge  speaks  of  a  man 
named  Rock,  who  walked  sixteen  miles  on  the  snow  to  get  a 
bushel  and  a  half  of  corn,  and  carried  the  precious  burden  home 
on  a  hand  sled.  The  winter  was  very  severe  for  all  animals, 
both  wild  and  domestic.  The  cattle  bore  the  severity  of  the 
weather  better  than  the  ho^s,  the  latter  in  many  instances  freez- 
ing  to  death.  Many  deer  and  other  wild  animals  died  of  cold 
and  starvation.  They  were  easily  caught  but  were  very  poor. 
Mr.  Rowen,  of  Old  Town,  managed  the  matter  well;  he  caught 
several  deer  and  penned  them  up  and  fattened  them  on  corn. 

The  season  following  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  was  a  very 
late  one,  and  frost  came  every  month  in  the  year.  The  crops 
were  poor,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  and  the  corn  did  not  ripen. 

In  June,  1826,  four  years  before  the  year  of  the  deep  snow, 
the  terrible  wind  storm  occurred  which  passed  through  the 
south  end  of  Blooming  Grove  eastward  to  Old  Town.  This 
terrible  tornado  swept  down  everything  in  its  way ;  the  trees 
were  twisted  oft",  and  everything  was  leveled  with  the  ground. 
At  this  time  Mr.  William  Evans,  of  whose  life  we  have  written 
a  sketch,  had  a  crop  of  several  acres  of  corn  in  Old  Town.  The 
hurricane  passed  over  it  and  it  was  gone.  But  the  old  settlers 
wore  friends  in  need.  Mr.  Orendorff,  whose  place  at  Blooming 
Grove  Mr.  Evans  had  rented,  gave  the  latter  a  patch  of  from 
five  to  seven  acres  of  corn,  so  that,  notwithstanding  his  misfor- 
tune, Mr.  Evans  was  again  encouraged. 

All  the  old  settlers  remember  the  sudden  change  in  the 
weather  which  occurred  on  the  fourteenth  of  December,  183<i, 
when  the  weather  had  been  very  moderate,  and  suddenly  be- 
came so  cold  that  many  animals  were  frozen  to  death.  Mr. 
Hodge  says  that  the  longest  winter  was  that  of  1842  and  '43, 
when  cold  winter  weather  set  in  on  the  fourth  of  November,  and 
lasted  until  the  following   April. 


180  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Hodge  was  sheriff,  collector  and  assessor  of  Tazewell 
County  from  1827  to  1831,  which  makes  him  a  pretty  old  office- 
holder. At  that  time  and  until  1838,  the  sheriff  was  obliged  to 
collect  the  taxes. 

Mr.  Hodge  married  in  the  year  1814,  and  was  blessed  with  a 
tine  family  of  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living. 

Mr.  Hodge  is  a  man  of  medium  height.  His  eyes  are  keen 
and  penetrating,  and  his  appearance  would  indicate  that  in  his 
younger  days  he  must  have  been  a  good  man  of  business.  He 
is  sharp  enough  yet,  and  a  person  must  rise  early  in  the  morn- 
ing to  take  him  in.  While  walking  he  uses  a  cane-,  as  his  right 
foot  is  crippled  in  consequence  of  a  white  swelling.  His  mem- 
ory is  still  very  good — remarkably  good  for  his  age.  His  hair 
is  white  and  his  head  is  a  little  bald.  He  is  a  man  of  very  agree- 
able and  pleasant  humor.  Taken  altogether  he  is  a  fine  exam- 
ple of  the  honest,  jolly,  hard-working,  humorous  old  settlers. 

We  are  sure  the  reader  will  be  glad  to  see  the  following  from 
the  pen  of  Mr.  Hodge  himself,  as  it  tells  the  condition  of  things 
in  early  days,  and  also  gives  some  idea  of  the  character  of  Mr. 
Hodge  : 

"  I  came  to  Blooming  Grove  in  1824,  and  found  sixteen  fam- 
ilies within  the  present  bounds  of  McLean  County,  all  of  us  be- 
ing in  very  straightened  circumstances  as  to  money  or  property, 
and  far  from  market  and  very  little  to  sell.  Springfield,  the  near- 
est place  of  business,  was  composed  of  about  twenty  what  we 
now  call  shanties.  The  place  was  chosen  as  the  temporary  seat 
of  justice  of  Sangamon  County  in  1821.  I  voted  at  the  organi- 
zation of  that  county  at  the  first  election,  which  was  held  in 
February,  1821.  I  came  to  Sangamon  County  in  February. 
L820.  During  that  year  the  first  census  of  Illinois  was  taken, 
and  the  population  numbered  sixty-five  thousand.  When  the 
first  settlers  came  to  the  wilderness  they  all  supposed  that  their 
hard  struggle  would  be  principally  over  after  the  first  year;  but 
alas!  we  looked  for  'easier  times  next  year'  for  about  ten 
years,  and  learned  to  bear  hardships,  privations  and  hard  living 
as  good  soldiers  do.  As  the  facilities  for  making  money  were 
not  great  we  lived  pretty  well  satisfied  in  an  atmosphere  of  good, 
social,  friendly  feeling,  and  thought  ourselves  as  good  as  those 
we  left  behind  when  we  emigrated  to  the  West.     After  a  while 


m'lean  county.  181 

they  began  to  come  after  us  to  teach  us  the  way  more  perfectly, 
and  we  took  such  lessons  as  were  most  congenial  to  our  views. 
I  might  here  give  an  account  of  the  cold  winters  we  had  to  live 
through  in  open  cabins,  and  the  big  snow  of  1830  and  '31 ;  but 
these  are  past,  and  have  been  narrated  so  often  that  they  are  cer- 
lainly  worn  stale  and  not  entertaining.  All  who  have  helped  to 
subdue  the  wilderness  in  any  of  the  Western  States  and  are  yet 
living  know  that  it  is  hard  work,  with  great  suffering  and  hard 
living,  without  church  or  school  privileges,  and  to  those  who 
have  not  tried  it  let  me  say  there  are  more  wildernesses  to  settle, 
and  if  you  wish  to  know  what  a  pioneer's  life  is,  put  out  and 
try  it,  if  you  think  you  have  the  pluck  to  stand  it,  for  I  assure 
you  it  takes  a  pretty  good  soldier  to  do  so. 

"  There  are  yet  living  four  of  the  sixteen  men  who  first  set- 
tled in  this  country,  viz. :  John  Benson,  aged  ninety-five,  John 
H.  S.  Rhodes,  aged  seventy-eight,  Thomas  Orendorff,  aged  sev- 
enty-one, and  your  humble  servant,  aged  eighty-one.  The  two 
Mr.  Funks  (Absalom  and  Isaac),  who  were  both  single  men,  and 
Samual  Rhodes,  were  not  counted  among  the  sixteen  pioneers 
of  1824.  The  ministers  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Savior  of  the 
world  hunted  us  up  and  preached  to  what  few  there  were  ;  there- 
fore, we  did  not  degenerate  and  turn  heathen,  as  any  communi- 
ty will  where  the  sound  of  the  gospel  is  never  heard.  I  shall 
not  give  their  names,  though  sacred  in  memory,  for  they  were 
not  after  the  fleece,  but  after  the  flock,  because  they  had  but 
little  to  say  about  science  and  philosophy,  but  spoke  of  purer 
things.  I  claim  no  honors  for  being  an  emigrant  pioneer,  for 
I  came  to  bear  the  turmoil  of  the  new  country  to  better  my  own 
condition,  and  what  little  I  have  done  toward  advancing  the 
public  interest  has  been  done  freely.  I  do  not  wish  to  write 
my  autobiography,  for  my  life  has  been  a  checkered  scene, 
with  probably  more  to  condemn  than  applaud,  still  I  am  will- 
ing to  have  my  deeds  brought  to  the  light  and  reproved.  My 
reason  for  writing  these  few  lines  is  this :  I  have  frequently 
been  called  upon  to  give  some  account  of  pioneer  life,  the 
seasons,  the  cold  winters,  and  the  storms  of  snow  with  which 
the  early  settlers  had  to  contend,  and  give  dates,  and  when  I 
have   tried   to  do  this  I  have  seen    my    statements  come    forth' 


182  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

in  public  print,  garbled  and  incorrect,  so  I  thought  I  would 
write  a  few  lines  myself,  but  hereafter  I  must  beg  to  be  excused 
from  writing  any  more.  W.  H.  Hodge." 

William  Richard  Goodheart. 

William  Richard  Goodheart  was  born  December  1,  1780, 
near  Edinburg,  Scotland.  Here  his  father  farmed  some  land, 
and  here  William  received  his  limited  education.  When  he 
was  about  fourteen  years  of  age  the  family  emigrated  to  Hol- 
land. On  their  arrival  there  Mr.  Goodheart  was  bound  out  to 
learn  the  stone  mason's  trade.  But  he  had  no  affection  for  his 
master,  and  soon  ran  away  with  one  of  his  companions,  and  took 
service  on  board  of  a  merchant  vessel.  This  vessel  was  shortly 
afterwards  captured  by  the  French,  and  William  Goodheart 
served  in  the  French  navy.  While  he  was  in  the  navy  the 
French  became  engaged  in  a  war  with  England,  and  the  French 
fleet  was  ordered  to  attack  the  English,  after  a  consultation  of 
the  officers.  On  board  of  the  man-of-war,  on  which  Mr.  Good- 
heart  was  serving,  was  an  Englishman,  who  was  captain  of  the 
forecastle.  This  Englishman  did  not  wish  to  fight  against  his 
own  country,  and  rather  than  do  so  he  hung  himself.  Mr. 
Goodheart  was  not  so  sensitive,  as  he  was  a  Scotchman,  and  the 
Scotch  had  not  then  much  affection  for  England.  He  was  se- 
lected to  fill  the  place  of  the  Englishman.  He  was  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  French  for  about  seven  years,  partly  on  sea  and  part- 
ly on  on  land.  He  belonged  to  the  cavalry,  and  was  for  several 
years  with  Napoleon  in  Italy.  He  rode  a  fine  horse,  of  which 
he  was  very  fond.  At  one  time  he  had  very  little  provision  for 
himself  or  fodder  for  his  horse.  All  he  had  was  one  pound  of 
bread,  but  gave  this  to  his  horse  and  endured  hunger  himself. 
He  was  obliged  at  last  to  kill  his  horse  while  crossing  a  muddy 
stream,  as  the  animal  became  mired  down,  and  was  likely  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  He  was  with  Napoleon  on  the 
Russian  campaign,  and  saw  the  destruction  of  Moscow. 

After  leaving  the  French  service  Mr.  Goodheart  went  to 
England  and  entered  into  the  English  service  against  the  United 
States  during  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  taken  prisoner  in  the 
naval  conflict  on  Lake  Erie,  when  Commodore  Perry  gained  his 
great  victory.     A  friend,  while  speaking  of  this,  says  :     "  In  re- 


m'lean  county.  183 

latins:  to  me  the  incidents  of  that  terrific  battle  he  told  me  the 
following  anecdote :  Three  Indians,  who  had  enlisted  in  the 
British  service,  were  placed  under  Goodheart's  command  over 
one  of  the  guns  on  the  ship.  During  the  heat  of  battle  Good- 
heart  was  called  below  to  receive  some  order,  and  before  he 
could  return,  that  part  of  the  ship  was  shot  away,  and  he 
thought  the  poor  savages  had  perished.  But  after  the  battle 
closed  he  was  surprised  to  see  them  coming  out  of  the  coal  hole, 
where  the  rascals  had  fled  as  soon  as  their  captain  had  momen- 
tarily left  the  gun.  Many  years  after  this,  when  Mr.  Goodheart 
had  moved  to  Blooming  Grove,  he  saw  a  company  of  Indians, 
and  one  of  them,  advancing  in  front,  called  him  captain,  and 
said  he  was  one  of  the  Indians  who  had  served  under  Goodheart 
on  board  of  the  man-of-war  on  Lake  Erie."  Mr.  Goodheart 
was  taken  prisoner  in  this  battle,  and  was  landed  on  the  coast  of 
Pennsylvania.  But  he  did  not  wish  to  be  exchanged  and  go 
back  to  the  British  service,  and  he  with  two  others  escaped  dur- 
ing the  first  night  -after  they  were  brought  to  land.  They 
walked  all  night  into  the  interior  of  the  country,  as  they 
thought,  but  when  morning  broke  were  surprised  at  beholding 
their  own  ship.  They  concealed  themselves  in  a  hay  stack  until 
night,  and  started  again  into  the  interior.  After  a  hard  travel 
they  arrived  at  Lancaster,  Pa.  While  there  a  great  many  troops 
came  to  a  muster,  and  among  them  was  a  bully  who  conceived  a 
particular  aversion  to  Goodheart,  and  would  not  rest  content 
until  they  tried  their  muscle.  Mr.  Goodheart  wished  to  avoid  a 
personal  encounter,  but  it  was  forced  upon  him,  and  he  had  no 
choice  in  the  matter.  He  was  a  man  of  great  strength,  and  de- 
fended himself  successfully.  He  enlisted  in  the  American  army 
and  fought  under  General  Harrison. 

On  the  2d  of  August,  1814,  Mr.  Goodheart  married  Sarah 
Ann  Clouse,  at  Franklin,  Ohio.  He  made  a  claim  there,  and  in 
order  to  pay  for  it,  made  a  trip  to  New  Orleans  on  a  flatboat. 
He  was  gone  six  months,  was  very  sick  a  part  of  the  time,  and 
from  his  prolonged  absence,  his  wife  despaired  of  ever  seeing 
him  again,  In  1819  Mr.  Goodheart  had  his  leg  broken  by  the 
falling  of  a  tree.  During  the  illness  which  followed  he  medi- 
tated  on  religious  matters.  He  was  converted  to  the  cause  of 
Christ  at  a  camp-meeting,  under  the  preaching  of  Elder  Wright. 


184  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

About  that  time  he  sold  his  home  and  prepared  to  come  "West, 
but  his  wife  refused  her  consent  for  several  years.  During  the 
fall  of  1824  Mr.  Goodheart  and  his  wife  and  six  children  started 
for  the  West  and  arrived  at  Mackinawtowu,  in  what  was  then 
Fayette  County,  Illinois.  He  was  warmly  welcomed  by  the  set- 
tlers, who  built  him  a  cabin  and  did  everything  in  their  power 
to  assist  him.  He  left  his  wife  and  children  and  made  a  visit  to 
Blooming  Grove.  The  Indians  annoyed  his  family  somewhat 
during  his  absence.  On  his  return  he  put  his  things  into  the 
wagon  to  go  again  to  Blooming  Grove,  and  also  tied  his  horses 
to  it.  Just  then  a  party  of  drunken  Indiaus  came  up  at  full  speed 
on  their  ponies  and  were  yelling  and  whooping  with  their  loud- 
est voices.  Mr.  Goodheart's  horses  were  so  frightened  that  they 
upset  the  wagon.  He  spoke  to  them,  but  they  paid  no  attention 
until  he  addressed  them  in  the  French  language.  This  they 
understood  at  once  and  stopped  their  noise.  When  a  party 
of  Indians  become  intoxicated,  they  place  themselves  under  the 
control  of  some  sober  Indians,  in  order  to  be  well  taken  care  of. 
The  party  which  came  up  to  Mr.  Goodheart  was  under  the  con- 
trol of  two  Indians,  who  were  sober. 

The  Goodheart  family  settled  at  Blooming  Grove,  near  the 
present  Central  depot,  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  Judge  J.  E.  Mc- 
Clun.  On  this  farm  are  to  be  found  some  apple  trees  planted  by 
Father  Goodheart  more  than  fifty  years  ago.  They  still  bear 
fruit.  He  made  his  claim  here  on  the  tenth  section,  and  sold  it  in 
1827  to  a  man  named  Canady,  who  entered  it.  On  this  farm  Mr. 
Goodheart  made  the  first  brick  manufactured  in  McLean  Coun- 
ty. After  this  the  people  began  building  chimneys  of  brick 
instead  of  sticks  and  clay.  In  1827  he  moved  to  Old  Town  tim- 
ber, where  he  lived  until  1830,  when  he  entered  land  at  Bloom- 
ing Grove.  He  afterwards  moved  to  the  north  side  of  Bloom- 
ington  to  the  place  now  known  as  the  Davis,  Allin  and  Flagg 
Addition.  There  he  stayed  two  years,  then  sold  out  to  Samuel 
Durley,  moved  to  Sugar  Creek  to  a  farm  since  known  as  the 
Robert  McClun  place,  and  now  in  the  possession  of  Colonel 
Rouse.  Here  he  lived  two  or  three  j^ears,  and  then  moved  to 
Bloomington,  where  he  lived  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1842. 

Mr.  Goodheart  is  well  described  by  his  old  friend  and  ad- 
mirer, Judge  J.  E.  McClun,  as  follows  : 


m'lean  county.  185 

"He  was  large,  robust  and  of  dark  complexion,  like  his  son, 
our  fellow-citizen,  James  Goodheart.  He  had  served  in  the 
great  European  war,  both  on  the  side  and  against  Napoleon  the 
Great,  and  having  a  fine  memory  and  a  talent  to  communicate, 
it  was  a  treat  to  hear  him  tell  of  the  incidents  of  those  great 
campaigns.  He  was  at  one  time  quartered  in  the  city  of  Rome, 
and  gave  me  the  most  satisfactory  account  of  the  cathedral  of 
St.  Peter  I  had  ever  heard.  He  had  stepped  the  great  edifice, 
and  told  me  its  dimensions  with  great  particularity.  He  received 
his  wages  in  coin  and  carried  them  in  a  belt  around  his 
body  until  he  became  galled  by  its  weight.  When  the  wars  and 
wanderings  of  Mr.  Goodheart  were  ended,  he  embraced  the  re- 
ligion of  the  Savior,  and  often  said  that  though  he  loved  Napo- 
leon and  General  Harrison  very  much,  yet  he  loved  Jesus  Christ 
far  better.  Every  person  had  confidence  in  Father  Goodheart. 
He  told  his  religious  experience  with  an  earnestness  and  sincerity 
that  enlisted  the  attention  of  all  and  carried  the  conviction  to 
every  heart  that  this  good  old  man's  profession  was  an  honest 
and  sincere  one.  After  a  life  of  great  purity  and  uprightness 
he  died  in  Bloomington,  and  has  without  any  doubt  been  for 
more  than  thirty  years  in  the  heavenly  kingdom." 

Mr.  Goodheart  was  for  many  years  an  exhorter  in  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  and  his  license  given  by  Rev.  Peter  Cartwright  is 
yet  in  the  possession  of  his  son,  James  Goodheart. 

William  R.  Goodheart  had  ten  children.     They  are  : 

Jacob,  who  died  in  June,  1855. 

Elizabeth  C,  wife  of  William  II.  Rankin,  lives  in  Belleflower 
township. 

Mary  Christina,  wife  of  Loyal  T.  Johnson,  lives  in  Kansas. 

George  W.,  who  lives  near  Lancaster,  Keokuk  County,  Iowa. 

William  R.,  who  died  of  cholera  in  1850. 

Ann  Catherine,  wife  of  Joseph  Douglas,  lives  near  Michigan- 
town,  Indiana. 

Sarah  Maria,  wife  of  Durham  Livingston,  died  in  February, 
1849,  and  is  buried  by  the  side  of  her  father. 

John  H.  was  a  soldier  in  the  army  during  the  rebellion,  was 
second  lieutenant  of  company  C.  Second  Illinois  Cavalry,  and 
was  killed  at  Merryweather's  Ferry  in  Tennessee,  in  July,  1862. 
He  was  a  brave  soldier  and  worthy   of  his  father's  reputation. 


186  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

His  widow  and  two  daughters  live  in  Pekin.  Even  in  early  boy- 
hood he  possessed  a  peculiarly  fearless  iron  will ;  in  business  he 
was  energetic  and  industrious  ;  in  society  rather  quiet,  and  to  his 
family  he  was  a  kind  and  tender-hearted  father. 

James  Goodheart,  the  ninth  child,  lives  in  Bloomington.  He 
and  his  amiable  lady  gave  many  interesting  items  for  this  sketch. 
He  has  many  of  those  attractive  qualities  for  which  his  father 
was  distinguished. 

The  youngest  child,  Julia  Ann  Perrv  Goodheart,  is  the  wife 
of  Denison  Douglas,  of  Padua  township.  The  name  Perry  was 
given  to  her  because  she  was  born  September  10, 1832,  the  anni- 
versary of  Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie  in  1812. 

"William  Evans,  Sr. 

One  of  the  oldest  of  the  old  settlers  was  William  Evans.  He 
was  born  September  1,  1775,  near  Carlisle,  Cumberland  County, 
Pennsylvania.  His  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  American  army 
during  the  Revolutionary  war.  While  the  war  was  raging  young 
William  and  his  mother  lived  for  a  while  in  one  of  the  Ameri- 
can forts  on  the  Juniata  liiver.  Here  he  caught  the  small-pox 
and  so  severe  was  the  attack  that  one  of  his  eyes  was  made 
sightless  forever.  The  strength  of  his  other  eye  was  also  much 
impaired  and  rendered  his  power  of  vision  always  dim.  Being 
possessed  of  a  strong  constitution  he  triumphed  over  the  sick- 
ness of  infancy. 

We  hear  nothing  more  of  the  childhood  of  William  Evans. 
After  Wayne's  treaty  with  the  Indians  his  father's  family  moved 
to  Pittsburg,  Ohio.  Here  young  William  showed  that  daring, 
adventurous  disposition  which  afterwards  made  him  one  of  the 
most  successful  of  the  early  pioneers. 

It  was  customary  for  the  people  on  the  upper  Ohio  to  load 
their  flatboats  with  goods  or  lumber  and  pole  them  down  the  stream 
to  New  Orleans.  After  disposing  of  the  cargo  the  enterprising 
traders  walked  back  through  the  unsettled  wilderness  to  the 
upper  Ohio.  Young  William  Evans  made  this  journey  twice 
on  foot.  This  was  the  stern  education  which  prepared  him  for 
the  success  of  after  life.  While  living  near  Pittsburg  he  cleared 
two  farms  of  fortv-five  acres  each  ;  one  of  these  he  lost  because 
he  could   not  redeem   it   from   an   incumbrance  of  fifty-  dollars; 


m'lean  county.  187 

the  other  he  sold  for  one  hundred  dollars  in  cash  and  twenty-rive 
dollars  in  goods  and  started  for  Illinois.  This  was  in  1825.  He 
first  settled  in  Old  Town  in  McLean  County,  but  in  1829  he 
moved  to  his  farm  which  is  now  a  part  of  the  city  of  Blooming- 
ton.  He  was  the  first  settler  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
present  city  of  Bloomington,  although  when  the  city  was  first 
laid  out  it  did  not  include  within  the  boundaries  the  house  where 
Mr.  Evans  lived.  Mr.  James  Allin  was  the  first  settler  on  the 
original  site  of  the  city.  Both  of  these  men  may  be  considered 
the  founders  of  Bloomington.  On  Mr.  Evans  farm,  where  now 
stand  the  residences  of  Dr.  Wakefield  and  others,  he  broke  the 
first  sod  in  Bloomington  and  in  1828  raised  a  splendid  crop  of 
winter  wheat,  the  yield  being  thirty  bushels  to  the  acre.  The 
wheat  brought  forty  cents  per  bushel  and  was  sold  to  settlers 
moving  into  the  country. 

The  first  addition  to  Bloomington  was  laid  out  by  James 
Allin.  The  second  addition  was  laid  out  by  Jesse  W.  Fell  and 
a  certain  Mr.  White.  The  land  was  bought  by  them  of  William 
Evans  and  was  a  part  of  his  original  farm.  Mr.  Niccolls  and 
Judge  J.  E.  McClun  bought  thirteen  acres  of  Mr.  Evans  and 
laid  out  a  third  addition. 

Mr.  Evans  married  in  the  year  1800  Miss  Effie  Winebriner. 
He  had  a  pleasant  family  of  children.  His  wife  Effie  died  in 
1839  after  thirty- eight  years  of  happy  wedded  life.  In  1840  he 
married  Mrs.  Martha  Bay.  He  lived  with  her  a  contented  and 
happy  life  until  the  year  1868  when  he  died  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-three  years  two  months  and  seven  days.  Mrs.  Evans 
is  still  living,  and  resides  with  her  youngest  daughter,  Mrs.  Hay- 
wood, who  almost  worships  her. 

William  Evans  was  of  mixed  Welch  and  Irish  descent,  his 
father  being  Welch  and  his  mother  Irish.  He  had  a  tolerable 
common  school  education  which  he  obtained  at  a  district  school 
near  his  birthplace  in  Pennsylvania. 

William  Evans  was  a  quiet,  unassuming  man.  He  had  in 
him  a  great  deal  of  the  "  milk  of  human  kindness."  His  good 
acts  were  done  without  ostentation ;  he  never  allowed  his  right 
hand  to  know  what  his  left  hand  did ;  and  there  are  many  who 
will  remember  his  generosity  until  their  latest  day.  He  gave 
many  building  lots  to  poor  widows  and  it  is  probable  that  all  of 


188  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

his  generous  deeds  will  not  be  known  until  the  final  day  when 
the  Lord  makes  up  his  jewels.  Mr.  Evans  possessed  a  remark- 
able influence  over  the  Indians.  These  wild  men  of  nature  are 
wonderful  in  their  quick  and  accurate  estimate  of  character. 
They  saw  instantly  that  Mr.  Evans  was  a  man  in  whom  they 
could  trust.  They  rested  often  before  his  door  and  delighted  in 
his  presence.  They  often  slept  on  his  floor  at  night  and  some- 
times covered  it,  and  he  always  made  them  welcome.  He  was 
a  man  who  would  have  many  friends  wherever  he  went.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  McElroy,  wrho  preached  his  funeral  discourse,  said: 
"  He  was  wont  to  sav :  '  A  man  always   takes  his  neighbors 

mf  ml  o 

with  him  wherever  he  goes  ;'  and  was  fond  of  relating  the  fol- 
lowing anecdote  as  illustrative  of  the  truth:  "Two  men  had 
emigrated  at  an  early  day  to  the  West.  They  put  up  together 
at  the  same  tavern  at  night.  The  landlord  inquired  of  one  where 
he  was  going  and  why  he  came  to  the  West.  "  I  am  going  to 
settle  in  the  bottom  here,"  said  he,  "and  I  came  West  to  get  rid 
of  my  troublesome  neighbors."  "  You  will  have  bad  neighbors 
where  you  are  going,"  said  the  landlord,  and  turning  to  the 
other  he  asked  the  same  question.  "  I  came  West,"  said  he, 
"  because  my  farm  was  small  and  I  desired  to  get  more  land,  as 
I  have  a  large  family  of  children.  I  am  going  to  settle  in  the 
bottom,  and  the  only  regret  I  have  in  leaving  my  old  home  is, 
I  have  left  many  good  neighbors."  "  You  will  have  good  neigh- 
bors where  you  are  going,"  said  the  landlord.  "  How  is  this  ?" 
said  the  first,  when  we  are  going  to  the  same  place  ?"  "  Sim- 
ply," replied  he,  "a  man  takes  his  neighbors  with  him  when  he 
goes.  '  " 

This  quaint  little  story  shows  the  influence  of  character  and 
a  kind  and  neighborly  disposition. 

Mr.  Evans  was  a  man  of  God,  a  quiet,  earnest,  devoted 
Christian.  He  united  with  the  Methodist  church  in  1835  and 
patiently  upheld  the  cross  of  Christ  until  the  day  of  his  death. 

As  to  his  personal  appearance,  William  Evans  was  quite 
heavily  set  and  weighed  perhaps  two  hundred  pounds.  He  was 
careful  in  business  matters,  and  in  his  old  age  when  sight  and 
hearing  had  partially  failed,  his  mind  was  always  sufficiently 
clear  to  allow  him  to  manage  his  business.  All  who  knew  Mr. 
Evans  speak  of  him  as  a  kind  and  excellent  neighbor.     He  took 


m'lean  county.  189 

great  delight  in  playing  the  violin  which  was  nearly  always  the 
musical  instrument  of  early  days.  Music  was  a  rare  treat  to  the 
early  settlers  and  the  old  airs  played  by  Mr.  Evans  were  gladly 
received. 

William  Dimmitt. 

"William  Dimmitt  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Alleghany  County, 
Maryland,  about  eight  miles  from  Cumberland,  in  June,  1797. 
His  father  emigrated  from  England,  but  his  mother  was  Ameri- 
can born.  When  he  was  three  years  of  age  his  father  died. 
After  that  he  lived  with  his  grandparents  until  he  was  married 
at  the  age  of  nineteen.  He  received  his  very  moderate  educa- 
tion partly  in  Ohio,  where  his  grandparents  removed  when  he 
was  ten  years  of  age,  and  partly  in  Illinois.  He  was  considered 
rather  an  old  scholar,  as  he  did  not  remove  to  Illinois  until  he 
was  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1825,  and 
stayed  the  first  summer  on  the  Vermilion  River,  near  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Danville.  In  the  fall  he  came  to  Blooming  Grove, 
and  located  on  the  present  site  of  Bloomington.  Here,  with  the 
assistance  of  another  party,  he  entered  one  hundred  and  thirty 
acres  of  land.  He  found,  as  settlers  here,  William  Orendorff, 
William  Walker,  John  Benson  and  the  Rhodes  family,  consist- 
ing of  John,  Jerry,  Samuel,  Aaron  and  James. 

When  Bloomington  was  laid  out  in  1831,  Mr.  Dimmitt  had 
no  thought  of  its  future  greatness  and  prosperity.  But  he  lived 
to  make  six  additions  to  the  city.  He  sold  these  additions  grad- 
ually as  the  demand  for  lots  increased.  He  says  that  when  the 
city  was  laid  out  the  land  was  worth  from  five  to  six  dollars  per 
acre,  but  now  much  of  it  is  worth  from  five  to  seven  hundred 
dollars  per  foot.  He  says  that  at  the  sale  of  lots  in  1831,  forty 
dollars  was  a  high  price  to  pay  for  a  lot. 

When  Mr.  Dimmitt  first  came  here  the  people  suffered  from 
that  most  disagreeable  but  not  very  dangerous  disease — fever 
and  ague.  The  changes  in  the  weather  were  then  more  sudden 
and  more  severe  than  at  present.  He  thinks  the  coldest  winter 
was  in  1843.  On  the  tenth  of  March  of  that  year  people  were 
crossing  the  river  at  Ottawa  on  the  ice. 

Mr.  Dimmitt  speaks  well  of  the  Indians.  He  always  lived 
at  peace  with  them ;  they  were  good  neighbors.     All  trade  with 


190  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


them  was  exchange.  He  served  six  months  in  the  Black  Hawk 
war.  He  went  to  Dixon's  Ferry,  where  the  volunteers  were 
gathered  together,  but  after  the  unfortunate  defeat  at  Stillman's 
Run,  about  twenty-five  miles  northeast  of  Dixon,  he  was  mus- 
tered out  with  the  entire  force,  as  the  term  of  their  enlistment 
had  expired.  He  was  well  acquainted  with  John  Dixon,  one  of 
the  early  pioneers  of  the  "West,  and  the  founder  of  the  pretty 
little  village  which  bears  his  name.  He  was  also  well  acquainted 
with  Colonel  John  Dement,  who  was  a  Major  and  who  made  for 
himself  so  honorable  a  record  during  the  Black  Hawk  war. 

But  those  stirring  times  are  gone.  Nearly  all  of  the  early 
hard  working  pioneers,  who  are  now  living,  have  acquired  a  fair 
competence.  Mr.  Dimmitt  has  made  some  money  by  his  good 
sense,  good  management  and  hard  work,  and  he  now  enjoys  the 
fruits  of  his  labors.  He  has  raised  a  family  of  ten  children, 
three  sons  and  seven  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Al- 
though he  is  seventy-five  years  of  age  he  is  enjoying  most 
excellent  health,  and  we  may  indulge  in  the  hope  that,  on  ac- 
count of  his  vigorous  constitution,  it  will  yet  be  many  years  be- 
fore he  is  gathered  to  his  fathers. 

The  "times"  with  the  first  pioneers  were  not  flush.  They 
received  at  first  but  a  small  return  for  their  labor.  Oats  and 
corn  brought  from  eight  to  ten  cents  per  bushel ;  wheat  brought 
from  forty  to  fifty  cents  per  bushel",  and  pork  ranged  from  $1.25 
to  §1.50  per  hundred. 

As  to  personal  appearance,  Mr.  Dimmitt  is  about  five  feet  and 
ten  inches  in  height.  His  face  is  full ;  his  hair  is  white,  but  he 
has  plenty  of  it,  and  his  eye-sight  is  still  pretty  good.  He  made 
a  fortune  without  expecting  to  do  so  by  the  sale  of  town  lots. 
He  has  never  held  a  public  office,  and  never  sought  one.  His 
taste  has  never  led  him  in  that  direction  ;  he  is  a  good  American 
citizen ;  he  has  lived  a  useful  life,  and  the  community  where  he 
resides  is  the  better  for  his  exertions. 

Robert  Guthrie  and  Rev.  Robert  Elton  Guthrie. 

Robert  Guthrie  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  of 
Scotch  and  Welch  descent.  He  was  born  November  1,  1795. 
His  wife  was  Catherine  Spawr,  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and   a  daughter  of  Valentine  Spawr,  late  of  McLean  County, 


M'LEAN    COUNTY.  1  91 

Illinois.  She  was  of  German  descent.  In  the  fall  of  182.6 
Robert  Guthrie  moved  with  his  family  to  Funk's  Grove  in  Mc- 
Lean County,  Illinois.  His  family  then  consisted  of  his  wife 
and  five  children,  named  John,  Margaret,  Robert  Elton,  Jacob 
and  Adam.  He  made  his  first  improvement  where  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railroad  now  enters  the  north  end  of  Funk's  Grove, 
before  the  land  was  in  market.  He  had  when  he  came  but  fifty 
cents  in  his  pocket,  and  was  fifty  dollars  in  debt.  He  husked 
corn  for  Isaac  and  Absalom  Funk  for  fifty  cents  per  day  and 
split  rails  for  twenty-five  cents  per  hundred,  and  it  was  very 
hard  to  support  his  family  during  the  first  winter.  He  was 
helped  very  much  by  his  good  luck  in  killing  two  fine  bucks  that 
had  been  fighting  and  had  locked  their  antlers  together  so  tight- 
ly as  to  be  unable  to  get  loose.  He  considered  this  a  special 
interposition  of  Providence.  These  fortunate  circumstances  oc- 
curred when  he  had  just  lost  some  of  his  stacks  by  a  prairie  fire 
and  when  he  felt  very  much  depressed.  The  fire  was  one  of  the 
grandest  and  most  terrible  ever  known  in  the  West.  It  extended 
around  the  whole  north  and  west  sides  of  Funk's  Grove,  and 
the  walls  of  flame  moved  rapidly  forward.  The  whole  heavens 
were  lit  up,  and  at  midnight  everything  was  almost  as  easily 
and  clearly  distinguished  as  at  mid-day.  In  the  morning  the 
whole  country  was  black,  and  many  stacks  and  rail  fences  were 
simply  smoking  cinders. 

At  the  end  of  two  years  Mr.  Guthrie  had  a  farm  opened  up, 
but  was  obliged  to  sell  it  in  order  to  pay  a  note  of  fifty  dollars, 
which  fell  due.  It  was  given  for  fifty  dollars  which  he  had  bor- 
rowed of  Mary  Cox  in  order  to  come  West.  But  she  had  in  the 
meantime  become  Mrs.  Kimler,  and  needed  her  money  in  order 
to  get  her  outfit  for  housekeeping. 

While  Mr.  Guthrie  lived  at  Funk's  Grove  he  had  his  corn 
ground  at  a  mill  at  the  north  end  of  Twin  Grove  near  the  pres- 
ent M.  E.  Church  on  the  old  Dan  Munsell  place,  then  owned  by 
Mr.  Matthew  Harbord.  He  shelled  his  corn  by  scraping  the 
ears  on  the  edge  of  a  fire  shovel  held  over  a  wash-tub,  and 
his  sons  took  it  to  mill  on  horseback.  There  they  were  obliged 
to  wait  to  get  it  ground,  and  when  their  turn  came  they  hitched 
their  horses  to  the  mill  and  ground  their  grain.  These  boys, 
John  and  Robert  Elton  Guthrie,  aged   respectively  twelve   and 


192  OhD    SETTLERS    OF 

nine  years,  sometimes  had  a  hard  time  of  it  going  ten  miles  on 
horseback  to  mill,  but  the  children  of  the  early  settlers  learned 
to  be  men  when  they  were  very  young.  At  the  mill  was  nearly 
always  a  crowd  of  men  and  boys  waiting  their  turn  to  grind  their 
grain.  They  passed  their  time  in  racing  their  horses,  running 
foot  races,  wrestling,  jumping  and  fighting.  They  felt  obliged 
to  exercise  their  muscle  in  some  way  all  the  time. 

After  selling  his  claim  and  improvements  in  1829,  Mr.  Guth- 
rie moved  to  Money  Creek,  about  nine  miles  northeast  of  where 
Bloomington  now  stands,  on  a  place  npw  owned  by  Benjamin 
Ogden.  Here  he  built  a  hewed  log  cabin,  fenced  and  broke  from 
forty  to  sixty  acres  of  land,  and  began  to  get  a  good  start  once 
more.  But  the  land  came  into  market  in  the  meantime  and  Mr. 
Guthrie  was  unable  to  enter  it  and  was  again  thrown  out  of  a 
home. 

The  winter  of  1830-31  is  remembered  by  all  as  the  winter  of 
the  deep  snow.  Three  days  before  the  snow  began  falling,  Mr. 
Guthrie  and  Frederick  Trimmer  started  for  St.  Louis  with  teams 
and  wagons  to  haul  goods  for  James  Allin,  who  had  opened  a 
small  store  where  Bloomington  now  is.  They  intended  to  be 
gone  only  ten  days  or  two  weeks,  but  they  did  not  see  their 
families  again  for  five  weeks.  They  were  obliged  to  leave  their 
goods,  wagons  and  Mr.  Guthrie's  oxen  about  fifteen  miles  the 
other  side  of  Springfield,  and  came  through  with  Mr.  Trimmer's 
horses  to  break  the  way.  During  this  time  their  families  were 
in  a  state  of  anxious  suspense,  and  were  obliged  to  live  on  boiled 
corn ;  indeed,  during  the  whole  winter  they  had  very  little  to 
eat  except  pounded  meal.  During  that  winter  Mr.  Guthrie 
sent  his  children  to  school,  though  they  had  to  work  their  way 
for  a  mile  through  snow  that  reached  nearly  to  their  necks  ;  but 
when  it  became  packed  they  walked  over  the  crust. 

In  the  spring  of  1831  Mr.  Guthrie  moved  to  Major's  Grove 
near  where  the  Chicago  and  Alton  railroad  shops  now  stand. 
There  he  improved  a  farm  for  Mr.  James  Allin.  But  in  the  fall 
of  1832  he  gave  up  farming,  built  a  house  on  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  Front  and  Lee  streets  and  began  the  business  of  plaster- 
ing and  carpentering,  and  continued  it  until  the  day  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1846.  He  was  buried  in  the 
Bloomington  cemetery.     His  wife  who  died  in   1856  now  rests 


m'lean  county.  193 

beside  him,  and  four  of  their  children,  Jacob,  Rebecca,  Thomas 
Haines  and  Catherine  Elizabeth  are  laid  there  also. 

Robert  Guthrie  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  was 
slenderly  built  and  a  little  stoop-shouldered;  had  dark  hair  in 
his  younger  days,  dark  eyes  and  swarthy  complexion.  He  was 
not  a  very  excitable  man,  was  a  kind  father  but  strict  with  his 
children,  and  was  a  sincere  but  unostentatious  Christian.  He 
was  temperate  in  all  of  his  habits  except  the  use  of  tobacco. 

Rev.  Robert  Elton  Guthrie. 

Robert  Elton  Guthrie  was  born  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio, 
on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1819.  His  life  is  pretty  well  shown  in 
the  foregoing  sketch  of  his  father.  When  his  father  took  up 
the  business  of  plastering  and  carpentering,  the  eldest  son  John 
was  apprenticed  to  Lewis  Bunn  to  learn  the  trade  of  blacksmith, 
while  Robert  learned  his  father's  trade.  He  was  a  stout  lad  and 
soon  became  quite  skillful  in  the  use  of  tools,  and  a  great  sup- 
port to  the  family.  His  services  were  so  important  that  he  went 
very  little  to  school,  only  five  months  to  Mr.  Amasa  C.  Wash- 
burn in  an  old  log  school-house  that  stood  in  the  crossing  of 
Main  and  Olive  streets. 

In  the  spring  of  1835  Mr.  James  Miller  and  his  brother-in- 
law,  Mr.  Moore,  came  to  Bloomington,  and  this  so  strengthened 
the  Methodist  community  that  they  built  a  church  and  finished 
it  in  the  fall  of  1836.  This  was  done  under  the  charge  of  Rev. 
Zadoc  Hall  now  of  the  Central  Illinois  Conference.  Before  this 
all  religious  services  had  been  held  in  the  court  house.  In  the 
fall  of  1836  Rev.  S.  W.  D.  Chase  was  stationed  at  Bloomington 
under  Rev.  John  St.  Clair  as  presiding  elder.  During  the  fol- 
lowing winter  the  community  was  awakened  by  a  great  revival 
and  among  the  converts  were  John,  Margaret,  Robert  and  Jacob 
Guthrie.  This  revival  had  a  great  influence  upon  the  morals  of 
Bloomington. 

After  his  conversion  Robert  Guthrie  determined  to  be  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  and  considered  this  his  solemn  duty.  He 
studied,  when  he  could  snatch  a  moment's  time  from  his  work, 
and  recited  to  Rev.  Richard  Haney,  who  had  succeeded  Mr. 
Chase  as  pastor  of  the  church  at  Bloomington.  At  the  Illinois 
Annual  Conference  held  at  Jacksonville  in  September,  1841, 
13 


194  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Guthrie  was  admitted  on  trial  on  the  recommendation  of 
the  quarterly  conference  of  Bloomington  station.  He  was  ap- 
pointed to  travel  the  Wauponsett  mission  and  his  work  that  year 
had  for  its  outposts  the  Mazon  settlement,  South  Ottawa,  Ver- 
milionville,  Long  Point,  Pontiac  and  Indian  Grove,  where  the 
town  of  Fairbury  now  stands,  and  all  the  intermediate  territory. 
He  made  this  circuit  every  three  weeks,  with  nineteen  regular 
and  from  two  to  six  extra  appointments.  This  kept  Mr.  Guth- 
rie very  busy,  and  he  was  obliged  to  read  and  study  in  the  sad- 
dle while  going  from  point  to  point.  For  his  year's  salary  he 
received  fifty  dollars  from  the  missionary  fund  and  twenty-five 
or  thirty  dollars  collected  on  his  circuit,  paid  principally  in  arti- 
cles of  clothing,  money  being  almost  out  of  use  at  that  time.  At 
the  close  of  his  pastoral  year  he  was  presented  with  some  half  a 
dozen  pairs  of  socks  and  fifteen  pounds  of  wool.  He  carried  the 
wool  to  Ottawa  on  horseback  and  sold  it  for  an  order  on  a  store 
for  three  dollars.  The  result  of  his  first  year's  work  was  the 
addition  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  members  to  the  church.  The 
following  j^ear  was  marked  by  a  sweeping  revival,  which  ex- 
tended over  the  whole  circuit.  The  next  five  years  were  spent 
by  Mr.  Guthrie  in  the  traveling  circuits  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  State,  which  was  then  all  within  the  Illinois  Conference.  He 
was  many  times  troubled  with  regard  to  his  financial  matters,  as 
his  salary  was  barely  enough  to  keep  him  in  the  necessaries  of 
life.  The  great  flood  was  in  the  year  1844,  and  as  his  work  em- 
braced the  section  of  the  country  bounded  on  the  south  and 
east  by  the  Mississippi  and  Big  Muddy  liivers,  and  on  the  west 
by  the  Kaskaskia,  he  had  great  difficulty  in  traveling  from  one 
point  to  another.  He  was  often  obliged  to  ride  through  water 
on  the  bottom  lands  for  many  miles,  and  sometimes  was  com- 
pelled to  swim  his  horse.  His  salary  for  this  labor  was  one  hun- 
dred dollars  a  year,  and  was  paid  by  the  people  in  calves,  pigs, 
corn,  oats,  castor-beans,  pork,  hoop-poles,  barrel  staves,  barrels, 
and  orders  on  stores ;  nevertheless  he  was  happy,  knowing  that 
he  was  engaged  in  a  useful  and  blessed  work.  In  1844  he  was 
appointed  to  the  Jonesboro  circuit,  in  Union  County,  and  re- 
ceived only  forty-five  dollars  for  his  salary.  At  the  close  of  the 
conference  year,  on  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  August,  1845,  he 
was  married  by  the  Rev.  S.  W.  D.  Chase,  his  presiding  elder,  to 


m'lean  county.  195 

Miss  Lucy  Kelsall,  at  the  residence  of  her  father,  in  Randolph 
County,  and  she  has  been  his  good  and  helpful  wife  ever  since. 
At  the  next  conference  Mr.  Guthrie  was  elected  and  ordained 
an  elder.  For  the  next  year  he  was  appointed  to  the  Nashville 
circuit,  and  during  the  following  year  to  the  Sparta  circuit,  where 
he  promptly  began  his  labor.  But  at  the  second  quarterly  meet- 
ing he  found  his  pay  so  small  that  he  was  obliged  to  resign  his 
charge  and  work  for  his  support.  He  rented  a  small  farm,  the 
one  formerly  owned  and  occupied  by  his  father-in-law,  then  re- 
cently deceased.  His  worldly  goods  were  then  very  few,  and  he 
and  his  wife  and  child  were  forced  to  live  for  some  time  on  corn 
bread.  But  he  was  fortunate  enough  in  February  to  kill  three 
deer,  which  greatly  assisted  him.  He  worked  hard  and  succeed- 
ed well,  and  by  the  next  conference  he  was  free  from  all  finan- 
cial embarrassments  and  again  went  into  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try. He  was  appointed  to  Rushville  station,  in  Schuyler  Coun- 
ty, but  at  the  end  of  the  year  was  again  in  financial  difficulty. 
The  year  following  he  was  appointed  to  the  Beardstown  circuit, 
but  his  financial  embarrassments  became  so  great  that  he  re- 
quested to  be  located,  and  went  to  work  at  his  trade,  carpenter- 
ing and  plastering.  He  worked  at  Beardstown  in  the  winter, 
during  the  day,  and  preached  every  other  evening,  as  a  great 
revival  of  religion  was  in  progress  there.  Rev.  Mr.  Rucker  and 
himself  conducted  the  exercises,  and  great  good  was  accom- 
plished. By  the  time  the  conference  met  during  the  following 
summer,  he  had  relieved  himself  of  his  financial  troubles  by  his 
hard  labor,  and  was  again  ready  to  work  in  the  ranks  of  the 
itinerants.  He  was  appointed  to  the  Springfield  station,  where 
he  labored  with  success  for  two  years.  After  this  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  fill  the  East  Charge  in  Jacksonville,  which  he  did  for 
one  year  very  pleasantly  and  successfully.  In  the  following  year 
he  was  appointed  agent  to  sell  scholarships  for  the  Illinois  Con- 
ference Female  College.  This  was  done  against  his  better  judg- 
ment, at  the  request  of  Rev.  J.  F.  Jacques,  the  President  of  the 
institution,  and  B.  Newman,  the  financial  agent.  After  this  ap- 
pointment was  made,  while  Mr.  Guthrie  was  returning  from 
Jacksonville,  in  company  with  Rev.  William  Hindall,  Dr.  J.  C. 
Finley  and  Samuel  Elliott,  Dr.  Finley  said  :  "  Guthrie,  I  th-th- 
think  the  B-Bishop  has  spoiled  a  t-t-tolerable  good  pr-preacher 


196  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

to  m-makea  v-very  poor  agent,"  to  which  Mr.  Guthrie  replied  : 
"  I  fear  so,  Doctor."  The  appointment  was  not  a  success,  and 
that  vear  ended  his  work  as  a  financial  agent. 

The  following  year  he  was  appointed  presiding  elder  of  the 
Quincy  district,  and  traveled  it  for  three  years  in  succession.  He 
felt  greatly  encouraged  with  the  prosperity  of  the  church  in 
most  of  the  pastoral  charges.  Rushville,  Mt.  Sterling,  Clayton, 
Columbus,  Menden  and  Plymouth  all  had  special  visitations  of 
grace  and  a  large  increase  in  membership.  But  the  salary  was 
small,  and  after  three  years  he  was  changed  to  Decatur  station. 
Here  he  spent  one  of  the  happiest  and  most  successful  years  of 
his  life.  The  church  enjoyed  a  revival  and  paid  off  a  debt  on 
its  property  of  more  than  four  hundred  dollars.  He  says  "there 
is  no  more  warm-hearted  people  for  a  minister  to  labor  with  in 
the  Illinois  Conference  than  is  found  in  the  Methodist  church 
and  congregation  of  Decatur."  In  the  fall  of  1858,  Mr.  Guth- 
rie was  appointed  to  the  charge  of  the  Bloomington  district  as 
presiding  elder,  and  was  continued  at  that  work  for  four  years. 
During  that  period  nearly  every  charge  in  the  district  enjoyed 
revivals.  The  charge  at  Bloomington,  under  Rev.  I.  C.  Eim- 
ber,  and  afterwards  under  Rev.  L.  C.  Pitner,  and  the  charge  at 
Leroy,  under  Rev.  Ira  Emerson  enjoyed  very  extensive  re- 
vivals. 

During  those  four  years  Mr.  Guthrie  laid  up  enough  money 
on  a  salary  of  nine  hundred  dollars  to  buy  a  quarter  section  of 
land  to  which  he  could  retire  when  age  or  infirmity  should  pre- 
vent him  from  continuing  his  labors  in  the  ministry.  It  is  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  eleven,  in  Bellefiower  township, 
McLean  County,  and  cost  four  dollars  per  acre. 

In  1868,  at  the  urgent  solicitations  of  his  friends,  Mr.  Guth- 
rie became  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  Circuit  Clerk  of  Mc- 
Lean Count}*.  He  was  elected  and  held  his  office  four  years. 
He  never  held  any  other  public  office,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
Lis  term  did  not  come  forward  for  re-election. 

Robert  Elton  G  uthrie  is  five  feet  and  eleven  inches  in  "height, 
is  well  set,  well  proportioned,  and  has  a  broad  chest  and  broad 
shoulders.  His  hair  was  dark  when  young,  but  now  is  rather 
gray.  He  has  a  high  forehead,  hazel  eyes,  good  countenance, 
and  a  healthy  constitution.     As  will   be  seen   in  this  sketch,  he 


m'lean  county.  197 

prizes  very  highly  his  Christian  experience,  and  wishes  to  see 
the  power  and  influence  of  Christianity  extended. 

Adam   Guthrie. 

Adam  Guthrie  was  born  March  10,  1825,  in  the  town  of  Cir- 
cleville,  Pickaway  County,  Ohio.  His  father  was  Scotch-Irish, 
and  his  mother  was  German.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  twelve 
children,  eight  boys  and  four  girls.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that 
nearly  all  of  our  old  settlers  were  members  of  very  large  fami- 
lies, the  children  usually  numbering  from  eight  to  twelve,  and 
in  one  case  twenty-one.  Adam's  father  came  to  McLean  Coun- 
ty with  his  family  in  September,  1826.  He  bought  and  sold 
land  claims  in  McLean  County  until  1832,  when  he  came  to 
Bloomington  and  invested  some  money  in  town  lots.  After 
building  a  house  he  began  to  work  at  plastering,  but  never  ac- 
cumulated much  property.  Adam,  being  only  one  year  old 
when  his  father  came  to  McLean  County,  received  the  education 
of  a  pioneer  school  boy.  Mr.  "Washburn,  of  whose  life  we  have 
written  a  sketch,  was  one  of  his  teachers.  Young  Adam  at- 
tended school  in  winter  and  helped  his  father  in  the  plastering 
business  during  the  summer.  In  1846  his  father  died,  and 
•  Adam  learned  the  trade  of  plastering  of  a  Mr.  Lawrence,  usually 
called  Squire  Lawrence.  After  two  years'  service  for  Lawrence 
he  went  to  work  on  his  own  account,  and  has  continued  at  this 
business  until  the  present  time,  when  not  interrupted  by  the 
duties  of  public  office.  From  1865  until  1873  he  has  held  the 
office  of  assessor,  and  has  performed  his  duties  carefully.  Mr. 
Guthrie  also  acted  as  deputy  recorder  from  1868  to  1870  for  his 
brother,  who  was  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  from  1868  to 
1872.  In  1870  he  took  the  United  States  census  in  district 
number  seven. 

Adam  Guthrie  married,  in  1849,  Miss  L.  L.  Butler,  of 
Bloomington.  The  marriage  service  was  performed  by  the 
noted  Wesleyan  minister,  Thomas  Magee.  He  has  now  an  in- 
teresting family  of  three  children,  two  boys  and  one  girl. 

Adam  Guthrie  has  plastered  or  helped  to  plaster  nearly  two 
hundred  houses,  and  has  indeed  earned  his  bread  by  the  sweat 
of  his  brow.  The  price  paid  for  plastering  is  now  much  greater 
than  it  was  twenty  years  ago,  nevertheless  Mr.  Guthrie  says  that 


198  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

more  money  could  be  made  by  the  contractor  in  early  times,  be- 
cause the  price  of  labor  and  material  was  so  much  less.  In 
early  days  the  wages  of  the  best  workmen  were  from  $1.00  to 
$1.50  per  day,  while  they  are  at  present  from  $3.00  to  $3.50. 

During  the  late  rebellion  Adam  Guthrie  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois,  and  was  soon  made  corporal,  but 
after  serving  eight  months  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  ill- 
health.  He  participated  in  one  engagement,  that  of  Prairie 
Grove,  on  the  seventh  of  December,  1862. 

Adam  Guthrie  has  the  feeling  of  an  old  settler,  and  takes 
pride  in  the  growth  and  development  of  the  country,  and  in  the 
fact  that  he  is  identified  with  it.  He  takes  pleasure  in  recalling 
the  incidents  of  early  life,  and  any  little  event  awakens  this 
feeling.  He  even  takes  satisfaction  in  having  attended  the  first 
funeral  in  the  old  cemetery,  that  of  Mrs.  Pennington.  He  says 
she  lived  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  L.  Matern,  carriage 
maker,  the  same  in  which  Mr.  Hill  printed  the  first  newspaper 
published  in  Bloomington. 

As  to  personal  appearance,  Adam  Guthrie  is  well  formed, 
and  nearly  six  feet  in  height.  His  constitution  is  not  very  good. 
His  features  are  strong  and  his  nose  a  little  Roman.  He  has 
never  been  much  of  a  speculator,  although  he  understands  the 
value  of  property,  and  knows  how  to  make  the  assessment. 

David  Cox. 

David  Cox  was  born  January  12,  1811,  about  four  miles  from 
Circleville,  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was 
Benjamin  Cox,  and  his  mother's  was  Phileua  Dye.  He  thinks  his 
mother  was  of  Welch  descent.  He  went  to  school  in  Ohio,  but 
in  this  respect  differed  little  from  other  boys  of  that  time.  Edu- 
cational advantages  were  not  remarkably  good.  He  was  a  very 
industrious  boy,  his  father  never  allowed  him  to  be  idle,  and  the 
habit  of  industry  became  so  fixed  that  it  has  remained  in  his  old 
age.  In  1825  his  father  came  to  McLean  County  and  bought 
of  John  W.  Dawson  an  improved  claim  with  a  log  cabin,  a  barn 
and  seventy  acres  under  fence,  for  two  hundred  dollars.  He  re- 
turned to  Ohio  to  bring  out  his  famil}",  but  died  within  two  or 
three  weeks  afterwards.  But  Mrs.  Cox,  the  mother  of  David, 
brought  out  the  family,  which  consisted  of  eight  children,  four 


m'lean  county.  199 

sons,  three  daughters  and  one  nephew,  John  Kinder.  They 
left  Ohio  August  29,  1826,  and  arrived  September  23.  The  sea- 
son was  pleasant  and  the  roads  were  good,  until  they  came  to 
the  beech  woods  of  Indiana.  There  they  were  troubled  by  mud, 
but  when  they  came  to  the  prairie  they  had  a  pleasant  road  once 
more.  They  saw  only  three  houses  between  the  Vermilion  Salt 
Works  (twelve  miles  this  side  of  Danville)  and  Blooming  Grove, 
then  called  Keg  Grove.  This  is  a  distance  of  about  seventy 
miles.  They  had  no  particular  adventure  or  trouble,  except  that 
once  their  horses  strayed  away,  and  the  Indians  took  them,  and 
the  animals  were  not  recovered  for  some  time.  They  came  back 
poor  from  neglect  and  hard  Indian  fare.  The  family  settled  on 
the  east  side  of  Blooming  Grove,  where  David  Cox  now  lives. 
It  is  near  the  track  of  the  Indianapolis,  Bloomington  &  Western 
Railway. 

The  Cox  family  had  a  hard  time  during  the  winter  of  the 
deep  snow,  as  all  the  settlers  had,  and  pounded  their  corn,  of 
course.  Mrs.  David  Cox  (then  Miss  Walker)  says  they  parched 
corn  and  ground  it  in  a  coffee  mill,  and  thought  it  good 
living. 

David  Cox  was  more  of  a  worker  than  a  hunter  ;  he  says  the 
deer  always  saw  him  first,  and  he  preferred  the  certainty  of  the 
reward  of  toil  to  the  uncertainty  of  finding  game  which  could 
see  him  first.  The  falling  of  the  meteors  in  1833  was  quite  an 
era  for  the  old  settlers.  The  meteors  came  by  millions,  and 
made  the  night  much  lighter  by  their  falling.  It  is  said  that 
James  Rhodes  thought  the  world  was  coming  to  an  end,  and 
arose  and  began  reading  his  Bible. 

Mr.  Cox  never  lost  much  by  prairie  fires,  being  always  care- 
ful to  guard  against  them.  The  vegetation  of  the  country  has 
been  changed  by  settling  it  up.  The  prairie  grass  has  disap- 
peared, and  the  blue  grass  has  taken  its  place.  Mr.  Cox  tells  of 
some  peculiar  vegetables,  called  the  ramps,  which  formerly 
grew  in  the  timber.  They  tasted  like  onions,  and  were  liked 
by  the  cattle,  but  gave  a  bad  flavor  to  the  milk.  They  flavored 
everything  they  touched  and  were  very  disagreeable,  but  are 
now  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

David  Cox  married,  May  29,  1833,  Miss  Sophrona  J.  Walker, 
a  very  amiable  and  pleasant  lady.     Mrs.    Cox  is  a  good  house- 


200  OLD    SETTLEKS    OF 

wife,  and  takes  care  of  her  household  goods.  She  has  coverlets 
which  were  woven  before  the  Black  Hawk  war.  She  has  in 
constant  use  the  table,  the  stand,  the  cupboard  and  the  chairs, 
which  were  made  in  the  days  of  the  early  settlement.  She  is  a 
very  entertaining  lady,  as  may  he  seen  from  the  following,  which 
she  writes  of  the  early  settlement : 

I"  Only  a  few  white  families  were  settled  in  Blooming  Grove 
when  we  came,  but  the  Indians  were  plenty.  The  squaws  called 
on  us  occasionally  for  the  purpose  of  trading  beads,  bead  baskets 
and  trinkets  of  various  kinds.  I  thought  it  very  amusing  to  be 
visited  by  the  red  ladies  of  the  forest.  Though  I  was  but  a 
child  I  took  particular  notice  of  their  language.  They  always 
wanted  something  to  eat,  and  would  sometimes  call  for  husqw  I 
(corn)  and  for  cookcush  (meat).  'When  we  came  here  our  family 
was  in  limited  circumstances,  and  when  I  wanted  a  nice  dress, 
something  better  than  father  felt  able  to  buy,  I  would  take  my 
basket  and  hoe  and  hunt  through  the  woods  and  dig  ginseng, 
which  was  dried  and  sold.  Our  way  of  visiting  was  different 
from  what  it  is  at  present.  We  thought  it  no  trouble  to  walk 
seven  or  eight  miles  to  go  to  a  spinning  party.  The  school- 
masters in  the  early  days  thought  it  necessary  to  be  more  severe 
in  their  punishments  than  at  present.     I  remember  well  when  I 

was  going  to   school  to   Mr.  H .     He  left  the  school  house 

during  one  noon,  and  when  he  returned  he  made  the  boys  think 
he  had  been  on  the  house-top  watching  their  proceedings  while 
they  thought  him  absent,  and  he  called  them  up  one  by  one,  and 
asked  what  they  had  done.  He  called  up  one  boy  and  said  : 
'  Henry,  what  have  you  done  V  The  reply  was  :  '  I  took  after 
one  of  the  girls  and  tried  to  hug  her,  and  chased  her  out  in  the 
rain.'  He  was  severely  whipped.  Every  boy  had  to  draw  his 
coat  for  each  trifling  offense.  I  wonder  if  Air.  H.  ever  thinks 
of  it?  My  parents  were  very  pious  people,  and  tried  to  bring 
up  their  children  in  the  fear  and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  They 
often  had  preaching  at  their  house." 

Mr.  and    Mrs.  Cox  have  had  six  children,  of  whom  five  are 
living.     Thev  are  : 

Mrs.  Martha  M.  lihodes,  wife  of  Aaron  Rhodes. 

William  Marcus  Cox,  born  August  0, 1836,  lives  two   miles 
south  of  his  father's. 


M'LEAN  .COUNTY.  201 

Mrs.  Mary  Ellen  Sweeney,  wife  of  Dennis  Sweeney,  lives  in 
Bloomington. 

Leander  Melville  Cox  was  born  April  18,  1841,  and  at  pres- 
ent lives  in  Bloomington. 

Mrs.  Hnldah  M.  Deems,  wife  of  George  Deems,  lives  with 
her  father. 

Cora  Ellis  Cox,  born  February  17,  1854,  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Cox  is  a  man  rather  less  than  the  medium  height,  weighs 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  pounds,  is  always  busy,  too  busy 
to  ever  weigh  much.  He  is  always  on  the  move,  and  is  quite 
noted  for  his  ceaseless  activity.  He  is  a  pleasant  and  somewhat 
humorous  man,  very  kind  to  everyone,  and  quite  noted  among 
the  old  settlers.  His  neighbors  are  always  glad  to  see  him,  but 
they  never  catch  him  idle.  Mr.  Cox  has  been  very  temperate  in 
his  habits,  and  never  was  intoxicated  in  his  life,  though  he  lived 
in  times  when  it  was  the  custom  to  use  ardent  spirits.  He  has 
never  used  tobacco  nor  made  use  of  profane  language.  He  is  a 
very  hardy  old  settler,  and  can  bear  a  great  deal.  In  1854  or  '55 
he  was  on  board  of  a  railroad  train  which  was  snowed  up  near 
Mt.  Pulaski.  The  snow  came  so  thick  and  fast  that  many  peo- 
ple were  lost  while  at  home  feeding  their,  stock,  and  it  was  so 
deep  that  they  could  not  travel  with  teams.  Mr.  Cox  walked 
through  that  snow  from  near  Mt.  Pulaski  to  Funk's  Grove,  a 
distance  of  thirty  miles.  Mr.  Cox  was  an  Old  Line  Whig  and 
afterwards  a  Republican ;  nevertheless,  he  voted  for  Jackson, 
who  was  certainly  the  most  powerful  political  man  in  the  United 
States. 

William  McCullougii. 

William  McCullough,  son  of  Peter  and  Levina  McCullough, 
was  born  September  11,  1812,  in  Flemingsburg,  Kentucky.  Pe- 
ter McCullough  was  a  noted  character.  He  was  a  man  of  re- 
markable shrewdness.  The  McCullough  family  came  in  the  year 
1826  to  what  is  now  McLean  County,  Illinois,  and  settled  at  Dry 
Grove.  Here  Peter  McCullough  kept  for  a  while  a  house  of 
entertainment.  A  queer  incident  is  related  of  him  which  shows 
his  disposition  and  character.  At  one  time  a  stranger  stopped 
with  old  Peter  and  used  some  profane  language  without  any  oc- 
casion.    Old  Peter  paid  no  attention  for  some  time,  but  at  last 


202  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

he  said  :  "Stranger,  I  generally  do  what  little  swearing  is  neces- 
sary on  these  premises !"  At  another  time,  some  years  later, 
while  Peter  McCullough  was  in  Bloomington,  some  merchants 
insisted  on  selling  him  some  fine  clothes.  This  happened  while 
the  bankrupt  law  was  in  force,  and  while  so  many  men  were 
taking  advantage  of  it  to  pay  their  debts.  These  merchants  had 
themselves  been  through  bankruptcy,  and  when  they  asked  old 
Peter  to  buy  some  fine  clothes  he  refused,  saying  that,  if  he  did 
so,  people  would  think  him  a  miserable  bankrupt. 

In  early  life  "William  McCullough  worked  on  a  farm.  He 
was  a  boy  of  remarkable  spirit,  and  his  great  resolution  was 
plainly  seen  even  in  his  youth.  In  1882  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
soldier  in  the  company  commanded  by  Merrit  Covel,  and  went 
to  the  Black  Hawk  war.  There  he  was  distinguished  for  his 
great  personal  courage.  He  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  lose  his 
gun,  but  made  good  the  deficiency  by  snatching  a  gun  from  the 
hands  of  an  Indian  on  the  ground  of  Stillman's  Run.  This  af- 
fair is  a  matter  of  great  notoriety ;  but  to  one  unacquainted  with 
the  matter  it  seems  almost  incredible.  But  it  is  certainly  true 
that  McCullough  took  a  gun  from  a  hostile  Indian  on  the  field 
of  Stillman's  Run.  The  gun,  however,  was  not  a  very  good  one, 
as  it  exploded  in  his  hands  after  the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk 
war,  while  he  was  firing  on  parade. 

In  December,  1833,  William  McCullough  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Williams.  The}'  had  been  in  their  youth  schoolmates 
and  were  taught  by  Milton  H.  Williams,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Mc- 
Cullough. 

In  1840  William  McCullough  lost  his  right  arm  in  a  thresh- 
ing  machine.  After  it  was  torn  oft",  the  stump  was  amputated. 
When  the  amputation  of  the  arm  was  about  to  be  made,  McCul- 
lough was  asked  whom  he  wished  to  hold  it,  and  he  chose 
Osborn  Barnard.  During  the  operation  McCuiiough  sat  quietly 
smoking,  but  he  thought  he  saw  Mr.  Barnard  tremble  a  little, 
and  cautioned  the  latter  to  be  careful  and  steady.  This  incident 
is  given  by  Mr.  Barnard  himself. 

In  the  fall  of  1840  Mr.  McCullough  was  elected  sheriff"  of 
McLean  County,  and  held  this  office  for  three  successive  terms. 
He  was  then  elected  Circuit  Clerk  of  the  countv,  and  held  this 
office  for  four  successive  terms.  He  was  an  exceedingl}'  popular 
man,  and  had  the  warmest  of  friends. 


M'LEAN  COUNTY. 


203 


In  August,  1861,  Mr.  McCullough  entered  the  army  and  was 
commissioned  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  Fourth  Illinois  Cavalry. 
With  only  one  arm  and  a  defective  eye,  he  nevertheless,  per- 
formed his  duty  fearlessly  and  efficiently.  He  was  at  Fort  Henry 
and  Fort  Donelson,  at  Shiloh,  and  at  Corinth.  On  the  fifth  of 
December,  1862,  Colonel  McCullough  was  killed  in  the  engage- 
ment with  the  rebels  near  Coffeeville,  Mississippi.  His  body  was 
brought  home  and  buried  in  the  Bloomington  Cemetery.  When 
the  news  of  the  death  of  Colonel  McCullough  reached  Bloom- 
ington, the  bar  of  McLean  County  held  a  meeting  and  passed 
resolutions  to  his  memory,  as  he  continued  to  hold  his  office  of 
clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court.  The  following  is  taken  from  the 
report  of  this  meeting : 

"  William  McCullough  entered  the  military  service  of  the 
United  States  in  August,  1861,  and  was  immediately  commis- 
sioned lieutenant  colonel  of  the  Fourth  Illinois  Cavalry.  From 
that  time  he  gave  his  whole  heart  to  the  cause  of  his  country, 
and  put  all  his  energy  to  the  suppression  of  the  foulest  rebellion 
that  ever  disgraced  the  pages  of  history.  He  was  present  with 
his  regiment  at  the  operation  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of 
Fort  Henry,  and  in  the  taking  of  Fort  Donelson  he  rendered 
such  efficient  and  valuable  service  that  he  attracted  the  attention 
of  his  commanding  officer  (the  lamented  General  Wallace)  whose 
official  report  acknowledges  and  commends  his  gallant  conduct. 
He  was  also  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  in  all  the  movements  of 
the  army  that  led  to  the  evacuation  of  Corinth  by  the  rebels  un- 
der General  Beauregard,  and  from  that  time  until  his  death  he 
was  always  present  where  danger  was  to  be  met,  or  laurels  won, 
and  was  ever  a  brave,  faithful,  energetic  and  accomplished  sol- 
dier. 

"  In  consideration  of  the  service  he  has  rendered  the  country, 
and  inasmuch  as  he  was  long  officiall}7  connected  with  this  Court, 
the  members  of  this  bar  in  perpetuation  of  his  memory,  pray 
that  this  paper  together  with  the  following  resolutions  be  spread 
upon  the  records  of  this  Court: 

"Resolved,  That  we,  the  members  of  this  bar,  have  heard 
with  the  deepest  regret  of  the  death  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Wil- 
liam McCullough,  the  clerk  of  this  Court,  who  fell  in  battle, 
bravely  contending  for  the  liberty  and  laws  of  his  country, 
against  a  causeless  and  most  wicked  rebellion. 


204  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

"  Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  McCul- 
lough, we  feel  that  we  have  lost  a  warm-hearted,  faithful  friend, 
but  our  greatest  regret  is  that  the  Government  has  lost  a  brave, 
accomplished  and  patriotic  soldier,  and  liberty  a  valiant  cham- 
pion. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  take  this  solemn  occasion  to  renew,  with 
a  firmer  purpose,  our  unalterable  attachment  to  the  Constitution 
and  laws  of  the  country,  and  to  again  pledge  to  the  Govern- 
ment our  unswerving  support  and  warmest  sympathy  in  all  its 
efforts  to  suppress  this  infernal  rebellion. 

'■'■Resolved,  That  the  clerk  of  this  Court,  furnish  to  the  familv 
of  Lieutenant  Colonel  McCullough  a  copy  of  these  resolutions. 

"  Colonel  Gridley  then  addressed  the  meeting,  referring  to 
his  long  acquaintance  and  intimacy  with  the  deceased,  touching 
upon  many  tender  incidents  of  his  life,  demonstrating  the  kind 
and  social  feelings,  the  sterling  integrity  and  true  bravery  of  the 
man.  That  he  was  not  ambitious,  yet  always  by  the  choice  of 
the  people  filling  important  positions  of  trust.  He  spoke  elo- 
quently and  feelingly  of  the  great  cause  of  our  countiy  to  which 
Colonel  McCullough  had  so  unhesitatingly  given  up  his  life. 

"  His  Honor,  Judge  Scott,  also  spoke  to  the  same  effect,  tes- 
tifying from  his  long  and  intimate  acquaintance,  to  his  goodness 
and  nobleness  of  heart,  and  of  the  kindness  he  had  received, 
both  from  him  and  his  family,  when,  some  years  ago,  he  made 
his  home  with  them,  and  of  the  many  endearing  reminiscences 
that  crowded  upon  his  mind  in  this  sad  hour  of  bereavement. 

"  Hon.  Leonard  Svvett  commencing  by  saying  :  'At  a  time 
like  this  silence  seems  most  eloquent,'  referred  to  our  mam- 
brave  and  good  citizens  that  had  before  fallen  by  the  hands  of 
this  terrible  rebellion.  He  spoke  particularly  and  at  some  length 
of  the  history  of  Colonel  McCullough  in  connection  with  this 
war,  of  his  braver}^  and  noble  bearing  upon  the  battle-field  and 
of  the  loss  this  community  and  the  country  have  sustained  in 
his  death,  and  that  'those  gaps  that  death  makes  are  not  easily 
filled.'  He  spoke  most  feelingly  and  tenderly  of  the  family  of 
the  deceased,  of  his  bearing  to  them  the  sad  message  of  death. 
"  The  meeting  was  further  addressed  most  eloquently  and  ap- 
propriately by  Messrs.  W.  H.  Hanna,  Jesse  Bishop,  David  Brier 
J.   H.   Wickizer,  R.   E.   Williams,  James  Ewing  and  M.   W 


M'LEAN    COUNTY.  205 

Strayer,  all  giving  some  pleasant  incidents  of  kindness  which 
they  had  received  at  the  hands  of  the  deceased,  and  all  bearing 
testimony  to  the  uniform  urbanity,  sociability,  kindness,  gener- 
osity, fidelity  and  integrity  of  Colonel  McCullough  in  all  the 
walks  of  social  and  public  life. 

"  Upon  motion,  the  preamble  and  resolutions  were  then  unan- 
imously adopted. 

"Also  upon  motion,  W.  H.  Hanna,  Esq.,  was  appointed  a 
committee  on  behalf  of  the  bar  to  present  these  resolutions  to 
the  Court  and  to  ask  that  they  be  spread  upon  the  records  of  the 
same.  W.  P.  Boyd,  President. 

Jesse  Bircii,  Secretary." 


? 


William  McCullough  had  eight  children,  four  of  whom  grew 
to  manhood  and  womanhood.     They  are  : 

Mrs.  Nannie  L.  Orme,  widow  of  General  William  W.  Orme, 
who,  during  the  rebellion,  entered  the  United  States  service  as 
colonel  of  the  Ninety- fourth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  after- 
wards made  a  general.  Pie  died  September  13, 1866,  of  sickness 
contracted  while  in  the  army. 

Mrs.  Fannie  M.  Orme,  wife  of  Frank  D.  Orme,  lives  in 
Washington,  D.  C. 

William  A.  McCullough,  died  September  2,  1869.  He  was, 
during  the  war,  a  soldier  in  the  Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry. 

Howard  M.  McCullough  died  July  1,  1871.  He  was,  during 
the  war,  a  soldier  in  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois  Infantry. 

Colonel  McCullough  was  of  medium  height,  was  very  pleas- 
ant and  polite  in  his  manners  and  warm-hearted  and  generous  in 
his  disposition.  His  hair  in  his  younger  days  was  dark,  afterwards 
gray,  and  his  eyes  were  black  and  expressive.  He  was  one  of 
the  most  bold  and  fearless  of  men,  and  it  may  be  doubted 
whether  he  ever  had  the  feeling  of  fear  or  really  knew  what  it 
was.  He  was  frank  and  outspoken  in  his  manner  and  a  warn: 
friend.  He  wasoneof  the  most  popular  men  in  McLean  County. 
for  he  had  those  bold  and  generous  qualities  which  men  and 
women  admire. 


206  old  settleks  of 

Dr.  Isaac  Baker. 

Dr.  Isaac  Baker  was  born  September  13,  1783,  in  Fairfield 
County,  Connecticut.  The  ancestry  of  Dr.  Baker  was  Puritan 
and  is  traced  to  the  settlement  of  the  Plymouth  colony.  He  was 
educated  at  an  early  day  for  a  physician  and  studied  seven 
years. 

He  married  in  Ohio  in  the  fall  of  1803,  Susannah  M.  Dodge. 
In  1810  or  '11  the  Baker  family  moved  to  Marietta,  Ohio.  During 
the  war  of  1812  he  lived  at  the  block  house  at  Marietta,  and  it 
was  his  duty  for  a  part  of  the  time  to  watch  from  a  tree  top  for 
Indians,  while  the  men  were  at  work  in  the  field.  He  learned 
surveying  in  Ohio  and  became  quite  skillful  in  the  use  of  the 
instruments.  He  was  also  an  architect  and  superintended  the 
construction  of  many  buildings.  "  In  1820  he  went  from  Ohio 
to  New  York  to  aid  his  brother-in-law  in  the  erection  of  steam 
works  for  a  factory,  and  from  there  he  went  to  Bath,  in  Maine, 
where  he  built  the  first  steam  mill  ever  erected  in  that  State." 

On  the  eleventh  of  July,  1827,  he  came  to  what  is  now 
McLean  County,  Illinois.  The  journey  was  made  in  wet  weather 
over  muddy  roads  and  corduroy  tracks  through  the  swamps.  He 
settled  first  at  Harley's  Grove  and  there  built  a  house.  But  after 
some  calculation  he  concluded  that  it  would  never  be  sufficiently 
settled  to  support  a  school  to  educate  his  children  and  he  sold 
his  claim,  having  lived  on  it  only  a  few  months.  He  next  settled 
in  the  southwestern  part  of  Funk's  Grove,  where  he  remained 
two  years  and  sold  out  to  a  man  named  Rankin  and  bought  a 
claim  a  little  south  of  William  Ollendorff's  at  Bloomino-  Grove. 
When  the  land  came  into  market,  he  entered  his  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres. 

In  the  spring  of  1831  Mr.  James  Allin  came  to  Isaac  Baker 
and  said  :  "  Come,  get  your  chain  and  compass  and  let's  lay  out 
a  town."  Then  Allin  and  Baker  and  William  Orendorff  laid 
out  the  town  upon  land  which  James  Allin  had  given  to  be  used 
for  that  purpose.  Mr.  Allin  was  very  enthusiastic  about  the 
future  of  Bloomington  and  took  out  a  map  to  convince  the  gen- 
tlemen of  the  favorable  situation  of  the  place.  He  put  a  hazel- 
switch  across  it  and  said  it  was  on  the  direct  route  from  Chicago 
to  St.  Louis  and  that  it  was  between  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  Flint 
Bluffs  (now  Burlington),  Iowa,  and  he  was  very  positive  that  it 


m'lean  county.  207 

would  be  a  great  city  in  the  future.  The  town  was  finally 
located  and  called  Bloornington.  Isaac  Baker  surveyed  the  lots 
and  laid  them  out.  It  had  been  decided  before  this  that  the 
place  should  be  a  county  seat. 

When  the  first  Board  of  Commissioners  of  McLean  County 
met,  Isaac  Baker  was  chosen  clerk  of  the  County  Commissioners 
Court,  which  position  he  held  for  fifteen  years.  He  was  after- 
wards postmaster  of  Bloornington  and  held  this  office  for  some 
years,  and  "his  old  residence  still  stands  on  South  Centre  street, 
hard  by  which  was  the  old  post- office  and  which  then  marked 
the  commercial  center  of  the  city."  Dr.  Baker  helped  in  build- 
ing the  first  house  put  up  in  Bloornington,  after  it  was  laid  out. 

While  Dr.  Baker  was  county  clerk,  some  incidents  occurred, 
which  show  how  difficult  it  was  sometimes  to  procure  money. 
A  young  man,  who  wished  to  get  married,  made  application  for 
a  license,  but  had  no  money  to  pay  the  fee.  After  some  discus- 
sion Dr.  Baker  gave  him  a  license,  and  the  man  promised  to  pay 
the  fee  in  maple  sugar  in  the  following  spring.  It  was  a  sweet 
transaction  for  all  concerned.  Another  young  man,  who  expe- 
rienced the  same  difficulty,  promised  to  pay  for  his  license  in 
wolf-scalps. 

Dr.  Baker  was  a  liberal-minded  man  and  would  not  allow 
anything  like  persecution  or  ostracism,  if  he  could  help  it.  At 
one  time,  a  Mormon  preacher  wished  to  deliver  a  sermon,  but 
the  people  refused  to  listen  and  seemed  disposed  to  use  violence. 
But  Dr.  Baker  took  the  Mormon  home  and  kindly  cared  for  him 
and  entertained  him  in  the  best  of  style,  shod  his  horse,  gave 
him  money  and  sent  him  on  his  way  rejoicing. 

The  first  Methodist  conference  was  held  in  Bloornington  in 
1836,  and  in  this  Dr.  Baker  took  great  interest. 

In  1853  or  '54  he  moved  to  Leroy,  where  he  lived  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  April  28,  1872. 

He  was  married  three  times  and  his  domestic  life  was  always 
very  happy.  He  married,  the  second  time,  Mrs.  Rath  Green- 
man,  the  widow  of  John  Greenman,  and  the  third  time,  Mrs. 
Nancy  Miller,  a  widow.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  eleven 
children.  They  are :  Seth,  Elliot,  William,  John,  Susannah, 
Charles,  Sidney  D.,  Mary  Ann,  Solomon  D.,  Hiram  and  Albert. 
By  his  second  marriage  he  had  two  children  :  Laura  W.  and 
Julia  A.  Baker. 


208  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

The  following  description  of  Dr.  Baker  was  written  at  the 
time  of  his  death  by  one  of  his  intimate  friends,  and  was  pub- 
lished in  the  Bloomington  Pantograph  : 

Dr.  Baker  was  of  medium  height,  and  rather  corpulent. 
Sidney  Baker,  Esq.,  of  Leroy,  is  a  very  good  type  of  what  his 
father  was  in  the  days  of  his  prime.  Dr.  Baker  was  a  quiet,  un- 
pretending man,  and  the  honesty  and  uprightness  of  his  charac- 
ter was  never  called  in  question.  Such  was  the  general  confi- 
dence the  people  reposed  in  him  while  in  office  that  he  was 
consulted  as  an  oracle,  and  his  opinions  taken  for  law.  He  was 
a  man  of  literary  taste  and  very  extensive  reading  and  informa- 
tion. Scarcely  any  subject  within  the  range  of  human  investi- 
gation but  had  to  some  extent  come  under  the  knowledge  and 
observation  of  Dr.  Baker.  He  was  communicative  and  interest- 
ing in  conversation,  and  always  impressed  you  with  the  sincerity 
of  his  opinions.  He  was  a  friend  of  peace  and  a  lover  of  con- 
cord, and  passed  through  his  long  life  without  having  any  trou- 
ble with  his  fellow-men ;  and  in  addition  to  this  he  healed  up 
the  difficulties  of  others  and  poured  oil  on  the  troubled  waters 
wherever  he  went.  He  was  benignant  and  kind  to  everybody, 
but  especially  to  the  poor.  The  fatherless,  the  widow  or  the 
needy  were  never  turned  empty  away  from  Dr.  Baker's  door. 
He  believed  in  immortality  and  eternal  life,  and  lived  and  died 
in  hope  through  Christ  of  a  brighter  and  more  beautiful  world 
beyond  the  grave.  Thus  after  a  long  and  eventful  life  of  four 
score  and  nine  years,  the  wheels  of  his  mortal  life  stood  still. 
and  Dr.  Baker  passed  over  and  now  lives  beyond  the  river. 
Peace  to  his  memory  here,  and  glory  and  immortality  here- 
after. 

George  Hinshaw,  Jr. 

George  Hinshaw,  Jr.,  was  born  December  26, 1820,  on  a  farm 
two  miles  from  the  town  of  Monroe,  the  county  seat  of  Overton 
County,  Tennessee.  He  came  from  old  English  Quaker  stodc. 
his  ancestors  having  emigrated  from  England  to  Ireland  at  an 
early  day  and  from  there  to  America.  The  majority  of  his  rel- 
atives are  still  Quakers,  though  Mr.  Hinshaw  does  not  belong  to 
that  honored  sect. 


m'lean  county.  209 

His  father's  name  was  George   Hinshaw,  and  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Susannah  Johnson.     Mr.  Hinshaw,  sr.,  the 
father  of  George  Hinshaw  of  whom  we  are  writing,  came  to 
Blooming  Grove,  McLean   County,  Illinois,  in  July,  1827.     He 
had  visited  Illinois  during  the  year  previous,  in  company  with 
Stephen   Webb  (now  living  at  Twin   Grove),  and  had  made  a 
claim  of  some  land  on  the   Kankakee  River  not  far  from  Joliet. 
But  when  the  family  moved  to  Illinois  the  country  was  very  wet, 
and  it  was  impossible  to  go  up  to  the  Kankakee.     More  than 
that,  some  difficulty  had  occurred  between  the  whites  at  the 
mining  country  near  Galena  and  the  Winnebago  Indians,  and 
the  settlers  feared  an  Indian  war  in  the  northern   part  of  the 
State.     All  of  these  considerations  determined  Mr.  Hinshaw  not 
to  go  up  on  the  Kankakee.     The  weather  during  their  journey 
was  terrible,  and  they  were  seven  weeks  in  traveling.     It  rained 
very  hard  and  the  whole  face  of  the  country  seemed  covered 
with  water.     They  crossed  the  Sangamon  River  at  Newcom's 
Ford,  this  side  of  Urbana,  on  a  raft,  which  they  were  obliged  to 
build.     They  were  delayed  there  one  week.     When  they  came 
to   Cheney's   Creek,  they  had  great  difficulty  in   crossing,   and 
stopped  to  camp,  and  there  a  great  hurricane  came  near  blowing 
their  horses  and  wagon  away.     Mr.  Hinshaw,  sr.,  bought  a  claim 
of  twenty  acres  with  a  cabin  and  growing  crop,  in  the  south  side 
of  Blooming  Grove,  and  there   he  built  a  house.     He  gave  a 
wagon  and  yoke  of  oxen,  worth  in  all  about  fifty  dollars,  for  his 
claim.     Money  was  then  scarce.     The  price  of  a  good  cow  was 
only  five  dollars.     When  he  settled  in  Blooming  Grove  the  gov- 
ernment had   surveyed  the  land,  and  shortly  afterwards  it  was 
brought  into  market,  and  he  bought  two  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  for  $1.25  per  acre.     This  was  all  the  money  he  had  and  he 
was  thought  to  be  rich  !     At  that  time  the  Kickapoo  and  Potta- 
wotamie  Indians  were  plenty,  and  both  tribes  lived  together  in 
friendship.     But  they  moved  West  about  the  time  of  the  Black 
Hawk  war.     The  Indians  were  always  ready  to  trade,  and  ex- 
changed buckskin  and  moccasins  for  pork,  flour,  tobacco,  &c.,<tc. 
Mr.  Hinshaw  thinks  these  savages  very  polite  people.     When 
they  make  a  visit,  only  one  talks   at  a  time,  and  in  this  respect 
they  differ  somewhat  from  the  ladies  of  a  sewing  circle  or  a  mite 
society.     But  these  barbarians  resemble  the  ladies  in  one  respect, 
*  14 


210  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

they  are  fond  of  display  and  love  jewelry  and  trinkets,  which 
they  wear  in  their  ears  and  sometimes  in  their  noses.  The  In- 
dians sometimes  cultivated  the  ground  and  raised  what  they 
called  squaw  corn.  This  they  buried  in  the  ground  when  they 
went  hunting  in  the  fall,  and  sometimes  did  not  dig  it  up  until 
the  following  spring.  They  ground  their  corn  by  putting  it  into 
the  hollow  of  a  log  and  beating  it  with  a  pestle,  as  the  settlers 
were  obliged  to  do  during  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow. 

The  early  settlers  were  generous  and  hospitable.  The  "latch- 
string  was  always  out."  They  kept  no  locks  on  their  doors,  a 
simple  wooden  latch  was  used,  but  only  for  the  purpose  of  keep- 
ing out  the  wind  and  storm.  They  were  more  sociable  than 
people  now,  and  were  always  anxious  to  help  their  neighbors. 
There  was  not  so  much  hunting  after  money  then,  for  they  had 
little  money  to  hunt  after.  A  word  was  as  good  as  a  bond,  and 
they  had  no  promissory  notes,  no  bills,  no  banks,  no  newspapers 
and  verv  little  news.  A  letter  from  Tennessee  was  four  or  five 
weeks  on  the  road,  and  postage  was  twenty-five  cents. 

Mr.  Ilinshaw  went  to  school  during  the  winter  of  the  deep 
snow  and  spent  his  Saturdays  in  gathering  corn  and  pounding 
it  in  a  mortar.  He  thinks  children  learned  more  in  those  earlv 
days  in  a  giveu  length  of  time  than  they  do  at  present,  for  then 
the  teacher  made  them  fear  the  rod. 

Mr.  Hinshaw  has  done  his  share  of  hunting,  especially  after 
wolves,  which  were  a  common  pest.  He  has  hunted  them  to- 
wards a  pole  put  up  in  some  central  locality,  when  all  the  settlers 
would  turn  out  from  various  parts  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Hinshaw  has  had  his  experience,  too,  with  fires  on  the 
prairie.  He  remembers  one  hard  experience  when  he  was  going 
to  mill  with  oxen  and  was  overtaken  by  a  fire.  He  tried  to 
drive  his  oxen  through  it,  but  they  refused  to  face  the  flames  and 
turned  and  ran  away  in  spite  of  all  his  efforts.  At  last  he  saw 
a  place  where  a  part  of  the  fire  had  gone  faster  than  the  rest, 
leaving  a  gap  in  the  road.  Into  this  gap  he  rushed  with  his  oxen 
and  got  through. 

The  year  1844  was  the  wet  season.  During  that  year  he 
drove  a  herd  of  cattle  from  here  to  Milwaukee,  "Wiscon- 
sin. He  swam  creeks  and  rivers  of  all  kinds  and  sizes.  He  was 
delayed  at  the  Kankakee  and  was  fifteen  days  in  crossing  it.  He 


m'lean  county.  211 

frequently  drove  his  cattle  in  tbe  river,  but  vvheu  they  struck  the 
swift  current  they  turned  for  the  shore  from  which  they  started, 
and  came  back.  But  at  last  he  found  a  tall  ox,  which  touched 
bottom,  and  went  across,  and  the  rest  followed.  Mr.  Ilinshaw 
has  had  a  varied  experience  with  stock.  About  three  years  ago 
he  went  to  Kansas  and  invested  in  Texas  cattle  with  rather  bad 
fortune.  He  had  one  hundred  and  thirty  head  of  cattle  in  the 
fall,  and  only  fifty-three  of  them  were  left  in  the  spring.  The 
remainder  died. 

Mr.  Ilinshaw  has  lived  in  Bloomington  for  about  ten  years, 
but  he  has  owned  a  farm  ever  since  he  was  twenty-five  years  of 
age.  He  now  lives  at  Sulphur  Springs,  in  the  outskirts  of 
Bloomington,  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad. 

Mr.  Ilinshaw  was  married  July  1,  1848,  to  Polly  Maria  Toli- 
ver,  daughter  of  James  Toliver.  He  has  had  ten  children,  of 
whom  four  are  now  living.  As  to  personal  appearance  he  is  tall 
and  portly.  When  he  was  twenty-seven  years  of  age  he  had  a 
severe  sickness,  was  ill  for  a  long  time  with  the  typhoid  fever, 
and  since  then  he  has  been  very  stout  in  appearance.  He  has  a 
large  head  and  a  large  brain;  has  small  sparkling  eyes,  and  a 
pleasant,  genial  countenance;  he  is  full  of  fun  and  appreciates  a 
joke.  He  has  a  firm,  resolute  character,  combined  with  a  mild 
and  pleasant  disposition.  He  is  always  ready  to  meet  his  friends 
with  real  English  cheer,  and  indeed  he  appears  a  "fine  old  Eng- 
lish gentleman,  one  of  the  olden  time." 

His  children  living  are  : 

Ida  May,  born  January  1,  1857. 

Ezra,  born  July  11,  1862. 

Toby,  born  April  16,  1865. 

Rollo,  born  August  21,  1867. 

They  are  all  living  at  home. 

Dr.  William  Lindley. 

William  Lindley,  son  of  John  Lindley,  was  born  November 
16,  1803,  in  Christian  County,  Kentucky.  At  the  age  of  twelve 
he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  boot  and  shoe  trade  and  worked 
at  this  until  1827.  On  the  26th  of  July,  1822,  William  Lindley 
married  Unity  Warren  in  Christian  County,  Kentucky.  She 
was  then  only  fifteen  years  of  age. 


212  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Iii  the  fall  of  1827  he  moved  to  Sangamon  County,  Illinois. 
There  he  raised  one  crop.  In  the  fall  of  1828  he  came  to  Bloom- 
ing Grove  in  what  is  now  McLean  County,  Illinois.  He  settled 
in  the  southern  edge  of  the  grove  and  commenced  farming. 
The  first  divine  service  he  attended  here  was  held  at  the  house 
of  John  Hendrix  at  Blooming  Grove.  The  sermon  was  preached 
by  James  Latta.  In  November,  1828,  he  cast  his  first  vote  for 
General  Jackson.  The  voting  was  then  done  by  word  of  mouth 
us  they  had  no  tickets.  He  did  his  trading  at  that  time  in 
Springfield  ;  but  after  Bloomington  came  into  being  he  bought 
his  store  goods  there.  He  worked  on  his  farm  using  the  Carey 
plow  with  its  iron  shear  and  wooden  mould-board.  On  his  first 
arrival  at  Blooming  Grove  he  worked  for  good  wages,  rather 
better  than  people  could  expect.  He  worked  during  twenty 
days  receiving  ten  bushels  of  corn  per  day  for  his  labor.  He 
first  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  and  gradually  acquired  more. 
Dr.  Lindley  followed  farming  until  1862.  He  then  resided  for 
a  year  in  Bloomington.  He  then  sold  out  his  farm  and  bought 
another  near  by  and  has  lived  on  it  ever  since.  Dr.  Lindley  has 
always  had  a  liking  for  horses,  has  done  a  great  deal  of  trading 
and  has  studied  the  diseases  to  which  horses  are  subject.  By 
this  means  he  has  become  a  very  skillful  veterinary  surgeon. 
He  has  been  very  fortunate  in  his  treatment  of  horses  and  has 
acquired  a  considerable  reputation. 

Dr.  Lindley  has  had  eleven  children,  but  only  four  are  liv- 
ing. They  are  :  John,  a  physician,  who  lives  at  Clinton,  Illi- 
nois; Stewart  Lindley,  who  lives  at  Blooming  Grove;  Lucinda, 
wife  of  Walter  Smith,  who  lives  in  Pike  County,  Illinois,  and 
Robert,  who  lives  at  home. 

Dr.  Lindley  is  about  six  feet  in  height,  weighs  about  two 
hundred  and  ten  pounds,  has  good  eyesight,  never  wears  glasses, 
has  a  rather  heavy  head  of  hair,  which  was  rather  light  colored 
in  his  younger  days,  but  now  is  turning  gray.  His  beard  is 
sandy.  He  is  a  well-formed,  muscular  man.  He  has  succeeded 
in  acquiring  some  property,  but  has  lost  a  good  deal  of  it,  as 
people  sometimes  do. 

Hon.  James  Allin. 

James  Allin  was  born  January  13th,  1788,  in  North  Caro- 
lina.    When   he   was  ten  years   of  age    his   parents  moved    to 


m'lean  county.  218 

Boone  County,  Kentucky.  Young  James  bore  all  the  hardships 
of  travel  manfully,  riding  over  the  mountains  on  horseback  and 
sustaining  all  the  perils  of  the  journey.  The  family,  after  re- 
maining one  year  in  Kentucky,  moved  across  the  Ohio  River 
into  Dearborn  County,  Indiana.  Here  young  James  lived,  and 
in  the  year  1817  he  did  as  all  active,  vigorous  young  men  should 
do,  got  married  to  a  kind  and  affectionate  woman.  Her  name 
was  Catherine  Livingston.  He  has  been  blessed  with  seven 
children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living.  Two  years  after  this 
important  event  he  moved  to  Edwardsville,  Madison  County, 
Illinois,  where  he  remained  until  1821,  when  he  removed 
to  Vandalia,  which  was  then  the  capital  of  the  State.  In  No- 
vember, 1829,  he  came  to  the  present  site  of  Bloomington, 
and  moved  his  family  there  in  the  following  spring.  Mr.  Allin's 
removal  to  Bloomington  was  not  the  result  of  accident  but  of 
calculation.  He  saw  that  a  line  drawn  from  the  rapids  of  the 
Illinois  River  to  Cairo  would  pass  through  Blooming  Grove.  It 
was  also  on  a  direct  line  from  Chicago  to  Alton  and  St.  Louis. 
He  admired  the  country  for  its  natural  beauty  and  fertility,  and 
it  seemed  to  him  that  as  the  country  grew  in  population  and 
wealth  a  town  situated  in  Blooming  Grove  would  not  fail  to 
have  before  it  a  brilliant  future.  In  March,  1830,  Mr.  Allin 
built  the  first  house  in  Bloomington.  It  was  a  double  log  house, 
one  part  being  used  as  a  dwelling  and  the  other  part  for  a  store. 
In  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  1830  and  '31  Mr.  Allin  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  a  bill  passed  laying  off  the  county  of  McLean. 
When  the  commissioners  came  to  lay  off  the  new  county,  Mr. 
Allin  offered  twenty-two  and  a  half  acres  of  land  for  a  county 
seat.  The  offer  was  accepted  and  the  county  seat  was  named  by 
him  Bloomington.  The  twenty-two  and  a  half  acres  given  by 
Mr.  Allin  are  bounded  by  Front  and  North  and  East  and  West 
streets.  The  first  court  held  in  Bloomington  was  at  Mr.  Allin's 
dwelling,  the  log  house  which  stood  in  the  edge  of  the  timber, 
nearly  opposite  the  present  location  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church. 

Mr.  Allin  was  a  mau  of  business.  He  brought  to  Blooming- 
ton the  first  lot  of  goods  and  drove  his  business  as  a  merchant, 
with  great  energy.  His  public  spirit  and  his  energy  made  him 
very  popular,  and  in   1836  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate. 


214  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

This  election  was  afterwards  repeated,  confirming  Mr.  Allin's 
influence  and  popular  strength.  He  died  on  the  fifth  of  May, 
1869. 

James  Allin  was  a  man  of  medium  stature ;  in  build  he  was 
slim ;  his  hair  was  light  brown;  his  eyes  were  gray  and  pene- 
trating in  expression,  but  his  eyesight  was  not  good  during  the 
latter  portion  of  his  life,  and  he  was  obliged  to  wear  spectacles. 
His  complexion  was  healthy,  but  this  was  a  deceptive  appear- 
ance, as  he  was  during  his  whole  life  a  feeble  man,  and  his 
health  was  delicate.  He  had  extraordinary  business  capacity, 
and  the  energy  and  determination  with  which  he  followed  out 
his  plans  were  wonderful.  The  man's  strength  of  will  was  once 
shown  when  his  son  William  Allin  was  sick  and  not  expected 
to  live.  Mr.  Allin  said  to  him  :  "  William,  I  would  not  die  if 
I  were  you,  I  would  not  give  way."  His  public  spirit,  his  qual- 
ities of  heart  as  well  as  of  head,  will  make  him  remembered  as 
long  as  the  city  of  Bloomington,  which  he  founded,  shall  stand. 

The  following  is  taken  from  the  Bloomington  Pantograph  of 
an  early  date,  and  relates  to  an  old  settlers'  dinner  where  James 
Allin  was  present : 

"  Mr.  Allin's  health  is  poor,  and  he  has  never  recovered  from 
a  fall  on  the  ice  which  severely  injured  him  about  three  years 
ago.  He  walks  on  crutches,  and  was  assisted  up  stairs  by  two 
men.  He  was  complimented  by  the  speakers  as  the  man  whose 
superior  foresight  pointed  out  Bloomington  as  the  site  of  a  fu- 
ture city,  when  all  around  was  an  uncultivated  wilderness.  Ac- 
cording  to  what  Governor  Moore  and  Colonel  Gridley  said,  Mr. 
Allin,  in  his  younger  days,  was  very  much  such  a  man  as  we  oc- 
casionally hear  of  now  in  frontier  places. 

"  He  used  every  honorable  endeavor  to  induce  emigrants  to 
locate  in  this  county.  If  they  wished  to  settle  in  the  new  town, 
Mr.  Allin  would  sell  them  lots  at  a  low  price,  if  they  had  money, 
and  would  sell  them  at  a  lower  figure  if  they  had  little  money, 
or  would  give  lots  outright  if  they  had  no  money,  always  stipu- 
lating that  improvements  should  be  made.  It  was  such  unre- 
mitting care  and  exertions,  which,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years, 
gave  this  settlement  a  start  that  made  it  out  of  the  question  for 
any  neighboring  town  to  compete  with  it,  and  made  it  eventu- 
ally a  point  to  be   aimed  at  by  railroads,  which  have  now  made 


m'lean  county.  215 

Blooming-ton  one  of  the  thriftiest  and  best  business  places  in  the 
State. 

"  It  must  have  been  a  proud  day  to  Mr.  Allin  to  meet  so 
many  old  friends  and  neighbors,  not  one  of  whom  bears  the 
slightest  grudge  against  him,  and  to  listen  to  such  eloquent  and 
appreciative  tributes  to  his  life-long  public  spirit.  With  all  his 
opportunities  for  building  up  a  large  fortune,  Mr.  Allin's  valua- 
ble lands  slipped  from  his  hold  in  one  way  and  another,  to  par- 
ties who  could  not  or  would  not  pay  much  for  their  lots,  and  to 
parties  who  afterwards  speculated  upon  the  rise  of  town  lots, 
until  when  property  came  to  be  really  valuable  he  had  little  left 
to  sell.  He,  however,  acquired  a  comfortable  competency,  so 
that  his  old  age  is  pleasantly  passing  in  the  midst  of  a  commu- 
nity he  took  such  pride  in  drawing  together.  A  more  grasping 
man  would  have  so  hesitated  to  sell  property  that  settlers  would 
have  been  driven  away,  and  a  less  honorable  man,  if  he  had 
made  more  money,  would  have  had  fewer  friends  in  his  old  age. 
Blooming-ton  owes  a    debt  to  Mr.  Allin  which  it  can  never  re- 


J5 


pay. 

William  Ii.  Allin. 

AVilliam  H.  Allin  was  born  in  1818,  in  Indiana.  When  he 
was  quite  small  his  father  removed  to  Vandalia,  Illinois,  where 
he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1829,  when  he  came  to  Bloom- 
ington,  Illinois.  Mr.  Allin  was  a  great  favorite  with  all  with 
whom  he  was  acquainted.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  business 
talent,  and  he  was  pre-eminently  remarkable  for  his  honesty. 

One  of  his  friends  has  happily  described  him  thus  : 

"  Possessing  naturally  a  strong  and  vigorous  intellect,  with 
good  discriminating  powers  both  as  to  men  and  measures, 
and  with  a  large  development  of  the  moral  faculties,  he  seems 
to  have  entered  upon  the  active  duties  of  life  with  the  fixed 
purpose  of  hewing  his  way  successfully  through  by  an  adher- 
ence to  that  great  cardinal  virtue,  honesty,  which  is  the  on  In- 
sure basis  of  ultimate  success,  and  which  was  undoubtedly  the 
leading  trait  of  his  character." 

Mr.  Allin  was  remarkable  not  only  for  his  honesty  but  for 
his  energy.  When  he  was  only  ten  years  of  age  his  father  sent 
him  on   horseback  to   Springfield  to  enter    some  land.     At  that 


216  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

time  the  roads  were  scarce  and  the  bridges  were  scarcer,  and 
young  William  was  sent  across  the  prairie.  It  was  necessary  to 
do  this,  as  his  father  had  heard  that  a  neighbor  of  his  was  try- 
ing to  get  the  start  of  him,  and  enter  the  same  land.  Young 
William  made  the  journey  successfully,  and  entered  the  land. 
Just  as  he  was  coming  out  of  the  land  office  the  rival  neighbor 
met  him  and  asked  "how  he  got  there?"  Young  William  re- 
plied that  he  came  across  the  prairie.  The  gentleman  did  not 
feel  pleasant  at  being  outwitted  by  a  child  ten  years  of  age. 

In  the  year  1850,  the  Whigs  of  McLean  County  nominated 
Mr.  Alliu  for  the  office  of  Circuit  Clerk.  At  their  earnest  so- 
licitations he  accepted  the  nomination,  as  it  was  impossible  for 
them  to  agree  on  any  other  man,  and  he  was  elected.  But  after 
one  year's  service  he  resigned  in  favor  of  his  brother,  who  was 
deputy. 

In  the  winter  of  1838  Mr.  Allin  married  Miss  Judith  A. 
Major,  and  his  married  life  was  remarkably  happy.  He  was  a 
kind  and  faithful  husband  and  a  loving  father. 

Mr.  Allin  was  a  man  of  medium  size,  slenderly  built,  healthy 
complexion,  rather  light  hair,  sharp-pointed  nose,  and  dark,  pen- 
etrating eyes.  He  was  very  polite  in  his  manners,  and  a  favor- 
ite with  all  with  whom  he  had  anything  to  do. 

Jonathan  Maxson. 

Jonathan  Maxson  was  born  June  11,  1820,  on  a  farm  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  town  of  Freeport  in  Harrison  County, 
Ohio.  His  ancestors  were  of  Scotch,  Irish  and  French  descent. 
He  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children.  His  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Sarah  Kinsey,  was  twice  married,  and  he  had 
four  brothers,  two  sisters  and  four  half  sisters.  Jonathan  was  in- 
tended by  his  father  to  be  a  farmer,  and  while  a  little  lad  he 
learned  the  duties  of  that  laborious  but  independent  calling. 
Farmers'  boys  do  not  usually  pine  away  for  the  want  of  work, 
and  Jonathan  could  always  find  plenty  to  do.  His  education 
was  not  very  well  attended  to,  as  educational  advantages  were 
not  to  be  had  where  he  lived.  He  went  to  school  only  two  terms 
and  learned  to  read  and  spell.  Some  time  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  David  Maxson,  his  mother  married  a  very  worthy  man 
named  Jesse  Hiatt,  and  moved  to  Clinton  County,  Ohio.    Short- 


m'lean  county.  217 

ly  after  this  the  family  determined  to  move  to  Illinois,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1830  started  on  their  journey  to  Tazewell  County,  (of 
which  McLean  was  then  a  part),  as  they  had  friends  and  rela- 
tives there.  They  went  in  two  wagons,  one  under  charge  of 
Mr.  Hiatt  and  the  other  driven  by  Christopher  Kinsey,  Jona- 
than's grandfather.  They  had  also  five  hundred  sheep  and  four 
milch  cows.  Their  journey  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  oc- 
cupied twenty-one  days,  because  of  the  difficulty  in  taking 
charge  of  their  large  flock  of  sheep.  They  camped  out  every 
night  of  their  journey,  except  one,  and  by  day  they  traveled 
from  point  to  point  without  any  road  to  guide  them.  It  was 
necessary  every  night  to  guard  the  sheep  from  the  wolves,  but 
this  was  easily  done  as  the  frightened  sheep  huddled  closely  to- 
gether. The  entire  expense  of  the  journey  was  ten  dollars  spent 
for  food,  which  was  less  than  a  dollar  apiece,  as  the  caravan  con- 
sisted of  eleven  persons.  They  had  a  very  easy  and  pleasant 
journey,  with  no  remarkable  adventures.  One  of  the  party 
caught  in  the  White  Iliver,  with  his  hands,  an  eel  about  four  feet 
long  and  weighing  six  pounds.  It  made  a  supper  for  the  whole 
party.  Jonathan  says  this  is  not  a  fish  story.  The  party  arrived 
at  Stout's  Grove  on  the  twenty-first  of  September,  1830,  but 
after  a  few  days'  of  rest  proceeded  to  Dillon's  Settlement  (now  in 
Tazewell  County).  After  spending  two  or  three  weeks  in  taking 
observations  of  the  country,  Mr.  Iliatt  returned  to  Stout's  Grove 
and  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  (twenty  acres 
under  fence)  with  a  log  cabin,  for  four  hundred  dollars.  One 
half  of  the  farm  was  prairie  and  the  other  half  timber.  Here 
the  family  succeeded  very  well.  Mr.  Hiatt  followed  his  trade  as 
a  blacksmith,  and  the  boys  attended  to  the  farm,  and  they  all  did 
well.  Jonathan  went  to  school  sometimes  during  winters,  for 
five  years.  His  teacher  was  Hosea  Stout,  the  nephew  of  Ephraim 
Stout,  the  founder  of  the  settlement  at  the  grove  which  bears 
his  name.  The  school  was  attended  by  thirty  or  forty  children, 
who  came  great  distances  and  boarded  with  the  farmers  near  by. 
He  also  went  to  school  to  Richard  Howell,  a  most  excellent 
teacher  from  New  England. 

Jonathan  remembers  some  strange  peculiarities  concerning 
Ephraim  Stout,  the  most  eccentric  man  in  that  part  of  the  coun- 
try.    Ephraim  Stout  was  a  great  hunter,  greater  than  Nimrod, 


218  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

or  Esau,  or  Daniel  Boone,  indeed  the  latter  had  been  a  com- 
panion to  Ephraim,  and  many  were  the  stones  told  by  him  of 
their  adventures  together.  When  Ephraim  was  a  young  man 
he  became  married,  of  course,  but  no  sooner  had  he  done  so  than 
he  regretted  it  bitterly.  He  loved  his  wife  with  all  the  love  of 
a  young  husband,  but  he  happened  to  meet  with  Lewis  and 
Clark,  government  agents,  who  were  going  to  explore  Oregon 
Territory,  and  his  marriage  prevented  him  from  going  with  them. 
Then  there  was  wailing  and  gnashing  of  teeth,  and  he  declared 
he  would  give  five  hundred  dollars  to  be  unmarried  !  (Some 
persons  would  give  more  than  that).  Mr.  Maxson  tells  a  curious 
story  of  the  old  hunter,  showing  his  ingenuity.  The  hunter, 
with  a  party  of  men,  went  out  searching  for  bee  trees,  and  they 
had  such  luck  that  they  filled  their  pots  and  pails  and  kettles 
with  honey,  and  there  were  not  enough  to  hold  it  all ;  and  it 
seemed  that  the}-  must  leave  a  large  part  of  it  to  be  spoiled.  But 
Ephraim's  ingenuity  never  failed  him  ;  he  cut  down  a  butternut 
tree,  cut  off  a  section  in  the  shape  of  a  cylinder,  split  it  through 
the  middle,  made  a  trough  of  each  half,  hooped  them  together 
and  had  a  water-tight  barrel  which  he  filled  with  honey.  All 
this  was  done  with  an  axe  and  a  jack-knife.  That  was  ingenuity. 
Ephraim  Stout  was  a  Quaker,  and  when  he  settled  in  Stout's 
Grove  he  thought  he  would  make  of  it  a  Quaker  settlement. 
He  collected  Quakers  from  far  and  near  and  everything  seemed 
"merry  as  a  marriage  bell'"  ;  but  in  an  evil  hour  he  allowed 
Squire  Robb,  who  was  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian,  to  come  in 
to  the  settlement.  Xow  Squire  Robb  had  married  a  daughter 
of  a  gentleman  named  MeClure,  and  when  the  former  settled  in 
Stout's  Grove  the  MeClure  family  insisted  on  settling  there  too, 
and  they  were  followed  by  some  one  else,  and  these  by  still 
others  until  that  Quaker  settlement  was  swallowed  up,  and  the 
sonl  of  poor  old  Ephraim  Stout  was  racked  within  him.  He  was 
accustomed  to  live  in  the  wild  woods,  and  did  not  like  to  see  so 
many  people  around  him.  When  he  was  married  he  had  prom- 
ised his  wife  that  he  would  always  live  in  the  forest  where  she 
could  pick  her  own  fire-wood,  and  when  so  many  people  came  there 
and  broke  up  his  Quaker  settlement,  he  picked  up  his  gun  and 
all  his  hunter's  accoutrements  and  started  for  Iowa  Territory 
and  then  for  Oregon.     In  1830  he   was  an  old  man,  leaning  on 


m'lean  county.  219 

his  staff  for  support,  and  when  he  told  the  stories  of  his  adven- 
tures with  Indians  and  with  all  the  wild  animals  of  the  forest, 
it  certainly  seemed  that  it  was  time  for  him  to  rest  from  his  la- 
bors and  live  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  peace ;  but  there  was 
no  peace  for  him  within  the  bounds  of  civilization,  so  he  gath- 
ered together  his  worldly  goods  and  went  out  to  the  still  farther 
West. 

Jonathan  Maxson  never  saw  any  candy  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age.  How  terrible  this  must  have  been  for  a  boy. 
People  spun  and  wove  their  own  clothing.  A  calico  dress  to 
wear  on  Sunday  was  a  piece  of  unwarrantable  extravagance. 
The  family  was  always  quite  independent  of  the  market,  Their 
tea  was  made  from  roots  and  herbs,  their  sugar  from  maple  sap, 
and  they  kept  twenty  swarms  of  bees  for  honey.  Jonathan 
Maxson  states  that  during  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  (1830)  he 
and  his  brother  went  out  into  the  woods  where  it  did  not  drift 
nor  blow  away  and  took  a  careful  measurement  of  the  depth  of 
the  snow  with  a  stick  and  found  it  four  feet  deep.  During  the 
early  part  of  that  terrible  winter  deer  were  very  numerous,  but 
when  the  deep  snow  came  they  were  starved  and  hunted  by 
famished  wolves  and  by  settlers  with  snow-shoes,  until  they  were 
almost  exterminated.  Shortly  after  the  snow  fell  Mr.  Jesse 
Hiatt  killed  a  very  large  deer,  which  he  was  unable  to  carry 
home.  He  buried  it  in  the  snow  and  covered  it  with  his  coat 
to  keep  the  wolves  away.  But  the  snow  afterwards  fell  so  deep 
that  he  was  unable  to  visit  the  spot  for  two  weeks.  At  last  he 
put  a  harness  on  one  of  his  horses  and  went  to  drag  it  home. 
On  his  return  with  the  deer  he  killed  three  others  and  attached 
them  also  to  his  horse.  But  the  load  was  so  hard  to  drag  that 
he  did  not  return  until  late  at  night,  when  he  found  the  fright- 
ened neighbors  collected  at  his  house,  about  to  start  on  a  search 
for  him.  They  had  collected  on  horseback  with  trumpets  and 
horns  and  various  things  with  which  to  make  unearthly  noises, 
and  were  no  doubt  disappointed  to  find  that  there  was  no  occa- 
sion for  their  fearful  shrieks.  The  remainder  of  the  night  was 
spent  in  dressing  the  deer. 

Some  of  their  neighbors  caught  deer  alive  by  putting  on 
snow-shoes  and  running  them  down,  but  towards  the  latter  part 
of  the~winter  they  were  so  poor  and  emaciated  that  they  were 
hardly  worth  catching. 


220  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Jonathan's  stepfather,  Jesse  Hiatt,  kept  for  a  long  time  a  gun 
which  went  through  the  Black  Hawk  war.     The   circumstances 
were  these.     At  the  outbreak  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  a  man 
named  William  Anient  resided  near  what  is  now  the  village  of 
Bureau  in  La  Salle   County.     He  was  informed  by  a  friendly 
Indian  that  some  Indians  had  determined  to  kill  him  and  his 
family  and  burn  his  house.     He  at  once  took  his  family  and 
what  furniture  and  provision  he  could  carry,  to  the  house  of  his 
father-in-law,   Jonathan  Hodge,   who    lived   in    Stout's    Grove. 
Alter  staying  there  a  fortnight  Mr.  Anient  decided  to  go  back 
and  look  at  his  property.     His  father-in-law  went  with  him,  and 
on  the  road  they  took  with   them  about  a  dozen  men.     On  ar- 
riving at  the  house  they  found  everything  untouched.     They  all 
had  a  good  supper  and  discussed  what  seemed  to  them  to  be  the 
hoax:  played  by  the  friendly  Indian.     The  next  morning  the  first 
man  who  stepped  out  of  doors  was  shot.     The  party  grasped 
their  guns,  and  after  reconnoitering  found   that  some  Indians, 
who  had  been  concealed  among  some  hazel  bushes,  had  retreated 
leaving  some  blankets  and  two  guns  in  their  haste.     The  party 
returned,  and  when  the  news  reached  Stout's  Grove  a  company 
of  volunteers  was  formed  under   Captain  McClure.     The  latter 
borrowed  Mr.  Jesse  Hiatt's  gun  and  carried  it  through  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  and  when  that  exciting  and   troublesome   campaign 
was  finished,  returned  the  gun  to  its  owner. 

When  Jonathan  Maxson  was  eighteen  3'ears  of  age  his  step- 
father died  and  upon  the  former  devolved  the  duty  of  overseeing 
the  farm.  For  five  years  he  was  the  head  of  the  family,  but  at 
the  end  of  that  time  the  responsibilities  of  the  farm  fell  upon 
the  younger  brothers,  and  Jonathan  was  married  and  had  re- 
sponsibilities of  his  own.  He  married  Amanda  Curtis,  the 
daughter  of  Squire  Eber  Curtis,  on  the  sixteenth  of  April,  1843. 
He  moved  to  Bloomington  on  the  first  of  January,  1844,  where 
he  lived  on  a  farm. 

Jonathan  has  been  a  foreman  in  a  reaper  factory  for  five 
years  ;  he  has  been  a  carpenter,  builder,  millwright  and  now  has 
the  position  of  engineer  and  janitor  in  the  Court  House.  He  has 
had  a  family  of  eight  children,  two  of  whom  are  dead. 

It  is  very  easy  in  this  country  for  friends  and  relatives  to  be 
scattered   about ;    some   of  Jonathan's    relatives    are    here    and 


m'lean  county.  221 

others  there,  some  are  in  South  Bend,  Indiana,  some  in  Kansas 
and  some  in  California. 

In  personal  appearance  Jonathan  Maxson  is  healthy  and  good 
looking.  He  is  strongly  built,  is  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in 
height,  has  broad  shoulders,  pale  blue  penetrating  eyes  set  wide 
apart  showing  his  mechanical  skill,  his  hair  is  dark  and  turning 
gray,  and  his  head  is  a  little  bald  on  the  top.  In  the  evening 
when  he  reads  and  writes  he  wears  spectacles.  He  enjoys  the 
best  of  health  and  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the  old  pioneers. 

David  Simmons. 

David  Simmons  was  born  July  15,  1802,  in  Monroe  County, 
Virginia.  His  father's  name  was  Ephraim  Simmons,  and  his 
mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Elizabeth  Calloway.  To 
the  best  of  his  knowledge,  his  father  was  an  American,  and  his 
mother  was  of  English  descent.  When  Mr.  Simmons  was  about 
twelve  years  old,  the  family  went  to  Ohio,  then  back  to  Nicholas. 
County,  Virginia,  and  from  there  to  Cabell  County,  where  old 
Mr.  Simmons  died.  David  Simmons  was  then  only  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  had  only  five  dollars  and  a  half  in  his  pocket. 
He  moved  the  family  to  Decatur  County,  Indiana,  where  he  re- 
mained nearly  nine  years.  When  he  arrived  there  he  had  not 
five  cents  in  his  pocket.  His  mother  was  afterwards  married, 
and  he  was  at  liberty  to  work  for  himself. 

On  the  11th  of  November,  1824,  he  married  Elizabeth  Jones. 
He  was  not  worth  a  hundred  dollars.  His  wife  had  a  cow.  a 
spinning  wheel  and  a  bed.  They  took  some  of  the  feathers  from 
their  bed  and  traded  them  for  three  knives  and  three  forks. 

In  the  fall  of  1830  Mr.  Simmons  came  to  Illinois  and  arrived 
at  the  south  side  of  the  grove  on  the  7th  of  November.  He 
traded  his  team,  two  yoke  of  oxen,  his  wagon  and  all  of  his 
money,  except  $2.15,  for  eighty  acres  of  timber  land  with  a 
cabin  on  it.  He  afterwards  sold  forty  acres  of  timber  for  the 
purpose  of  entering  prairie.  But  by  reason  of  the  Black  Hawk 
war  he  wasted  his  money  and  was  obliged  to  borrow  and  pay 
twenty-five  per  cent,  interest  in  order  to  enter  land. 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war  Mr.  Simmons  was  the  third 
sergeant  in  Captain  Covel's  company.  They  went  up  to  Dixon's 
Ferry,  where  the  troops  were  for  some  days  drilling  and  getting 


'222  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

themselves  in  order  for  fight.  On  the  13th  of  May,  1832,  the 
troops  started  on  the  famous  Stillman's  Run  expedition.  Major 
(afterward  general)  Stillman  had  two  hundred  and  six  men  with 
him,  all  told,  according  to  Mr.  Simmons.  They  went  about  five 
miles  during  the  first  day,  to  a  little  grove,  and  there  camped. 
The  next  morning  they  traveled  on  until  noon,  when  they 
stopped  for  dinner.  Then  the  guard  in  front  discovered  mocca- 
sin tracks,  and  a  false  alarm  was  raised.  The  men  jumped  on 
their  horses  and  ran  up  to  the  tracks,  which  were  perhaps  two 
or  three  miles  from  the  place  where  they  stopped  for  dinner. 
They  rode  very  excitedly,  and  some  lost  their  tin  cups  and  other 
articles.  The  tracks  were  fresh  and  clear  on  a  sand  ridge,  but 
no  Indians  Avere  found.  The  men  waited  there  until  the  baggage 
wagon  came  up.  The  baggage  master  had  great  difficulty  in 
crossing  sloughs  with  his  heavy  load  in  his  little  two-horse 
wagon,  and  it  was  therefore  determined  to  lighten  the  wagon  by 
issuing  the  ammunition  and  whisky  to  the  men.  The  men  filled 
their  powder  horns,  and  some  of  them  tied  up  powder  in  their 
handkerchiefs.  They  filled  their  canteens  and  coffee  pots  and 
bottles  with  whisky,  but  were  not  able  to  take  it  all  and  left 
some  in  the  barrel.  Then  they  took  up  their  line  of  march,  and 
during  the  afternoon  while  on  the  route  some  of  them  passed 
along  the  line  offering  whisky  out  of  their  coffee  pots  to  who- 
ever would  drink,  for  it  was  as  free  as  water  and  more  plenty 
just  then. 

They  went  into  camp  in  the  evening  on  the  north  side  of 
Old -Man's  Creek,  and  hobbled  their  horses,  and  the  advanced 
guard  came  in.  Just  then  about  ten  or  a  dozen  Indians  ap- 
peared on  a  high  hill  about  a  quarter  or  a  half  a  mile  distant. 
The  officers  and  men  were  inquiring  what  they  were,  and  some 
thought  it  Was  the  advanced  guard.  David  Simmons  said  to 
Stillman  :  "  No,  the  advanced  guard  came  in  a  while  ago. 
General,  it's  Indians."  Then  the  men  commenced  catching  their 
horses,  and  some  started  without  putting  on  the  saddles,  and 
went  at  full  speed  to  where  the  little  squad  of  Indians  appeared. 
All  the  Indians  retreated  except  two,  who  claimed  to  be  Potta- 
wotamies.  Covel  then  turned  to  Stillman  and  said :  "It's  all 
nonsense,  they  are  friendly  Indians,"  and  said  that  enough  of 
the  boys  had  gone  to  take  the  others,  as  they  were  pursued  by 


m'lean  county.  223 

twenty  or  thirty'men  ;  the  two  were  then  brought  iuto  camp. 
While  the  Indian   prisoners  were  coming  into  camp  they  said  : 
u  Me  good  Pottawotamie,"  but  pointed  over  the  hill  and  said  : 
"  Heap  of  Sac."     The  Indians   then   offered  to  trade  for  a  gun 
belonging  to  David  Alexander,  from    Pekin,  who  was  commis- 
sary.    Then    David    Simmons  brought    out  his    double-barrel 
gun  for  the  Indians  to  look  at,  and  while  they  were  poking  their 
fingers  first  into  one  barrel  and  then  into  another,  a  man  came 
running  back  at  full  speed,  calling,    "  Parade,  parade."     Then 
the  officers  had  their  men  formed  into  companies.     David  Sim- 
mons was  ordered  to  guard  the    prisoners,    but    George  Wylie 
took  his  place.     The  men  moved  forward  leaving  the  prisoners 
guarded  in  the  rear.     Before  going  for  they  met  a  few  men  com- 
ing in  with  an  Indian  prisoner.     The  twenty  or  thirty  men  had 
pursued  the  Indians  aud  killed  one  and  captured  another.     The 
captured  Indian  had  fought  hard,  and  Mr.  Hackleton  had  been 
speared  in  the  hands.     The  whites  moved  on,  after  sending  the 
Indian  prisoner  to  the    rear.     They  went  to  where    twenty  or 
thirty  whites  were  stationed,  near  a  big  slough,  and  there  were 
told  of  an  Indian  who  came  out  and  offered  his  hand  in  friend- 
ship, and  that  McCullough  extended  his  hand  and  snatched  the 
Indian's  gun.     Mr.  Simmons  saw  the  gun,  but  did  not  see  Mc- 
Cullough snatch  it.     McCullough    snapped  at  the   Indian,  and 
Vandolah  shot  but  missed.     The  officer  halted  and  said  that  if 
the  Indians  did  not  want  to  fight  they  would  not  rush  on  them, 
but  would  see  what  the  Indians  did    wrant.     The  officers   then 
went  on  across  the  slough  to  the   top  of  a  bluff  beyond.     Then 
Gridley  came  back  with  orders  to  march  across  the  slough,  and 
the  men  started,  and  the  officers  came  dashing  back.     Captain 
Eacles  of  Peoria  came    riding  up,   and  said  he  was  not   easily 
fooled,  and  that  there  were  not   less  than  a  thousand  of  the  In- 
dians.    The  officers  ordered  the  men  to  countermarch,  and  fall 
back  across  the    slough.     The  front  of  the  line  obeyed  orders, 
but  the  rear  broke  back  ahead  of  those  in  front  and  made  con- 
fusion.    They  went  back  across  the  slough  to  high  ground,  and 
there  the  officers  tried  to  form  a  line,  but  the  men  were  in  poor 
order  and  in  bunches,  so  that  they  could  not  shoot  without  hit- 
ting some  one  in  front  of  them. 

The  Indians  then  began  to  pour  out  of  the   timber,  and  Mr. 
Simmons  said  it  reminded  him  of  the  pigeons  in  Indiana  flying 


224  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

over  one  another  and  picking  up  mast.  The  Indians  began  firing 
and  the   flashes   of  their  guns  could  be  seen,  as  it  was  just  be- 
coming dusky  in  the  evening.     The  whites  fired  in  return,  but 
were  so  mixed  up  that  some  fired  in  the  air,  as  they  could  not 
shoot  ahead  without  hitting  some  of  their  own  number.     The}- 
were  then  ordered  to  retreat  to  their  camp  ground  and  there  form 
a  line.     They  went  back  on  a  gallop.     Simmons  and  Coffey  and 
Murphy  agreed  to  go  for  Dixon's   Ferry,  when   the}'  arrived   at 
the   creek,  Captain    Covel  tried  to  form   the  men   on  the  north 
side  of  the  creek;  but  an  order  was  given  to  shoot  the  prisoners 
and  go  back  across  the  creek  and  form  a  line  on  the  other  side. 
Mr.  Simmons  started  for  the  lower  crossing  and  met  Jim  Paul 
putting  on  his  saddle  and  said  to  him:    "What  are  you  about?" 
He  replied  with  an  oath  that  he  would  have  his  saddle.     When 
Mr.  Simmons  crossed  the  creek  the  whites  were  shooting  at  the 
Indians  and  the  latter  were  shooting  at  the  whites.     Simmons 
went  a  little  above  the  ford   after  crossing  and  stopped  when  a 
bullet  whistled  close  to  his  ear.     There  was  then  the  greatect 
confusion  and  yelling.  Some  were  calling  "halt  and  fight,''  some 
said  "don't  leave  us,"  and  some  called  "murder."     But  in  a  mo- 
ment or  two  an  order  was  given  to  retreat  to  Dixon,  and  that 
order  was  obeyed.     They  took  the  trail  back  at  the  top  of  their 
speed.     Some  Indians  came  in  on  the  left  and  tried  to  outflank 
the  party,  but  the  whites  went  too  fast,  and  did  not  stop  until 
they  came  to  Dixon.     The  next  day  the  greater  part  of  the  arm y 
went  up  to  Stillman's  Run  and  buried  the  dead.     On  their  re- 
turn horsemen  were  sent  down  to  meet  the  boats  coming  up  with 
provisions,  and   their  baggage  wagons  came  up  in  a  -few  days. 
The  governor  then  started  up  the  river  with  troops  to  fight  the 
Indians,  and  left  a  part  of  the   army  to  guard  the  families  at 
Dixon.     During  that  evening  an    express    came  from    Ottawa 
asking  for  men.     This  express  was  sent  on  after  the  Governor, 
and  he  sent  back  an  order  for  Colonel  Johnson  to  take  several 
companies   and  go  on   to  Ottawa  and  build  a  fort,  which  was 
done.     Covel  and  McClure's   companies  were  among  those  that 
went  to  Ottawa.     They  started  and  camped  within  three  or  four 
miles  of  where  the   three  families  were   murdered  on   Indian 
Creek,  but  knew  nothing  of  the  matter  at  the  time.     They  went 
on  to  Ottawa  next  day  and  saw  a  little  squad  of  whites.     Each 


m'lean  county.  225 

party  supposed  that  the  other  were  Indians,  and  stopped  and 
formed  lines,  but  discovered  their  mistake.  The  party  was  a 
squad  of  men  going-  out  to  bury  the  dead  at  Indian  Creek. 
They  went  on  to  Ottawa,  where  a  great  many  families  were 
gathered  for  protection.  They  built  a  fort  there.  Mr.  Sim- 
mons and  some  thirteen  others  then  came  home,  as  they  heard 
that  the  Kickapoos  in  the  rear  were  going  to  make  trouble,  and 
that  the  people  were  going  into  the  forts  for  safety.  A  few 
days  after  this  the  troops,  who  had  been  called  out  for  thirty 
days,  were  all  discharged,  Mr.  Simmons  among  the  rest.  At 
Bloomington  they  had  talked  of  forting,  but  had  not  done  so, 
but  at  Pekin  a  fort  was  built.  A  company  of  rangers  was  form- 
ed for  sixty  days,  to  traverse  the  frontier  of  McLean  County. 

Mr.  Simmons  has  lived  in  Bloomington  township  ever  since 
his  first  settlement  here,  living  sometimes  in  town  and  some- 
times in  the  country.  He  still  owns  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  the  county.  He  also  owns  some  city  property. 
He  was  for  a  while  supervisor  of  Bloomington  township. 

Mr.  Simmons  has  had  ten  children,  of  whom  six  are  liviner. 
They  are  : 

Levi  Simmons  lives  on  a  part  of  the  old  farm. 

Annie,  wife  of  Isaac  Lash,  lives  in  Hudson  township. 

Margaret,  wife  of  James  Dozier,  lives  in  Blue  Mound  town- 
ship. 

Benjamin  Simmons  lives  in  Missouri. 

David  Simmons,  jr.,  lives  on  the  old  homestead. 

Mary,  wife  of  William  H.  Fielder,  lives  at  Funk's  Grove. 

Mr.  Simmons  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  has 
a  strong  constitution,  a  sanguine  complexion  and  light  blue 
eyes.  He  is  very  muscular  and  one  of  the  hardest  of  workers. 
His  clear  statement  of  the  fight  at  Stillman's  Bun  is  perhaps  the 
best  ever  given  of  that  celebrated  affair,  and  its  correctness  may 
be  seen  at  a  glance. 

Hon.  John  Moore. 

John  Moore  was  born  on  the  eighth  of  September,  1798,  at 
Grantham,  Lincolnshire,  England.  He  received  but  little  edu- 
cation at  school.     Up  to   his  fourteenth  year  he  attended  the 

common  school,  and  all   his   subsequent  education  was  obtained 
15 


226    *  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

by  study  without  a  teacher.  He  often  studied  while  at  work  at 
his  trade  as  a  wheelwright,  keeping  his  open  book  on  his  bench. 
His  parents/who  were  not  well  to  do  in  the  world,  died  when 
Mr.  Moore  was  quite  young,  and  he  was  left  to  take  care  of  him- 
self. At  an  early  age  he  moved  to  Sibsey  (England)  and  was 
apprenticed  to  a  Mr.  Teesdale  to  learn  the  trade  of  wheelwright. 
The  Spalding  Free  Press  (English  paper)  says  of  him  :  "  There 
are  some  now  living  in  that  village  who  well  remember  John 
Moore  as  an  apprentice,  and  who  can  bear  witness  to  his  sterling 
good  qualities  as  a  young  man  at  that  time." 

In  1817  John  Moore  concluded  to  try  his  fortune  in  a  new 
country.  He  came  to  America  in  a  sailing  vessel  as  our  pilgrim 
fathers  did  a  great  many  years  before.  He  was  three  months 
on  the  way,  but  at  last  the  vessel  came  into  port.  He  settled 
first  in  Virginia  but  remained  there  only  a  short  time  when  he 
removed  to  Harrison,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  Here  he  began 
to  work  at  his  trade  as  a  wheelwright  on  his  own  account. 

On  the  ninth  of  March,  1820,  he  married  a  widow,  Mrs. 
Misner.  She  was  a  Kentucky  lady  and  had  one  child,  a  daugh- 
ter, with  her  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Moore.  Mr. 
Moore  has  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  rive  sons  and  three 
daughters,  and  of  these  three  sons  and  one  daughter  are  now 
living. 

In  October,  1830,  Mr.  Moore  came  to  McLean  County,  Illi- 
nois, and  settled  on  a  farm  at  Randolph  Grove.     There  he  en- 
tered fortv  acres  of  land  and  did   some  farming  and  worked  at 
his  trade.     He  often  bought  land  but  never  owned  any  large 
tracts.    He  was  always  ready  to  sell,  especially  to  his  old  friends 
who  came  with  him  from  Ohio.     In  1831  William  Lindley,  one 
of  the  old  settlers,  proposed  that  Mr.  Moore  should  be  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  because  he  had  made  himself  already  quite 
'  popular.     This  was  the  first  office  Mr.  Moore  held.     In  1835  he 
was  elected  to  the  legislature,  which  then  held  its  sessions  at 
Vandalia.     In  1839  he  was  elected  to  the  senate  of  the  State  and 
in  1840  was  chosen  lieutenant  governor  of  Illinois.     This  office 
he  held  up  to  1846  when  the  Mexican  war  broke  out.     As  he 
had  strongly  favored  the  war  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
fourth  regiment  of  Illinois  volunteers.     He  was  almost  immedi- 
ately  chosen  lieutenant  colonel,  and  when  the  army  took  the 


m'lean  county.  227 

field  he  participated  with  it  in  several  engagements.  He  was 
at  Rio  Grande,  Vera  Cruz  and  Cerro  Gordo.  When  he  returned 
from  the  Mexican  war  the  State  of  Illinois  presented  him  with 
a  sword  to  show  its  appreciation  of  his  distinguished  services. 
This  sword  is  now  in  the  possession  of  his  son  Enoch  J.  Moore, 
and  of  course  is  prized  very  highly.  This  sword  bears  the  fol- 
lowing inscription  : 

"  Presented  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  John  Moore  by  the  State 
of  Illinois  for  his  services  during  the  late  war  with  Mexico  and 
especially  for  his  gallantry  at  the  battle  of  Cerro  Gordo." 

In  1848,  on  his  return  from  Mexico,  Mr.  Moore  was  appoint- 
ed treasurer  of  the  State  of  Illinois  by  Governor  French  to  fill 
the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Hon.  Milton  Carpenter.  At 
the  expiration  of  the  term  in  1850  Mr.  Moore  was  elected  to 
hold  the  same  office  and  was  re-elected  in  1852.  In  1854  he  was 
again  a  candidate  but  was  beaten  by  James  Miller  on  account  of 
an  absurd  prejudice,  which  was  felt  at  that  time  by  many  against 
foreigners.  Being  an  Englishman  by  birth  Mr.  Moore  was 
obliged  to  suffer.  It  is  a  matter  of  pride  to  his  friends  to  know 
that  his  reputation  for  ability  and  honesty  was  as  high  as  ever. 
In  1853  Mr.  Moore  was  appointed  by  Governor  Matteson  to  in- 
vestigate and  settle  the  difficulty  between  the  firm  of  Thompson 
&  Foreman  and  the  State  of  Illinois,  growing  out  of  a  contract 
by  which  the  English  firm  was  to  deliver  to  Illinois  a  certain 
amount  of  railroad  iron.  This  difficulty  was  arranged  by  Mr. 
Moore  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  parties.  He  was  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death  which  occurred  on  the  twenty-third  of  September,  1866. 
His  death  was  occasioned  by  a  surgical  operation  performed  upon 
his  eyes  for  cataract.  The  operation  gave  such  a  shock  to  his 
system  as  to  cause  his  death. 

Some  queer  incidents  are  related  of  Mr.  Moore  when  he  was 
beginning  his  public  life.  When  he  was  first  proposed  as  a 
candidate  for  justice  of  the  peace  Mr.  William  Lindley  said  of 
him  that  he  was  a  "  pretty  piert  fellow  and  guessed  he'd  do." 
When  Mr.  Moore  was  a  candidate  for  the  legislature  his  oppo- 
nent was  Judge  Davis.  At  one  time  Davis  was  asked  what  his 
chances  for  election  were.  He  answered  that  he  expected  to  be 
defeated  because  Mr.  Moore  could  adapt  himself  to  the  different 


228  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

classes  of  the  people.  If  he  met  some  Methodists  he  could  pray 
with  them,  and  if  anyone  in  the  neighborhood  became  sick  and 
died  Mr.  Moore  could  make  a  coffin  for  him  ! 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow,  which  was  the  first  of 
Mr.  Moore's  settlement  in  Illinois,  he  went  every  day  to  Mr. 
Randolph's  house  and  obtained  corn  which  he  pounded  into 
hominy  on  shares  (one-half).  He  endured  the  privations  of  the 
early  settlers  and  was  as  cheerful  as  the  bravest  among  them. 
The  first  elegant  team  which  he  drove  to  town  was  a  yoke  of 
oxen,  but  when  he  attended  the  legislature  he  had  become 
wealthy  enough  to  go  on  horseback  ! 

Mr.  Moore  was  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height  and 
was  heavily  built ;  a  few  years  previous  to  his  death  he  weighed 
about  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  pounds.  His  shoulders  were 
broad  and  his  carriage  erect.  His  hair  was  orange  color  and 
was  turned  a  little  gray ;  his  nose  was  aquiline  and  his  com- 
plexion was  fresh  and  healthy.  His  health  was  remarkably  good 
which  no  doubt  contributed  to  his  cheerful,  happy  disposition. 
A  lady  friend  thus  describes  him  :  "  He  was  a  large,  fleshy  man, 
very  refined  in  his  feelings,  and  especially  so  in  the  society  of 
ladies.  He  was  too  large  to  be  graceful,  but  he  was  above  all 
things  a  good  man."  An  old  friend  speaks  of  him  thus  :  "He 
was  a  man  of  naturally  great  force  of  character.  He  was  an 
honest  man,  and  the  State  of  Illinois  never  had  a  more  faithful 
guardian  of  her  interests.  His  ability  to  remember  and  his 
powers  of  conversation  were  wonderful.  Although  his  educa- 
tion at  school  had  been  neglected  he  read  a  great  deal  and  could 
tell  what  he  had  read  in  a  pleasant  way.  He  was  a  fine  presid- 
ing officer  and  the  chair  of  the  senate  has  never  been  tilled  by  a 
more  accomplished  parliamentarian." 

Governor  Moore  made  no  pretensions  to  great  oratory,  never- 
theless he  was  an  effective  public  speaker  when  occasion  called 
him  out.  At  his  death  his  remains  were  brought  from  Boston 
to  the  old  burying-ground  at  Randolph's  Grove.  The  funeral 
services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  Dr.  Ballard  and  were  attended 
by  Judge  Davis,  General  Gridley  and  many  other  old  citizens. 

Amasa  C.  Washburn.    . 

Amasa  C.  Washburn  was  born  May  25,  1807,  on  a  farm,  in 
Putney  township,  Vermont,  His  ancestors   came  from  England. 


m'lean  county.  229 

He  was  the  only  son,  but  he  was  by  no  means  at  a  loss  for  play- 
mates, as  he  had  four  sisters.  He  was  educated  in  Putney,  that 
is,  he  attended  a  common  school  there  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age.  At  that  time  he  started  on  his  career  as  a  school- 
master, and  taught  school  in  various  districts  in  Vermont  for 
twelve  dollars  a  month  and  boarded  around. 

After  having  taught  for  five  years  in  Vermont  and  New  York 
he  determined  to  come  West.  He  went  to  Albany,  New  York, 
where  he  met  a  company  of  about  thirty  persons,  bound  for  the 
West,  and  joined  with  them.  On  the  fifth  of  May,  1831,  the 
party  went  aboard  of  a  canal  boat  for  Buffalo,  and  Mr.  Wash- 
burn was  fairly  started  on  his  way  to  the  Great  West.  The 
journey  was  interesting  and  full  of  adventures.  Mr.  Washburn's 
trials  began  at  the  start.  There  was  very  little  room  on  the 
canal  boat  for  the  party  to  lie  down  at  night,  so  they  took  turns 
in  sleeping.  They  arrived  at  Buffalo  on  the  fifteenth  and  the 
next  day  started  for  Detroit  in  a  steamboat.  The  steamboat  was 
crowded.  Mr.  Washburn  slept  during  the  first  night  on  some 
trunks,  and  the  second  night  on  deck  on  buffalo  skins,  with 
some  others  of  the  party.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  it 
began  to  rain,  and  the  party  were  drowned  out.  That  night 
they  came  to  Cleveland  and  the  next  day  started  out  for  Detroit 
but  put  back  on  account  of  high  wind.  A  second  time  they 
started,  although  the  wind  blew  violently.  The  boat  rolled  fear- 
fully and  the  women  and  children  on  board  were  sea-sick.  They 
arrived  at  Detroit  on  the  nineteenth.  Here  a  part  of  the  corn- 
pan}',  among  whom  was  Mr.  Washburn,  hired  three  wagons  and 
teamsters  and  eight  horses  to  carry  them  to  Chicago,  but  after 
they  had  been  for  some  time  on  their  journey  they  changed  their 
minds  and  went  down  the  St.  Joseph  River.  They  started  on 
the  twenty-fourth  of  May.  During  their  journey  they  fared 
very  hard  and  their  horses  fared  harder.  On  the  second  night 
the  poor  brutes  ate  up  a  part  of  the  side-board  of  one  of  the 
wagons.  The  party  had  many  difficulties  in  passing  through 
sloughs,  swamps  and  creeks,  and  sometimes  they  were  obliged 
to  lift  the  wagons  out  of  the  mud.  When  they  came  to  the  St. 
Joseph  River,  near  Montville,  they  dismissed  their  teams, 
bought  two  log  canoes,  lashed  them  together,  put  their  baggage 
aboard  and  started  down  stream.     They  went  down   sixty  miles 


230  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

and  then  had  their  canoes  and  baggage  transported  by  land  six 
miles  across  to  the  Kankakee  River.  This  stream  was  small, 
crooked  and  narrow,  and  after  one  day's  sailing  down  it  they 
were  almost  in  sight  of  their  starting  point.  The  country  was 
desolate  and  marshy,  and  when  they  touched  the  banks  with 
their  poles  they  were  usually  saluted  with  rattlesnakes.  During 
the  evening  of  the  third  of  June  they  came  to  where  the  river 
widened  into  a  lake,  and  as  darkness  approached  they  were  lost, 
and  clouds  of  mosquitoes  surrounded  them,  and  it  seemed  as  if 
their  troubles  all  came  at  once.  But  they  built  a  fire  and  drove 
ofT  the  insects,  and  were  made  to  feel  that  they  had  at  least 
some  company,  for  the  croaking  of  bullfrogs  on  every  side  was 
varied  by  the  squealing  of  wild  geese.  At  last  they  found  where 
the  lake  became  narrow  and  the  river  flowed  on.  But  they 
could  not  land  because  the  banks  were  lined  by  thick  grass, 
which  prevented  them  from  coming  near  the  shore.  Soon  after- 
wards the  wind  arose  and  the  waves  rolled  high.  In  the  morn- 
ins:  the  wind  became  more  violent  and  drove  them  on  with 
fearful  velocity,  and  it  required  all  their  skill  to  save  themselves 
from  upsetting.  About  noon  they  were  soaked  through  and 
through  by  a  thunder  storm.  Towards  night  they  entered  a 
lake  and  became  lost  a  second  time.  The  lake  was  full  of  trees 
that  grew  up  out  of  the  water.  But  after  some  difficulty  they 
found  their  way  out  and  came  to  where  the  stream  was  narrow 
and  rapid.  Here  they  ran  against  breakers  (trees  in  the  water) 
but  happily  found  a  shore  where  they  could  land.  On  shore 
they  were  saluted  by  the  howling  of  wolves  in  all  directions, 
which  did  not  make  them  at  all  cheerful.  On  the  sixth  of  June 
they  killed  a  deer,  and  felt  very  much  encouraged.  In  the  after- 
noon they  saw  half  a  dozen  Indians,  the  first  they  had  encoun- 
tered during  their  journey.  They  sailed  nearly  all  night  being 
aided  by  an  extraordinary  light  which  appeared  in  the  "West. 
Mr.  Washburn  said  it  made  him  think  of  the  pillar  of  fire  which 
guided  the  children  of  Israel.  On  the  eighth  of  June  they  came 
very  near  being  shipwrecked  by  the  high  winds  and  the  large 
waves.  At  night  they  tied  up  to  some  small  bushes  by  the  shore 
and  made  their  supper  of  slippery-elm  bark,  as  their  provisions 
were  now  almost  gone.  On  the  next  day  they  mixed  a  little  wheat 
flour  (the  last  they  had)  in  water  and  divided  it  among  the  party. 


m'lean  county.  231 

This  they  ate  at  three  different  times.  In  addition  to  this  they 
had  only  a  few  roots  and  some  shoots  of  grapevines  and  briers. 
That  day  they  passed  several  rapids  and  many  dangerous  shoals, 
sand-bars  and  rocks.  At  one  time  they  ran  against  a  rock  in 
rapid  water  and  were  pressed  against  it  sideways ;  they  became 
free  from  the  rock,  but  had  only  time  to  turn  their  craft  straight 
with  the  current  when  they  went  over  some  falls  a  few  rods 
farther  down.  Soon  after  this  they  came  to  what  appeared  an 
inclined  plane.  The  water  ran  swiftly,  and  after  descending  for 
about  a  hundred  rods,  the  stream  united  with  the  Desplaines 
River,  and  formed  the  Illinois  River.  In  the  evening  they  spread 
out  their  buffaloes  and  tried  to  get  some  sleep.  But  they  were 
wet  through  again  and  again  by  successive  showers,  and  could 
do  nothing  but  stand  around  the  fire.  In  the  morning  they 
started  on  and  came  in  sight  of  some  Indian  wigwams.  They 
learned  from  the  Indians  that  there  was  a  white  settler  five  or  six 
miles  below  and  they  joyfully  started  on.  About  eight  o'clock 
they  "heard  the  lowing  of  cattle  and  the  crowing  of  roosters." 
At  a  log  hut  they  obtained  some  milk  and  hasty  pudding.  They 
passed  the  dangerous  rapids  of  the  Illinois  River,  and  came  in 
the  evening  to  a  house  where  they  received  hospitable  enter- 
tainment. On  the  tenth  of  June  they  passed  the  Fox  River  and 
went  to  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation,  a  little  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Vermilion  River.  From  there  they  went  to  Bai- 
ley's Grove  where  the  company  wished  to  settle. 

On  the  eleventh  Mr.  Washburn  started  in  a  wagon  for  Fort 
Clark  (Peoria),  where  he  arrived  on  the  evening  of  the  twelfth. 
The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  there  being  no  church  to  attend, 
Mr.  Washburn  listened  to  the  preaching  of  a  man  called  Live 
Forever.  This  old  gentleman  had  made  appointments  to  preach 
five  hundred  years  in  the  future.  He  said  it  was  not  God's  in- 
tention that  man  should  die,  but,  if  they  would  exercise  faith  in 
Christ,  they  might  live  on  the  earth  during  all  eternity. 

On  the  fourteenth  Mr.  Washburn  walked  toPekin,  and  there 
learned  that  a  school  teacher  was  wanted  at  Blooming  Grove. 
Going  back  to  Fort  Clark  he  expected  to  take  a  stage,  hut  being 
disappointed,  started  for  Blooming  Grove  on  foot,  and  arrived 
there  on  the  seventeenth  of  June,  1831.  By  the  twentieth  he 
had  obtained  enough  scholars  at  two  dollars  per  quarter  to  com- 


282  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

mence  teaching,  and  on  that  day  he  opened  school  in  a  log  hut 
with  "no  floor,  no  door,  and  a  crack  all  round."  In  the  after- 
noon he  chose  his  boarding  place  with  Mr.  William  Lucas,  for 
which  he  was  to  pay  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents  per  week.  It 
was  the  best  house  in  the  neighborhood,  but  it  contained  only 
one  room,  and  in  it  lived  Mr.  Lucas  and  his  wife,  ten  children, 
three  dogs,  two  cats,  and  the  schoolteacher!  On  the  twenty- 
sixth  Mr.  Washburn  opened  a  Sabbath-school  at  Mr.  Lucas' 
house  ;  it  being  the  first  ever  held  in  Blooming  Grove.  He  was 
very  much  shocked  at  the  ignorance  of  the  children  with  regard 
to  religious  matters ;  one  little  boy  declared  he  had  never  heard 
of  such  a  being  as  God. 

The  crowded  condition  of  Mr.  Lucas'  house  made  things  ap- 
pear a  little  strange,  sometimes.  He  had  a  daughter  about 
eighteen  years  of  age,  who  received  a  great  deal  of  attention 
from  a  young  man  in  the  neighborhood.  He  made  lengthy  visits 
sometimes,  and  as  the  house  contained  only  one  room  the  lovers 
got  their  stools  together  and  carried  on  their  conversation  in 
whispers.  Sometimes  the  young  man  stayed  all  night  and,  when 
he  did  so,  the  school  teacher  was  somewhat  wakeful !  On  one 
occasion  Mr.  Washburn  heard  the  Lucas  children  discussing 
among  themselves  as  to  which  they  preferred  should  marry  their 
sister,  the  young  man  or  the  school  master,  and  the  school  mas- 
ter received  the  most  votes.  But  the  fates  decided  that  neither 
of  them  should  have  her. 

The  country  was  wild  and  game  was  plenty.  There  were 
prairie  chickens  and  deer  and  wild  turkeys.  On  one  occasion 
Mr.  Lucas  killed  a  deer  without  stepping  out  of  the  doorway. 

In  September,  1831,  the  Methodists  held  a  camp-meeting  at 
Randolph's  Grove,  which  Mr.  Washburn  attended.  The  ser- 
mons preached  at  this  camp-meeting  were  more  remarkable  for 
force  than  elegance.  One  of  the  preachers  enumerated  the  of- 
fences which  they  should  beware  of,  and  spoke  of  the  liar  and 
said  that  to  "be  a  liar  was  to  act  the  part  of  a  poor,  mean,  black 
devil,  and  for  any  one  to  be  a  devil  was  degrading  !"  Another 
preacher  wished  to  have  something  done  for  the  children  and 
thought  he  must  alarm  the  parents  on  the  subject;  he  said : 
"How  sportive  the}7  are  in  vice,  and  you  often  laugh  instead  of 
weep  ;  the  devil  has  got  your  children,  the  fiend  of  hell  has  got 


m'lean  county.  233 

them  and  is  leading  them  captive  at  his  will  and  yon  smile !" 
The  next  day  Mr.  Latta  preached,  and  made  some  very  queer  ob- 
servations. He  said  :  "There  is  a  certain  class  of  people  who 
cannot  go  to  hell  fast  enough  on  foot,  so  they  must  get  on  their 
poor,  mean  pony  and  go  to  the  horse-race  !  Even  professors  of 
religion  are  not  guiltless  in  this  respect,  but  go  under  the  pre- 
tense that  they  want  to  see  such  or  such  a  man,  but  they  know 
in  their  own  hearts  that  they  went  to  see  the  horse-race!"  But 
he  preached  a  strong  sermon,  and  when  he  was  through  one  man 
jumped  up  and  said  he  was  as  light  as  a  feather,  another 
clapped  his  hands  and  went  around  shaking  hands  with  every- 
one ;  some  laughed,  some  cried,  and  some  shouted.  Reverend 
Peter  Cartwright  then  arose  and  said,  he  had  been  requested  to 
preach  a  funeral  sermon  but  would  say  what  he  pleased.  He  was 
peculiarly  severe  on  Eastern  men  because  of  their  low  opinion 
of  Western  intellect  and  Western  character.  He  said  :  "They 
represent  this  country  as  being  a  vast  waste,  and  people  as  being 
very  ignorant,  but  if  I  was  going  to  shoot  a  fool  I  would  not 
take  aim  at  a  Western  man,  but  would  go  down  to  the  sea-shore 
and  cock  my  fusee  at  the  imps  who  live  on  oysters  !"  But  his 
sermon  had  a  great  effect  and  he  concluded  by  giving  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  glories  of  heaven.  When  he  finished,  some  people 
fell  down,  some  screamed,  the  children  were  frightened  and  Mr. 
Washburn  says  that  he  never  before  heard  such  a  noise  and  saw 
such  confusion.  The  camp-meeting  was  a  great  success  and,  it 
is  to  be  hoped,  did  great  good. 

Mr.  Washburn  continued  teaching  and  charged  as  quarterly 
tuition  two  dollars  per  scholar.  But  he  was  usually  obliged  to 
take  his  pay  in  chickens  or  calves,  or  some  kind  of  "trade."  In 
December,  1831,  he  began  teaching  in  the  town  of  Bloomington. 
Here  it  had  been  the  custom  of  the  scholars  to  study  their  les- 
sons as  loudly  as  they  could  shout  and  this  was  the  custom 
everywhere,  for  parents  thought  this  the  only  way  children  could 
learn.  Mr.  Washburn,  after  teaching  in  Bloomington  for  three 
mouths  in  this  manner,  told  the  parents  he  would  do  so  no 
longer.  He  convinced  them  with  great  difficulty,  but  had  his 
own  way  at  last. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  April,  1833,  Mr.  Washburn  started  for  a 
visit  to  his  native  home  in  Vermont.     On  the  twenty-seventh  he 


234  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

arrived  at  Chicago  and  put  up  at  Beaubien's  Tavern.  He  said 
that  at  that  time  he  "considered  Chicago  a  very  important  sta- 
tion." On  the  twenty-eighth,  which  was  Sunday,  he  was 
shocked  to  see  people  go  about  their  common  business.  A  large 
number  were  engaged  in  shooting  pigeons  in  the  streets  of  the 
town.  (Was  this  their  common  business  ?)  On  the  thirtieth  he 
visited  the  place  where  the  soldiers  of  General  Scott's  army  who 
died  of  the  cholera  the  year  previous,  were  buried.  It  is  said 
that  one  poor  fellow,  who  was  detailed  to  dig  graves,  cursed  and 
swore  a  good  deal;  he  was  taken  with  the  cholera  that  day  and 
died  before  night,  and  was  buried  in  one  of  the  graves  which  he 
himself  had  dug.  On  the  first  of  May  Mr.  Washburn  went 
aboard  of  a  sail  vessel  for  Detroit,  which  place  he  reached  on 
the  evening  of  the  ninth.  On  the  eleventh  he  started  for  Buffalo 
on  the  boat,  Sheldon  Thompson.  The  crew  got  to  racing  with 
another  vessel  and  were  much  the  worse  for  liquor,  but  they 
came  safely  to  Buffalo  on  the  eighteenth.  He  started  for  Al- 
bany by  canal  but  walked  the  last  thirty-three  miles  of  the  way. 
He  went  by  steamboat  to  Troy,  and  walked  from  there  to  his 
old  home  in  Vermont,  a  distance  of  eighty-six  miles  and — found 
that  his  father  had  sold  out  and  moved  away.  On  the  twenty- 
seventh  he  found  him  and  the  whole  family,  all  well.  On  the 
fifteenth  of  August  he  married  Miss  Paulina  Parker.  On  the 
twenty-seventh  he  started  for  the  West. 

Mr.  Washburn  was  a  very  religious  man,  and  about  this 
time  he  read  one  quite  remarkable  passage  in  a  book  called 
''Flavel  on  Keeping  the  Heart,"  which  made  a  serious  impres- 
sion on  him.  "A  man  had  taken  great,  pains  and  made  great 
efforts  to  amass  wealth,  and  had  been  very  successful.  He  had 
only  one  son,  and  this  property  was  all  designed  for  him. 
When  the  old  gentleman  was  laid  on  his  death  bed  he  called 
his  son  to  him  and  asked  him  if  he  loved  his  father.  The  son 
replied  that  the  bonds  of  nature,  as  well  as  the  kind  indulgence 
he  had  met  with  obliged  him  so  to  do.  Then,  said  the  father, 
manifest  it  by  holding  your  finger  in  the  candle  while  I  say  a 
Pater  Foster.  The  son  made  the  attempt,  but  could  not  endure 
the  pain.  The  father  replied  :  "  I  have  risked  my  soul  for  you 
and  must  burn  in  hell  forever,  instead  of  a  finger  in  a  candle 
for  a  few  short  moments." 


m'lean  county.  285 

Very  little  of  importance  occurred  on  their  journey  home. 
At  Chicago  they  found  a  great  many  Indians  who  had  come 
there  to  make  a  treaty  with  the  government  and  get  their  pa}7 
and  go  to  the  far  West.  While  coming  from  Chicago  to  Bloom- 
ington  Mr.  Washburn  had  very  little  adventure;  he  was  once 
soaked  with  rain,  and  the  teamster  was  at  one  time  incautious 
enough  to  break  a  wheel,  but  these  were  trifles.  At  Blooming- 
ton  he  began  teaching  once  more.  On  the  thirteenth  of  July, 
1834,rMrs.  Washburn,  who  seems  to  have  been  a  very  amiable 
lady,  died. 

In  the  spring  of  1834,  Mr.  Washburn  taught  school  at 
Buckles  Grove,  nearLeroy,  but  returned  to  Bloomington  in  the 
fall,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  On  the  thirtieth  of  Sep- 
tember, 1834,  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  the  McLean  County 
Bible  Society,  and  agent  for  the  purpose  of  distributing  Bibles. 
He  was  very  active  in  the  work.  In  1835  he  was  appointed  the 
agent  of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union  for  Illinois,  and 
worked  to  establish  Sunday-schools  all  over  the  State. 

On  the  thirtieth  of  April  Mr.  Washburn  married  Ann 
Packard,  who  has  since  shared  with  him  the  difficulties  and 
trials  of  pioneer  life.  From  the  year  1835  to  1843,  Mr.  Wash- 
burn followed  various  pursuits.  For  a  while  he  kept  a  meat 
market.  He  kept  the  first  regular  provision  store  in  Blooming- 
ton,  and  continued  in  that  business  for  twenty-five  years.  In 
1868  he  retired  from  business. 

Mr.  Washburn  was  one  of  the  eight  members  who  organized 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  This  was  in  1832.  In  the 
spring  of  1833  he  organized  the  first  temperance  society  in  Mc- 
Lean County.  In  1833  the  first  Sabbath-school  in  connection 
with  this  church  was  organized  with  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five 
scholars,  but  now  it  has  from  a  hundred  to  a  hundred  and  fifty. 
He  has  always  been  connected  with  schools  and  churches.  His 
seven  friends  who  worked  with  him  to  organize  the  church  are 
now  all  dead,  and  the  pastor,  too,  has  long  since  joined  the 
church  above.  Mr.  Washburn  is  about  five  feet  six  or  eight 
inches  in  height.  He  is  very  muscular,  and  has  all  his  faculties 
unimpaired.  Pie  has  a  very  honest  looking  countenance,  and  is 
a  man  of  sincere  piety.     His  hair  is  a  little  white  and  the  crown 


236  OLD    SETTLEBS    OF 

of  his  bead  is  rather  bald.  He  never  meddled  with  politics,  has 
always  lived  very  quietly  and  has  "  done  unto  others  as  he  would 
have  others  do  unto  him." 

Dr.  Stephen  Ward  Noble. 

Dr.  Noble  was  born  at  North  Bend,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio, 
March  9,  1826.  He  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents  in  the  fall 
of  1831,  and  settled  at  Randolph's  Grove.  He  obtained  his 
schooling  there,  and  there  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  his 
uncle,  Dr.  Noble,  under  charge  of  Dr.  Colburn,  of  Blooming- 
ton.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  took  his  first  course  of  lectures 
at  the  medical  institute  at  Cincinnati.  He  afterwards  attended 
another  course,  and  in  1849  commenced  practice  as  a  physician 
in  Lero}.,  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Cheney. 

He  married  February  21,  1854,  Miss  Amanda  M.  Greenman, 
daughter  of  John  Greenman,  of  Leroy.  It  was  a  veiy  happy 
marriage.  Four  children  were  born,  of  whom  two  are  living. 
They  are : 

Frank  Noble,  born  December  8, 1854,  died  in  infancy. 

Mary  D.  Noble,  born  December  14,  1859,  lives  with  her 
mother. 

Carrie  Noble,  born  June  4,  1864,  died  in  November  of  the 
same  year. 

Nellie  Ward  Noble,  born  March  27,  1871,  lives  at  home. 

Dr.  Noble  died  of  consumption  in  1871,  and  was  buried  in 
Bloomington  Cemeterv.  He  had  moved  to  Bloomington  in  1865. 
He  was  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  was  squarely 
built,  but  rather  stoop  shouldered.  He  had  dark  brown  hair  and 
almost  black  blue  eyes.  He  was  a  very  popular  man,  and  very 
successful  in  his  profession.  He  was  several  times  President  of 
the  McLean  County  Medical  Society,  once  President  of  the 
Medical  Society  of  the  State,  and  frequently  a  delegate  to  the 
Medical  Societ}'  of  the  United  States.  He  was  a  very  kind 
husband  and  father,  and  is  remembered  by  the  friends  who 
knew  him  and  delighted  in  his  society. 

Abraham  Stansberry. 

Abraham  Stansberry  was  born  June  19,  1807,  on  a  farm 
about  thirteen    miles  from   the    town  of  Greenville,  in  Greene 


m'lean  county.  237 

County,  Tennesse.  His  ancestors  were  of  German  and  Welch 
stock.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  fifteen  children,  eleven  boys 
and  four  girls,  all  of  whom  grew  up  to  manhood  and  woman- 
hood. Eleven  are  now  living.  The  youngest  son  served  in  the 
army  for  three  years ;  after  receiving  his  discharge,  and  while 
on  his  way  home,  he  visited  an  old  mill,  and  was  there  killed  by 
the  rebels. 

Abraham's  education  was  not  very  extended.  He  was 
obliged  to  work  very  hard,  and  attended  school  very  little,  and 
when  he  did  so  he  had  a  much  more  thorough  acquaintance  with 
the  schoolmaster's  rod  than  with  his  books.  The  schoolmaster 
thought  a  great  deal  of  his  rod,  and  used  what  was  called  leath- 
er-wood, which  grew  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks.  This  wood  was 
very  tough  and  pliable  and  made  a  barbarous  instrument  of  tor- 
ture; but  the  schoolmaster  was  obliged  to  flog  unmercifully  in 
order  to  keep  up  his  reputation  as  an  excellent  teacher. 

When  Abraham  was  about  seven  years  old  his  father  died, 
and  his  mother  took  charge  of  the  farm.  When  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age  he  was  a  strong,  healthy  man  and  loved  horses 
better  than  books.  He  wished  to  go  West  and  lead  an  active 
life,  where  his  vigorous  nature  could  have  play.  Although  only 
a  young  man,  he  did  not  wish  to  live  in  a  slave  state,  and  could 
plainly  see  the  evils  brought  about  by  this  system.  He  said  it 
resulted  in  forming  three  distinct  classes,  those  who  owned 
slaves,  those  who  were  rich,  but  owned  no  slaves,  and  the  poor 
whites,  who  had  neither  negroes  nor  money.  All  these  causes 
induced  Mr.  Stansberry  to  leave  for  the  West.  He  had  heard  a 
great  deal  of  Illinois  through  various  pamphlets  setting  forth  its 
fine  climate  and  rich  soil.  He  started  as  the  driver  of  a  five- 
horse  team  for  a  man  named  Henry  Pain,  who  emigrated  with 
his  wife  and  seven  children  to  the  Vermilion  and  Big  Wabash 
Rivers.  Mr.  Pain  left  for  Illinois  because  he  was  anxious  to 
have  his  family  grow  up  in  a  free  state.  The  journey  lasted  forty  - 
three  days,  and  it  rained  almost  incessantly.  They  first  came  to 
Bear  Station,  in  Tennessee,  from  there  to  the  Clinch  Mountains, 
crossed  the  Tennessee  River,  went  to  Cumberland  Gap,  crossed 
the  Cumberland  River,  went  to  Crab  Orchard  in  Kentucky,  then 
to  Danville,  then  to  Louisville,  crossed  the  Ohio  to  New  Albany 
and  went  to  Salem,  thence  to  Greencastle,  thence  to  Blooming- 


238  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

ton,  Ind.,  and  to  Eockville.  Between  those  places  they  crossed 
Salt  Creek  by  putting  their  wagon  in  canoes  lashed  together,  as 
the  creek  was  high.  Although  it  was  rainy,  Mr.  Stansberry  en- 
joyed the  trip,  as  there  were  two  young  ladies  in  the  family,  and 
of  course  they  made  matters  pleasant  for  him.  They  crossed  the 
Big  Wabash  about  six  miles  from  Eockville  and  went  to  New- 
port on  the  Little  Vermilion,  and  from  there  to  the  town  of 
Eugene,  the  point  of  destination.  There  Mr.  Pain  expected  to 
find  a  brother  who  had  lived  in  the  place  some  time  before,  but 
his  brother  had  died  a  short  time  previous  to  Pain's  arrival. 
Abraham  celebrated  his  first  year  in  the  West  by  working  on  a 
farm,  but  from  the  fall  of  1830  to  the  spring  of  1832  he  carried 
the  mail  between  Eugene  and  Fort  Clark  (Peoria).  He  traveled, 
on  an  average,  forty-five  miles  per  day,  and  could  make  the  trip 
to  Fort  Clark  and  return  in  seven  days.  At  that  time  the 
streams  were  not  provided  with  either  bridges  or  ferry  boats, 
and  Mr.  Stansberry  was  obliged  to  cross  them  by  tying  his 
clothes  and  mail  bag  to  his  shoulders  and  swimming  over  with 
his  horse.  He  often  met  Indians  on  his  route,  and  they  were 
always  glad  to  see  him.  He  had  three  stations  where  he  stayed 
over  night  on  his  journeys;  these  were  Ponge  Station,  Cheney's 
house  and  Robert  McClure's  house.  The  number  of  letters 
carried  varied  from  one  to  a  dozen.  Postage  was  twenty-five 
cents  per  letter.  Mr.  Stansberry  received  for  his  services  twelve 
and  one-half  dollars  per  month. 

On  the  sixth  of  June,  1832,  Mr.  Stansberry  married  Mary 
Cheney.  He  had  formed  her  acquaintance  while  carrying  the 
mail.  He  lived  on  a  farm  in  Cheney's  Grove  until  the  year 
1864,  when  he  moved  to  Bloomington.  He  has  had  two  chil- 
dren, a  son  and  a  daughter,  who  both  grew  up  to  years  of  dis- 
cretion, but  both  are  now  dead.  But  he  has  three  grandchil- 
dren who  will  inherit  his  property.  His  son  died  while  fighting 
in  the   army.     His  wife    died  of  consumption    on  the  ninth  of 

August,  1866. 

When  Mr.  Stansberry  commenced  farming  at  Cheney's 
Grove,  he  entered  thirteen  hundred  acres  of  land,  a  part  of 
which  he  sold  for  twenty-three  dollars  per  acre,  a  part  for  thirty 
dollars  and  his  timber  land  for  fifty  dollars.  He  afterwards 
bought  three  hundred  and  twenty-four  acres,  which  he  has  di- 
vided into  three  farms. 


m'lean  county.  239 

On  the  twenty-seventh  of  April,  1869,  Mr.  Stansberry  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Matthews,  a  widow  lady,  a  daughter  of  Esquire  Robb. 
She  is  one  of  the  most  agreeable  of  women,  and  has  that  polite- 
ness of  the  heart,  which  comes  from  wishing  well  to  others. 

Mr.  Stansberry  never  held  a  public  office,  and  never  sought 
one ;  he  was  an  "  old  line  Whig,"  and  is  now  a  Republican.  He 
is  a  man  of  medium  stature,  strong  and  well  proportioned,  his 
hair  is  light  brown,  turning  gray.  His  eyes  are  gray  and  he 
wears  spectacles  when  he  reads  or  writes.  He  was  always  very 
fond  of  horses  and  greatty  enjoyed  riding.  During  the  fall  of 
1827  he  rode  to  Tennessee  on  horseback,  and  returning  brought 
his  mother  and  niece  to  Illinois  in  a  carriage.  Afterwards  three 
brothers  and  three  sisters  came  to  the  West,  and  one  brother 
and  three  sisters  are  still  living  at  Cheney's  Grove. 

James  C.  Harbord. 

James  C.  Harbord  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Kentucky, 
December  16,  1803.  His  ancestors  were  of  English  and  Irish 
stock.  When  James  was  about  six  vears  of  a^e  his  father  emi- 
grated  to  Indiana,  where  he  lived  until  October,  1832.  His 
education  was  limited.  He  went  to  school  in  Indiana,  but  the 
educational  advantages  were  poor  and  he  received  very  little 
benefit  from  his  schooling.  He  remembers  clearly  the  war  of 
1812  and  some  of  the  incidents  connected  with  it.  The  Indians 
took  advantage  of  the  unsettled  condition  of  affairs  to  make 
their  stealthy  attacks  upon  the  isolated  settlers  on  the  frontier, 
and  he  remembers  clearly  the  terror  inspired  by  their  ravages. 
Many  of  the  settlers  fled  across  the  Ohio  River  into  Kentucky. 
During  the  war  a  company  of  soldiers  were  forted  near  the 
house  of  Mr.  Harbord  (the  father  of  James).  This  company 
visited  different  parts  of  the  country  at  different  times,  and  did 
its  utmost  to  protect  as  large  a  district  as  possible.  In  1824  Mr. 
Harbord  came  to  Illinois  to  look  at  it,  and  see  what  its  prospects 
were.  He  found  one  house  about  six  miles  this  side  of  the  pres- 
ent city  of  Danville,  but  with  that  exception  the  country  bound- 
ed by  Danville,  Blooming  Grove  and  Peoria  was  a  wild  and 
dreary  wilderness  without  any  settlement  to  relieve  the  monoto- 
ny or  cheer  the  traveler.  The  powers  of  nature  were  wasted. 
The  rich  soil -sustained  only  the  prairie  grass,  which  afforded  a 


240  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

cover  for  rattlesnakes,  and  in  the  fall  the  lire  swept  over  it  and 
made  desolation  more  desolate.  lie  visited  Blooming  Grove, 
Stout's  Grove,  Twin  and  Dry  Groves,  but  no  settlement  was 
found  in  an}r  of  these  places.  He  laid  a  claim  in  Twin  Grove 
on  what  is  now  known  as  the  old  Dan  Munsell  farm.  Some 
time  afterwards  his  uncle  came  on  and  took  up  this  claim.  Mr. 
Harbord  also  bought  a  farm  of  Major  Baker.  Upon  this  land 
was  a  mill  for  grinding  wheat,  built  by  Major  Baker  in  the  fall 
of  1830.  It  is  still  a  great  curiosity  and  shows  what  can  be  done 
in  case  of  necessity.  The  stones  in  this  mill  were  made  of  the 
hard  "nigger  heads,"  that  are  found  on  the  prairies.  They 
were  made  into  the  shape  of  a  coffee-mill,  and  while  in  motion 
the  lower  stone  was  the  one  that  revolved.  It  ground  wheat 
very  slowly,  but  the  settlers  came  to  it  from  twenty-five  miles 
around,  as  the  nearest  mill  besides  this  one  was  at  Springfield. 
The  mill  was  not  long  in  use,  but  soon  was  superseded  by  others 
with  more  modern  improvements.  The  farm  on  which  the  old 
mill  stands  lies  about  four  miles  south  of  Bloomington  and  >till 
belongs  to  the  Harbord  family. 

After  visiting  various  points  in  his  tour  of  1824  Mr.  Harbord 
returned  to  Indiana,  and  being  a  sensible  man,  got  married. 
This  event  occurred  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  January,  1825.  In 
October,  1832,  he  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois,  and  settled 
on  the  south  side  of  Twin  Grove  on  a  place  now  known  as  the 
Johnson  place. 

Every  old  settler  has  something  to  say  of  the  schools  in  early 
days.  The  first  school-house  at  Twin  Grove  was  in  the  middle 
of  the  grove.  It  was  a  round-log  house  with  a  door  cut  through 
it,  greased  paper  for  windows,  and  a  fire-place  which  extended 
across  one  entire  end  of  the  building.  It  had  a  puncheon  floor 
and  seats  made  of  hewed  logs  with  legs  to  them. 

The  court  house  is  described  by  Mr.  Harbord  as  a  little,  old. 
struck-by-lightning  looking  building  (it  really  was  struck  by 
lightning),  but  the  justice  administered  within  its  walls  was  very 
substantial,  and  manv  of  our  modern  communities  would  be 
glad  to  take  that  old  court  house,  if  they  could  have  the  justice 
which  was  obtained  within  it. 

In  1832  the  State  was  Democratic,  but  Mr.  Harbord  was  an 
uncompromising  Whig.     He  voted,  for  the  first  time,  for  John 


m'lean  county.  241 

Quincv  Adams  and  for  every  Whig  afterwards  nominated,  and 
since  the  demise  of  the  Whig  party,  for  every  Republican  candi- 
date for  president  until  1872,  when  he  was  too  unwell  to  attend 
the  polls.  His  sympathies  were  for  the  re-election  of  President 
Grant. 

After  coming  to  the  country  in  1832  Mr.  Harbord  lived  for 
seven  years  at  Twin  Grove  and  then  moved  to  a  farm  which  he 
purchased  in  the  southeast  part  of  Blooming  Grove.  There  he 
lived  for  twenty-nine  years  when  he  removed  to  Bloomington 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  eighth 
of  March,  1873. 

Mr.  Harbord  related  some  strange  experiences  with  regard 
to  the  prices  paid  for  produce  during  the  early  settlement. 
Everything  the  farmers  produced  was  sold  cheap,  and  for  every- 
thing they  bought  they  were  obliged  to  pay  dear.  During  the 
year  ^1840  or  '42  (Mr.  Harbord  cannot  remember  precisely 
which)  the  farmers  of  Blooming  Grove  became  much  dissatisfied 
with  the  prices  paid  for  pork  by  Depew  &  Foster,  who  were 
dealing  in  that  line  and  who  bought  and  shipped  farm  produce. 
So  dissatisfied  were  the  farmers,  that  they  clubbed  together  and 
took  their  pigs  to  Chicago  and  obtained  for  them  one  dollar  a 
head  !  Mr.  Hiram  Harbert  sold  seven  hogs  for  three  dollars ! 
They  had  better  have  dealt  with  Depew  &  Foster.  The  latter 
firm  broke  up  in  their  attempt  to  give  the  farmers  good  prices. 

Every  old  settler  has  a  particular  experience  to  relate  con- 
cerning the  sudden  change  in  the  weather,  which  occurred  in 
1836.  One  day,  during  the  latter  part  of  December,  it  had  been 
raining,  and  the  good  house-wives  were  anxious  to  catch  as 
much  water  from  the  eaves  of  the  house  as  possible.  Their  tubs 
were  full  when  a  gust  of  wind  came  from  the  North,  and  Mr. 
Harbord  says  it  was  so  intensely  cold  that  the  water  in  the  tubs 
froze  almost  immediately ;  the  change  took  place  instantly.  >Such 
a  phenomenon  has  never  been  known  before  or  since.  During 
the  winter  of  1842  and  '43  scarcely  any  snow  fell  and  the  ground 
became  so  deeply  frozen  that  winter  weather  did  not  break  up 
until  in  April.  Farmers  often  struck  frost  while  ploughing  on 
the  north  sides  of  fences  in  the  early  part  of  May. 

Mr.   Harbord   has  had  eleYen   children,   of  whom  four  are 


living 


16 


242  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Martha  A.  Harbord  was  born  January  21,  1827,  and  was 
married  to  John  Wesley-Walker,  August  17,  1848.  Mr.  Walker 
was  born  in  Sangamon  County,  January  9th,  1819,  and  while  yet 
a  boy  moved  to  McLean  County  with  his  father.  He  died  Jan- 
uary 1,  1858.     He  never  was  out  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

Moses  G.  Harbord  was  born  July  3,  1837.  He  lives  near 
Portland,  Oregon.  He  married  Jane  Price,  the  daughter  of 
George  Price,  and  has  four  living  children. 

George  W.  Harbord  was  born  October  22,  1840,  lives  in 
Pettis  County,  Missouri ;  he  has  a  wife  and  three  children. 

Mahila  Cassandra  Helen  Harbord  was  born  September  22, 
1846.  She  was  married  to  James  A.  Hunt,  and  died  July  8, 
1873. 

One  may  read  the  foregoing  sketch  of  Mr.  Harbord  without 
obtaining  much  of  an  idea  of  his  character.  He  was  very  de- 
cided in  his  opinions  and  had  that  fine  feeling  and  sense  of  honor 
for  which  so  many  of  our  early  settlers  were  distinguished.  He 
was  tall  and  somewhat  slenderly  made,  and  his  appearance  and 
expression  showed  his  honesty  and  uprightness. 

The  orthography  of  Mr.  Harbord's  name  has  been  the  sub- 
ject of  some  discussion,  and  he  has  near  relatives  who  spell  their 
name  "Harbert."  It  seems  that  one  of  the  ancestors  of  the  fam- 
ily unfortunately  was  obliged  to  sign  his  name  by  making  his 
mark,  and  as  other  parties  wrote  the  name  as  it  happened  to 
sound,  it  became  signed  to  various  documents  in  different  ways. 
His  descendants  did  not  agree  upon  any  one  signature  and  con- 
sequently spell  their  names  differently. 

The  greater  part  of  the  items  of  this  sketch  of  Mr.  Harbord 
were  given  by  him  a  short  time  before  his  death,  which  occurred 
March  8,  1873.  He  was  then  so  sick  as  to  talk  with  difficulty, 
but  the  spirit  of  the  man  was  as  firm  and  honest  as  ever.  It 
seemed  to  afford  him  great  satisfaction  to  know  that  he  was  to 
be  remembered,  and  indeed  he  well  deserved  to  be,  for  this 
world  is  made  better  by  the  examples  of  men,  who  by  honest 
labor  have  triumphed  over  all  of  their  difficulties. 

Ephraim  Platte. 

Ephraim  Platte  was  born  in  Monmouth  County,  New  Jersey, 
September  22,  1804,  near  Barnegat  Inlet.     His  father,  Jonathan 


m'lean  county.  243 

Platte,  was  of  French  descent  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Emilia  Brindley,  was  of  English.  Jonathan  Platte 
was  a  sailor  and  owned  a  small  trading  vessel.  At  the  opening 
of  the  war  of  1812  his  vessel  was  three  times  intercepted  by  the 
British  and  once  was  stopped,  while  he  had  a  cargo  of  pig-iron 
covered  with  lumber.  The  iron  was  afterwards  melted  into 
cannon  balls.  Mr.  Platte's  vessel  was  at  last  burnt  by  the 
British,  but  he  was  allowed  to  go.  Nearly  all  of  his  property 
was  invested  in  this  vessel,  and  when  it  was  burnt  he  went  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States.  He  was  a  lieutenant  under  the 
command  of  Col.  John  Fieldenhousen  and  was  stationed  at 
Paulus  Hook,  near  New  York.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
bought  a  vessel,  with  which  to  engage  in  the  coasting  trade,  as 
before.  When  Ephraim  Platte  was  ten  years  of  age  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  cabin  boy.  But  Mrs.  Platte  did  not  wish  the  family 
brought  up  in  that  way,  as  she  did  not  believe  the  morals  of  the 
children  would  be  improved  by  a  life  on  the  water.  She  in- 
sisted that  the  family  should  try  their  fortunes  in  the  West,  and 
her  influence  prevailed.  In  1816  the  family  went  to  Green  Coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  and  there  worked  a  farm  for  two  years.  Then 
they  moved  to  Licking  County,  Ohio. 

Ephraim  Platte  married  on  the  15th  of  December,  1824, 
Susan  Platte,  a  distant  relative,  in  Licking  County,  Ohio.  In 
the  spring  of  1833  he  came  with  his  family  to  McLean  County, 
Illinois.  During  that  year  he  traveled  from  Bloomington  to  Fox 
liiver  and  made  a  claim  on  Indian  Creek.  There  he  intended 
to  settle.  On  his  travels  nearly  every  family  he  saw  was  stricken 
down  with  fever  and  ague.  Mr.  Platte's  wife  died  December  11, 
1833,  and  his  youngest  child  died  a  few  weeks  previous.  Mrs. 
Platte  was  a  remarkably  good  woman,  very  amiable  in  her  dis- 
position and  anxious  to  please.  She  died  on  Money  Creek  and 
was  buried  at  Haven's  Grove.  Her  death  changed  the  plans  of 
Mr.  Platte.  His  two  children  were  sent  back  to  Ohio.  In  the 
fall  of  1836  he  came  to  Bloomington  and  worked  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.     This  has  been  his  business  principally  ever  since. 

Ephraim  Platte  married  Mrs.  Sarah  Woodson,  March  7, 1837. 
She  was  a  widow  and  had  four  children.  She  is  still  living  and 
the  marriage  has  been  a  very  happy  one. 

Jonathan  Platte,  the  father  of  Ephraim  Platte,  died  in  about 


244  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

the  year  1849  in  Washington,  Tazewell  County.  After  his  death 
his  wife  received  a  pension.  This  continued  until  her  death, 
which  occurred  in  1860.  She  had  then  reached  the  age  of  nearly 
eighty-four  years.  Of  her  family  of  ten  children,  four  boys  and 
two  girls  grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  At  present  only 
two  are  living,  one  besides  Mr.  Platte. 

Ephraim  Platte  had  six  children  by  his  first  marriage,  but 
only  one  is  living.  This  is  Calvin  W.  Platte  who  now  resides 
in  California.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war.  By  his 
second  marriage  Ephraim  Platte  has  had  seven  children,  of  whom 
five  are  living.     They  are  : 

Susan,  wife  of  John  R.  Stone,  lives  in  Bloomington. 
Charles  D.  Platte  lives  in  Bloomington  and  is  foreman  of  the 
establishment  of  Gillett  &  Case,  jewelers.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
the  army  during  the  rebellion,  served  first  under  the  call  for 
three  months.  He  enlisted  in  the  Thirty-ninth  Illinois  and 
served  during  the  war,  was  wounded  in  the  left  shoulder  and 
yet  carries  the  ball.  He  was  in  many  of  the  great  battles  on 
the  James  River. 

William  H.  Platte  was  a  soldier  in  the  Fiftieth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteers and  was  discharged  on  account  of  disability.  He  died 
in  Arkansas  near  Little  Rock. 

Albert  L.  Platte  lives  in  Bloomington. 
Maria,  wife  of  Louis  A.  Burk,  lives  in  Bloomington. 
George  D.  Platte  lives  at  home. 

Ephraim  Platte  is  about  five  feet  and  seven  and  one-half 
inches  in  height  and  weighs  about  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight 
pounds.  He  has  a  sanguine  complexion  and  white  hair  and 
beard.  He  was  never  much  of  a  speculator,  has  had  property, 
which  is  now  very  valuable,  but  he  did  not  keep  it,  as  he  had 
no  idea  that  Bloomingtou  would  grow  to  its  present  proportions. 
He  was  a  warm  supporter  of  the  Union  cause  during  the  rebel- 
lion and  wished  to  enter  the  army,  but  age  prevented.  Mr. 
Platte  possesses  a  great  deal  of  mechanical  talent,  and  his  son, 
Charles  D.  Platte,  is  very  much  like  him  in  this  respect.  The 
latter  is  a  skilled  workman  in  Gillett  &  Case's  establishment  and 
his  skill  really  amounts  to  genius.  Ephraim  Platte  is  very  libe- 
ral in  his  religious  belief,  but  insists  on  strict  morality.  In  poli- 
tical matters  he  was  originally  a  Jackson  Democrat,  afterwards 


m'lean  county.  245 

a  Free  Soiler,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Republican  party  when 
it  was  organized. 

Hon.  James  B.  Price. 

James  B.  Price  was  born  July  24,  1792,  on  a  farm  in  Meck- 
lenburg County,  North  Carolina,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the 
town  of  Charlotte.  His  father  was  Welch  and  his  mother 
Irish.  In  1804  his  father  emigrated  to  Kentucky.  Mr.  Price's 
life  has  been  the  life  of  a  hard-working  farmer,  with  plenty  of 
work,  and  otherwise  not  very  eventful.  He  heard  a  great  deal 
of  the  beauty  and  fertility  of  Illinois,  and  obtained  a  book 
which  particularly  set  forth  the  advantages  of  this  territory.  It 
told  what  reliable  people  and  good  neighbors  the  Indians  were, 
&c,  &c,  and  when  Mr.  Price  read  this  book  he  at  once  decided 
to  come  to  Illinois. 

He  visited  Illinois  every  year  from  1829  to  1838,  when  he 
moved  here  with  his  family.  During  his  visit  in  1829  he  bought 
a  claim  consisting  of  a  log  house  and  a  few  acres  of  land,  and 
on  his  road  home  he  stopped  at  Vandalia  and  entered  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  He  came  to  Illinois  to  settle  in  1833,  with 
his  brother-in-law.  Mr.  Price  entered  a  good  deal  of  land  at 
various  times,  worked  hard,  raised  stock,  and  throve  well. 

Mr.  Price  assisted  in  organizing  McLean  County,  and  has 
fulfilled  his  duties  as  a  citizen  in  a  public  capacity  as  well  as  in 
private.  He  has  been  School  Commissioner  and  School  Treas- 
urer for  many  years.  He  served  one  term  in  the  Legislature, 
at  Springfield,  in  1849  and  '50.  He  was  then  fifty-seven  years 
of  age.  During  that  session  he  assisted  in  getting  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  bill  passed.  Stephen  A.  Douglas  made  two 
great  speeches  in  favor  of  it.  It  was  during  this  session  that 
General  Shields  and  Sidney  Breese  had  their  great  contest  for 
the  United  States  Senate,  which  resulted  in  the  election  of 
Shields. 

Mr.  Price  lives  two  miles  southeast  of  Bloomington,  on  the 
Indianapolis,  Bloomington  &  Western  Railway.  When  he  came 
there  he  found  only  a  few  families,  the  Rhodes  family,  the  Oren- 
dorff,  the  Hendrix  and  the  Baker  families.  He  was  always  on 
good  terms  with  the  Indians,  and  sympathized  with  them  very 
much.     He  says  that  when  they  were  paid  off  and  moved  West, 


246  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

many  of  them  passed  his  house  and  wept  bitterly  at  the  thought 
of  leaving.  This  was  before  Mr.  Price  settled  in  Illinois  in 
1833. 

Mr.  Price  received  his  little  schooling  in  Xorth  Carolina  and 
Kentucky,  and  it  was  little  enough.  His  study  and  application 
certainly  did  not  drive  him  into  consumption.  He  appears  like 
a  man  southern  born,  is  about  six  feet  in  height,  and  walks  erect. 
He  is  somewhat  hard  of  hearing,  but  all  his  other  senses  are 
good.  He  has  always  been  very  honest  in  his  dealings,  is  very 
kind-hearted,  and  would  not  knowingly  injure  the  smallest  crea- 
ture. He  looks  as  if  he  would  live  another  ten  years.  He  is 
much  -  respected,  and  is  almost  worshipped  by  his  grand- 
daughter and  her  husband,  who  keep  house  for  him. 

He  married,  February  10,  1814,  Mary  H.  "Wall.  It  was  a 
remarkably  happy  marriage,  and  both  parties  possessed  always 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  each  other.  They  had  five  chil- 
dren : 

George  Price,  whose  sketch  appears  in  this  work,  lives  on  his 
farm,  next  adjoining  that  of  his  father. 

Robert  D.  Price  was  born  April  5,  1818,  and  died  September 
27,  1842. 

John  Price,  whose  sketch  is  in  this  volume,  now  lives  in 
Bloomington. 

Rachel  C.  Price  was  born  October  25,  1825.  She  was  mar- 
ried first  to  Dr.  Short,  of  Bloomington,  and  after  she  became  a 
widow  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Dent  Young,  who  lives  now 
on  the  plains  near  Cheyenne.     She  is  now  dead. 

Charles    Luther,    who  is  unmarried,    lives  with  his  father. 

George  "W.  Price. 

George  W.  Price  was  born  October  3,  1816,  on  a  farm  in 
"Warren  County,  Kentucky,  ten  miles  east  of  Bowling  Green. 
His  ancestrv  was  "Welch  and  Irish.  He  received  the  usual  edu- 
cation  of  those  days,  that  is,  was  sent  to  school  three  months  in 
the  year  until  he  arrived  at  the  age  of  seventeen. 

In  the  year  1829  his  father,  James  B.  Price,  moved  three 
families  from  Kentucky  to  Missouri,  in  a  four-horse  wagon.  On 
his  return  he  visited  the  country  around  the  present  city  of 
Bloomington,  as  a  sister  of  his  wife  lived  there.     The  soil  pleas- 


m'lean  county.  247 

ed  him  so  well  that  he  bought  a  claim  consisting  of  a  log  house, 
log  stable,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  laud.  He  re- 
turned to  Kentucky,  and  on  his  way  he  entered  the  land  at  the 
office  at  Vandalia.  In  1833  he  sold  out  in  Kentucky  and  came 
to  Illinois.  He  now  lives,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one,  on  the  land 
he  first  entered.  He  has  bought  much  land  since  that  time, 
principally  timber.  He  brought  with  him  from  Kentucky  two 
whipsaws,  which  were  put  to  good  use  by  George  Price  and  his 
brother  Robert.  These  young  men  sawed  by  hand  from  two  to 
three  hundred  feet  of  lumber  per  day.  At  one  time,  in  a  race, 
George  Price  and  a  negro  sawed  two  hundred  feet  of  white 
walnut  lumber  in  five  hours  and  seventeen  minutes.  From  No- 
vember, 1833,  to  November,  1835,  he  helped  to  saw  thirty-two 
thousand  feet  of  lumber  ;  but  by  this  time  the  steam-mill  was 
built,  and  the  whip-saws  were  hung  up  to  be  kept  as  relics  of 
early  days.  After  the  building  of  the  steam  mill,  Mr.  Price 
went  into  partnership  with  Mr.  Platte  in  making  chairs  and  other 
furniture. 

On  the  sixth  of  April,  1836,  before  George  Price  was  twenty 
years  of  age,  he  started  on  horseback  for  Warren  County,  Ken- 
tucky, to  attend  to  that  most  important  matter,  his  marriage. 
The  horse  he  used  had  never  been  ridden  before  without  throw- 
ing the  rider,  and  when  he  mounted  the  animal  it  made  power- 
ful efforts  to  unseat  him  by  jumping  stiff-legged  and  kicking 
and  springing,  but  at  last  became  subdued.  During  the  evening 
of  the  first  day  he  came  to  Salt  Creek,  and  found  it  overflowed, 
but  crossed  in  a  canoe,  swimming  his  horse.  He  then  attempted 
to  replace  the  saddle,  which  he  had  taken  off,  but  the  horse  was 
cold  and  frisky,  and  sprang  in  every  direction.  At  last  he  tied 
the  horse  between  the  forks  of  a  tree  which  had  fallen,  and  sad- 
dled and  mounted  the  animal.  Then  it  commenced  bouncing 
and  jumping  stiff-legged,  but  at  last  became  quiet  and  he  pro- 
ceeded. The  next  day  he  crossed  the  Sangamon  River.  On  the 
night  of  the  eighth  occurred  a  great  rain  storm;  the  sloughs  became 
creeks  and  the  creeks  rivers.  In  the  morning  he  started,  and  at 
one  place  he  traveled  six  miles  with  the  water  from  six  inches  to  a 
foot  and  a  half  in  depth.  He  kept  the  road  by  the  dead  weeds, 
which  stood  high  on  each  side.  He  swam  two  creeks  that  day, 
becoming  wet  to  the  waist.     In    the  afternoon  the  weather  be- 


248  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

came  very  cold  and   snow  fell  fast  and  thick,  and  Mr.  Price  lost 
his  way   in   the  blinding  storm.     But  at  night  he  came  to  the 
house  of  a  "  down-east "  Yankee,  who  took  care  of  him  in  the 
kindest  manner.     He  received  the  best  in  the  house,  a  brandy 
stew  and  some  dry  clothes.  During  that  night  a  man  died  of  cold 
near  Farmer  City.     In  the  morning  the  ground  was  frozen  hard 
and  Mr.  Price  went  on   to  the  Wabash,  over  which  he  was  fer- 
ried by  a  woman,  Mrs.    Taylor.     The   boat  was  leaky,  but  Mr. 
Price  bailed  for  life,  and  for  the  handsome  young  lady  in  Ken- 
tucky.    Towards  evening  Mr.  Taylor  came  home,  and  Mr.  Price 
stayed  there  overnight.  The  latter  climbed  up  a  ladder,  and  made 
his  bed  in  the  loft  of  the  house.     Soon   after  he  retired  he  was 
awakened  by  the  fall  of  his  saddle  stirrup  on   the   floor  of  the 
room  below.     He  looked  through,  a  crack  and  by  the   dim  light 
of  the  fire  place  he  saw  Taylor  trying   to  pick  the  lock  of  his 
saddle  bags.     He  sprang  up,  and    Taylor  immediately  hung  up 
the  saddle  and  jumped  into  bed.     Mr.  Price  kept  a  sharp  look- 
out during  the  remainder  of  the  night,  as  he  had  fifty  dollars  in 
silver  money  in  his  saddle  bags.     In  the   morning  Taylor  acted 
as  though  nothing  had  happened,  and  charged  only  thirty-seven 
and  one-half  cents  for  entertainment.     He  directed  Mr.  Price  to 
William's  Ferry,  on  the  Big   Wabash.     Mr.   Price  was  told  to 
take  the  right  hand  road  ;  but  when  he  came  to  the  forks  he  con- 
cluded to  take   the   one  on  the  left.     After  going  twelve  miles 
he  made  inquiry  at  a  house,  and  was  told  that   the  right  hand 
road  led  far  from   the  true   direction,   and   was  simply  a  wood 
road.     He  learned,  too,  that  Taylor  was  a   dangerous  character, 
and  probably  had    his   own  purposes  in  view   in  attempting  to 
mislead  the  traveler.     Mr.  Price  went  on  to  Williams'  Ferry, 
which  he  crossed  with  great  difficulty  in   a   ferry-boat.     As  the 
boat  left  the  shore  the  overhanging  branches  of  a  sycamore  came 
near  brushing  his  horse  into  the  water;  but  the  intelligent  ani- 
mal laid  down  in  the  boat  and  went  under  the  limbs  of  the  tree. 
After  crossing  he  went  to  the  Ohio  River  at   Mt.  Vernon,  In- 
diana.    The  river  was  overflowing  and  large  trees  were  carried 
down  by  the   current.     He  went  up  twelve  miles  to  find  a  ferry, 
and  came  to  a  little  village,  where  the  people  were  all  on  a  spree. 
But  eight  men  were  hired  to  take  him  across.     They  had  a  boat 
which  they  worked  with   four  oars  and    four  pike  poles.     After 


m'lean  county.  249 

drifting  down  the  stream  four  miles  the  boat  was  landed  on  the 
Kentucky  shore.     There  they  found  the  bank  twelve  feet  high, 
very  difficult  for  the  horse   to  climb ;  but   it   was  taken   up  by- 
passing a  rope  around  it  and  pulling,  while  the  horse  scratched 
and  scrambled.     The  eight  ferrymen  received  a  dollar  in  silver, 
with  which  they    could  enjoy   themselves    on   a  spree  for  some 
time  ;  for  a  little  money  in  those  days  would  buy  a  great  deal  of 
whisky.     He  went  from   there  to  Bowling  Green,  Kentucky, 
and  on   the    road  met   his  intended   father  and  mother-in-law, 
Jesse  Adams,  F.  R.  Cowden,  and  John  Price,  who  were  travel- 
ing to  Illinois.     He  stayed  with  them  over  night  and  went  on  the 
next  morning  bright  and   early.     He  "  steered  for  the  object  of 
his  visit,  about  fifteen  miles  away,  and  at  about   ten  o'clock  his 
object  saw  him  alight  at  the  gate  and  walk  to  the  front  door." 
This  was  on  the  twenty-third  of  April,  1836.     On  the  fifth  of 
June  his  intended  father  and  mother-in-law  returned,  and  on  the 
fourteenth  of  that  month  he  married  Matilda  B.  Prunty,  an  old 
schoolmate.     On    the    thirteenth    of    September   following    he 
started  back  to    McLean  County,   in  a  two-horse  wagon.     He 
crossed  Mud  River,  Kentucky,  by  swimming  his  horses  and  taking 
the  provisions  and  wagon  in  a  ferry-boat.     The  boat  sank  when 
it  reached  the  western  shore,  but  the  wagon  was  drawn  out  after 
great  exertions.     At    Shawneetown    he   had  great  difficulty  in 
crossing  the  Ohio  River  on  a  horse   ferry-boat,  but  at  last  suc- 
ceeded.    He  went  on  to  Saline  River,  near  Equality,  and  found 
the  stream  very  high  and  no  ferry.     He  took  off  his  goods,  tied 
the  wagon  box  down    firmly  to   the  running   gear,  tied  some  of 
his  goods  to  the  top  of  the  box,  and  went  across,  swimming  the 
horses.     He  made  five  trips,  and  on  the  last  one  brought  over 
his  wife.    He  then  went  to  the  Sangamon  River.     A  heavy  rain- 
storm came  up  during  the  night  before  he  crossed  it,  and  it  was 
very  high.     He  unloaded  his  goods  and    swam  back  and   forth 
with  one    horse,   carrying  a    bundle    of  goods  above    the  water 
each  time.     The  most  difficult  bundle  to  transport  was  a  feather 
bed  with  fifty-four  pounds  of  feathers.     When    his  goods  were 
across  he  hitched  up  his  wagon,  put  in  his  wife,  and  came  across. 
On  the  third  of  October,  1836,  he  arrived  safely  home.     He  was 
occasionally  serenaded  on  his  journey  by  the  howling  of  wolves, 
but  did  not  mind  them  much. 


250  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

George  Price  worked  for  his  father  for  two  years  after  his 
marriage,  and  then  built  himself  a  house,  where   he  now  lives. 

On  the  twenty-sixth  of  December,  1836,  occurred  the  sudden 
change  in  the  weather,  when,  Mr.  Price  thinks,  the  mercury 
must  have  fallen  from  forty  degrees  above  zero  to  twenty  de- 
grees below  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes.  The  ground  was  cov- 
ered with  a  slush  of  water  and  snow,  and  suddenly  a  wind  came 
from  the  west,  a  fine  flour  of  snow  fell  to  the  ground  and  the 
cold  became  most  intense.  By  the  time  Mr.  Price  could  run 
two  hundred  yards  to  his  house,  the  slush  was  so  frozen  that  it 
bore  his  weight.  The  change  was  so  sudden  and  severe  that 
some  geese,  which  had  been  playing  in  a  lot  near  by;  had  the 
points  of  their  wings  frozen  in  the  ice  and  it  was  necessary  to  cut 
them  loose. 

The  first  tax  paid  by  Mr.  Price  was  in  the  spring  of  1839, 
and  it  amounted  to  $1.57.  He  paid,  up  to  the  year  1861,  in  the 
aggregate,  $885.49,  but  during  the  last  twelve  years  he  has  paid 
$3,741.19,  and  he  thinks  this  has  been  due,  in  some  measure,  to 
the  Republican  administration. 

Mr.  Price  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat.  He  voted  for 
Martin  Van  Bnren,  James  K.  Polk,  General  Cass,  Franklin 
Pierce  and  for  James  Buchanan  under  protest  (Douglas  was  en- 
titled to  the  nomination).  Mr.  Price  voted  for  Douglas  in  1860, 
with  a  good  will,  in  1864  for  McClellan  under  protest,  and  in 
1868  for  Seymour  under  protest.  Mr.  Price  thinks  the  Demo- 
cratic party  has  been  sold  out  by  August  Belmont  on  two  dis- 
tinct occasions,  and  that  it  is  now  time  for  the  latter  gentleman 
to  retire  from  politics  altogether. 

Mr.  Price  has  had  fourteen  children,  of  whom  ten  are  living, 
five  boys  and  five  girls.     They  are  : 

Ann,  born  February  22,  1840,  wife  of  Stephen  Triplet,  lives 
in  Normal. 

Hetta,  born  September  22,  1841,  wife  of  George  Horine,  lives 
in  Bloomington. 

Jane,  wife  of  Moses  G.  Harbord,  born  February  8,  1845, 
lives  in  Oregon. 

Chase  Price,  born  September  24, 1846,  lives  at  home. 

Belle,  born  September  13, 1848,  wife  of  John  M.  Payne,  lives 
in  Oregon. 


m'lean  county.  251 

Scott,  born  March  23,  1854 ;  Ada,  born  January  12,  1856  ; 
Perry,  born  May  25,  1858  ;  Minor,  born  March  12,  1861,  and 
Frank  Price,  born  August  6,  1863,  live  at  home. 

George  Price  is  of  medium  height,  is  strongly  and  squarely 
built,  has  black  hair  and  beard,  though  slightly  sprinkled  with 
gray.  He  seems  to  enjoy  the  best  of  health,  and  the  physicians' 
bills  he  has  paid  on  his  own  account  cannot  have  been  many. 
He  has  been  very  upright  in  his  dealings  and  careful  in  the  man- 
agement of  his  property,  and  as  a  result  has  succeeded  remark- 
ably well  in  life.  "Fortune  favors  the  brave,"  and  Mr.  Price's 
success  has  undoubtedly  been  greatly  due  to  his  pluck.  Not 
many  men  would  face  the  storms  and  swim  the  creeks  and  rivers 
as  he  did,  though  his  accomplished  lady  was  in  every  way  worthy 
of  his  exertions.  His  lady,  Mrs.  Price,  who  came  on  the  ro- 
mantic wedding  journey  from  Kentucky,  is  a  woman  of  fine  taste 
and  quick  perceptions. 

John  J.  Price. 

John  J.  Price  was  born  April  13,  1823,  ten  miles  east  of  Bowl- 
ing Green,  in  Warren  County,  Kentucky.  His  parents  were 
of  Welch  and  Irish  stock.  He  had  three  brothers  and  one  sister,' 
and  of  these,  two  brothers,  George  and  Charles  Luther  are  living. 
John  J.  Price  was  brought  up  to  be  a  farmer.  His  father's  fam- 
ily came  to  Illinois,  October  15, 1833,  and  his  father  still  resides 
where  he  then  settled,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of 
Bloomington.  John  J.  Price  worked  for  his  father  until  the  former 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  then  began  life  on  his  own  ac- 
count. He  traded  in  stock  and  horses  and  drove  them  to  Chi- 
cago. For  the  last  eighteen  years  he  has  been  engaged  in 
buying  and  shipping  grain,  principally  for  the  Eastern  markets. 
During  1852  and  '53  he  was  engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe  busi- 
ness, but  with  that  exception  has  been  engaged  as  before  stated. 
He  served  one  term  as  Sheriff  of  McLean  County,  being  elected 
to  that  office  in  1854. 

On  the  loth  of  January,  1857,  he  married  Miss  Henrietta 
Olney,  a  very  amiable  lady  from  Joliet.  While  he  served  as 
sheriff  no  very  remarkable  circumstance  happened.  The  people 
of  the  West  were  at  that  time  more  free-hearted  and  credulous 
than  at  present ;  and  if  the  sharpers  and  confidence  men,  who 


252  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

are  so  numerous  now,  had  operated  in  the  early  days  they  would 
have  secured  a  harvest.  Occasionally  they  did  appear.  It  became 
Mr.  Price's  duty  to  arrest  one  such  gentleman  on  a  requisition 
from  the  Governor  of  New  York,  and  the  young  swindler,  who 
appeared  so  handsome  and  gay,  was  obliged  to  serve  a  term  in 
Sing  Sing.  While  Mr.  Price  was  sheriff  he  was  also  collector 
of  taxes  in  the  county.  The  taxes  amounted  to  a  little  more 
than  .$100,000  per  annum.  The  collector  visited  the  various  pre- 
cincts of  the  county,  giving  notice  of  his  coming  by  advertise- 
ments. In  each  precinct  he  remained  one  day  to  receive  the 
taxes  due.  His  pay  for  collection  was  nearly  four  per  cent.,  aud 
the  office  was  worth  about  three  thousand  dollars  per  annum. 

Mr.  Price  is  a  shipper  of  stock,  and  has  had  a  great  deal  of 
experience  with  railroads.  He  thinks  the  farmers  Avho  are  con- 
tending against  the  railroads  should  do  the  work  thoroughly  or 
not  at  all ;  for  if  it  is  only  half  done  the  railroad  officials  become 
more  extortionate  than  before.  They  allow  no  accommodations 
to  shippers,  and  when  special  rates  are  asked  for,  the  officials 
say:  "Go  to  the  Grangers." 

Mr.  Price  has  had  a  pleasant  life.  His  early  days  were 
.marked  by  the  incidents  usual  to  early  settlers,  but  he  did  not 
have  so  hard  a  time  in  finding  a  wife  as  his  brother  George  ex- 
perienced. The  latter  was  obliged  to  brave  many  storms  and 
hair  breadth  escapes  and  swim  many  rivers  to  obtain  his  bride. 
J.  J.  Price  did  nothing  of  the  kind,  but  his  wife  thinks  it  would 
have  been  very  beneficial  to  him  to  have  had  such  an  experience. 
It  would  have  called  out  his  resolution,  and  he  would  have  ap- 
preciated his  lady  much  more. 

John  J.  Price  is  of  medium  stature,  has  broad  shoulders,  is 
very  active  and  has  never  been  sick.  He  has  an  aquiline  nose 
and  sharp,  penetrating  eyes.  He  is  a  good  business  man,  leads 
an  active  life,  and  is  on  the  trains  every  day.  All  his  senses  are 
good  and  he  bids  fair  to  lead  a  long  and  busy  life. 

Lewis  Bunn. 

Lewis  Bunn  was  born  September  16, 1806,  on  a  farm  in  Wal- 
nut Creek  Township  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  about  four  miles 
from  the  town  of  Delphi.  His  father,  Peter  Bunn,  was  a  farmer 
and  land  speculator;  he  was  a  Pennsylvania  German,  while  his 


m'lean  county.  253 

mother  was  an  English  lady.  Lewis  Bunn  was  one  of  twenty- 
one  children  !  His  father  was  twice  married.  From  his  first 
marriage  sprang  eight  children,  and  from  his  second,  thirteen. 
Lewis  was  the  youngest  but  three. 

Lewis  received  his  scanty  education  in  a  school  formed  by 
the  farmers  who  clubbed  together  and  hired  a  teacher,  to  whom 
they  paid  three  or  four  dollars  per  quarter  and  board.  Such  a 
schoolmaster  usually  taught  during  the  winter  months  and 
worked  a  farm  in  summer.  The  school-houses  were  simply  log 
cabins.  When  Lewis  was  seventeen  years  old  his  school  days 
ended.  He  had  then  acquired  very  little  knowledge,  indeed  the 
chance  for  acquiring  knowledge  was  very  limited.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  he  was  sent  to  Chillicothe,  and  apprenticed  for  four 
years,  to  learn  the  trade  of  blacksmith.  He  learned  his  trade 
rapidly  and  well,  but  he  was  not  satisfied  with  his  education, 
and  took  private  lessons  in  his  leisure  moments.  When  his  ap- 
prenticeship was  ended  he  moved  to  Clark  County,  Ohio,  where 
he  stayed  three  years. 

In  1831  he  was  married  to  Margery  Haines,  of  Xenia,  Ohio. 
His  marriage  was  a  happy  one,  and  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of 
five  children,  three  boys  and  two  girls,  four  of  whom  are  now 
living.     His  wife  afterwards  died. 

In  1833  he  moved  to  Bloomington,  Illinois.  Here,  in  1846, 
he  married  Lucinda  Blewins.  By  this  marriage  he  has  had  five 
children,  all  of  whom  are  dead.  When  he  came  to  Bloomington 
he  followed  his  trade  and  continued  at  it  until  1859,  when  he 
retired  from  business.  Immediately  upon  his  arrival  at  Bloom- 
ington he  connected  with  his  trade  the  manufacture  of  agricul- 
tural implements,  and  in  those  days  he  was  enabled  to  make  this 
quite  a  profitable  business.  Oliver  Ellsworth,  who  died  about  a 
year  ago,  was  for  eighteen  years  Mr.  Buun's  partner.  Their 
ploughs,  which  they  made  by  hand,  were  in  great  demand  and 
were  called  for  even  from  Texas.  They  bore  the  trademark  of 
Bunn  &  Ellsworth,  and  are  still  well  spoken  of.  The  price  of 
one  of  their  ploughs  at  that  time  was  eleven  or  twelve  dollars, 
while  a  plough  made  by  machinery  at  the  present  time  costs 
from  twenty-two  to  twenty-four  dollars.  Mr.  Bunn  thinks  this 
remarkable  difference  is  due  partly  to  the  high  price  of  labor, 
and  partly  to  the  high  price  of  steel.     A  carpenter  earned  in 


254  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

those  days  one  dollar  per  day ;  at  present  he  earns  from  three 
to  four  dollars.  The  steel  used  by  Bunn  &  Ellsworth  was  Ger- 
man and  American,  while  that  used  at  the  present  time  is  cast- 
steel.  They  formerly  obtained  their  steel  from  St.  Louis  whence 
it  was  shipped  to  Pekin  by  water,  and  from  there  it  was  brought 
overland  to  Bloomington  ;  but  when  the  Illinois  River  was  low 
it  was  hauled  here  from  St.  Louis,  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy  miles.  It  cost  for  hauling  this  distance  from  seven- 
ty-five cents  to  one  dollar  per  hundred  pounds,  and  after  all  of 
this  trouble  and  expense  the  ploughs  were  sold  for  eleven  or 
twelve  dollars  a  piece. 

Mr.  Bunn  came  to  Bloomington  with  his  brother-in-law,  Dr. 
Haines.  The  town  was  then  two  years  old.  At  first  he  did  not 
like  the  country,  it  seemed  so  wild  and  naked,  and  in  nearly 
every  log  cabin  some  one  was  shaking  with  the  ague.  The  popu- 
lation was  very  sparse  and  the  conveniences  of  life  were  want- 
ing. If  a  farmer  lost  a  screw  from  his  plough  he  was  obliged 
to  travel  sixty  miles  (from  Bloomington  to  Springfield)  to  get 
the  little  matter  fixed.  Lewis  Bunn  did  all  the  blacksmithing 
for  forty  miles  around,  with  three  fires.  He  was  quite  skillful 
in  mending  the  little  breaks  and  doing  the  job  work,  and  could 
make  any  thing  from  a  horse  shoe  nail  to  a  mill  spindle. 

Although  Mr.  Bunn  was  not  a  man  of  much  speculation,  he 
saw  many  ups  and  downs.  Fortunes  in  the  "West  were  some- 
times easily  made  and  much  more  easily  lost,  but  Mr.  Bunn 
preserved  his  independence  and  usually  stuck  to  his  trade;  al- 
though it  was  rather  black  business  it  brought  shining  dollars. 

,  In  1833  Bloomington  had  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  in- 
habitants. The  best  business  lots  were  then  selling  for  fifty 
dollars.  He  bought  one  where  the  hardware  store  of  Harwood 
Bros,  stands  for  fifty  dollars  and  sold  it  for  one  hundred.  It  is 
now  worth  three  hundred  dollars  per  foot  without  any  improve- 
ments. But  the  changes  in  value  in  Bloomington  are  scarcely 
to  be  noticed  compared  with  Chicago.  On  the  west  side  of  the 
river  in  Chicago  some  lots  were  traded  for  a  horse  worth  fifty 
dollars.  The  same  lots  are  now  worth  one  million  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  In  1833  corn  sold  for  ten  cents  per 
bushel,  oats  for  eight  cents  and  wheat  for  thirty-one  cents.  Flour 
was  $1.50  per  hundred  and  pork  $1.25.     Wood  was  one  dollar 


m'lean  county.  255 

per  cord  and  coal  12|  to  16  cents  per  bushel.  In  early  days 
everything  was  unsettled.  Prices  were  sometimes  very  high 
and  sometimes  very  low ;  people  became  suddenly  rich  and  sud- 
denly poor.  Everything  was  changing.  The  spirit  of  enter- 
prise was  great  and  people  would  be  willing  to  do  a  great  deal 
to  accomplish  a  very  little. 

Sometimes  the  early  settlers  went  to  law.  People  will  do  so 
occasionally,  though  they  do  not  as  a  usual  thing,  get  rich  by  it. 
I  have  heard  of  a  couple  of  worthy  citizens  who  spent  two  or 
three  hundred  dollars  a  piece  in  a  suit  for  the  possession  of  a 
calf  not  worth  five  dollars.  Lawyers  are  not  generally  very 
modest  in  charging  their  fees.  But  Mr.  Bunn  tells  some  queer 
things  of  the  fees  charged  by  Lincoln  and  Douglas.  Abraham 
Lincoln  received  the  highest  fee  known  to  have  been  paid  to  a 
lawyer  in  Illinois.  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company 
thought  their  lands  should  be  exempt  from  taxation.  Lincoln 
was  employed  for  the  company  and  won  the  battle  and  received 
five  thousand  dollars  as  his  fee.  This  was  pretty  large,  but  on 
the  other  hand  lawyers'  fees  were  sometimes  correspondingly 
small.  Mr.  Bunn  once  employed  Stephen  A.  Douglas  in  a  case 
against  Col.  Gridley.  Douglas  came  all  the  way  from  Spring- 
field, made  a  first-class  speech,  won  the  case  and  charged  for  his 
services  five  dollars ! 

As  to  personal  appearance  Lewis  Bunn  is  five  feet  ten  inches 
in  height.  He  is  well  formed  and  of  good  muscular  develop- 
ment. The  latter  is  due  to  his  occupation.  He  has  a  very 
peaceable  disposition,  a  very  even  temperament  and  does  not 
easily  get  excited.  He  is  fond  of  fun  and  practical  jokes.  He 
has  a  genial,  healthy  countenance,  though  his  eyes  are  rather 
weak,  probably  made  so  by  working  at  the  forge.  He  is  natur- 
ally a  peacemaker  and  is  glad  to  say  that  he  never  struck  a  man 
in  his  life  and  never  ran  away  from  one. 

William  C.  Warlow. 

William  C.  Warlow,  son  of  Benjamin  Warlow,  was  born 
June  8,  1817,  in  Oneida  County,  New  York.  The  family  came 
to  Bloomington  on  the  10th  of  October,  1833.  During  the  first 
night  of  their  arrival  they  went  to  see  a  prairie  fire,  where  the 
postoffice  now  stands.     From  Bloomington   they  went  to  Dry 


256  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Grove,  where  his  uncle,  Jonathan  Bond,  entered  land.  Mr.  "War- 
low  lived  with  his  father  on  the  farm  working  faithfully.  Mr. 
Warlow,  sr.,  entered  land  at  Brown's  Grove  and  moved  there. 

On  the  31st  of  October,  1844,  W.  C.  Warlow  married  Nancy 
Garr,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  Garr,  of  Old  Town. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Warlow  bought  out  John  Stout  at 
Brown's  Grove,  paying  five  hundred  dollars  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land.  On  this  he  lived  for  thirteen  years  adding 
to  it  continually  until  he  acquired  about  six  hundred  acres.  In 
the  fall  of  1857  he  moved  to  Bloomington  and  went  into  the  dry 
goods  business  with  his  brother,  B.  W.  Warlow.  They  had  two 
sleeping  partners  by  the  name  of  Fleming,  who  were  the  cause 
of  much  trouble  and  at  last  of  great  financial  difficulties. 

Mr.  Warlow  did  some  hunting  and  often  killed  deer  and 
wolves.  Once  while  living  on  his  farm  he  stood  on  his  door 
step  and  killed  a  deer,  which  was  standing  near  by.  He  several 
times  killed  two  deer  before  breakfast. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  Mr.  Warlow  went  to  Camp  But- 
ler, and  was  for  some  time  a  clerk  for  a  sutler  there,  and  for  a 
while  did  quite  well. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1867,  he  became  a  hotel  keeper  at 
Peoria.  On  the  10th  of  May  of  the  same  year  he  was  burnt  out 
and  lost  everything.  He  had  been  insured  for  five  thousand 
dollars  in  two  bogus  insurance  companies,  which  could  not  pay 
one  cent  of  his  losses.     He  has  lived  in  Bloomington  ever  since. 

Mr.  Warlow  has  a  family  of  three  children.     They  are  : 

Benjamin  W.,  Belle  and  Maggie.  The  last  named  is  mar- 
ried to  Nelson  Sweeney,  of  Bloomington.  Miss  Belle  Warlow 
lives  at  home.  Benjamin  W.  Warlow  lives  in  Hiawatha,  Brown 
Count}',  Kansas.  Mr.  Warlow's  domestic  life  has  been  very 
pleasant.  His  wife  has  been  a  remarkably  good  woman,  and  a 
supporter  of  her  husband  during  their  eventful  life. 

Mr.  Warlow  is  six  feet  six  inches  in  height,  is  well  propor- 
tioned, has  black  hair,  hazel  eyes  and  a  beard,  which  is  turning 
gray.  He  is  a  man  of  great  strength.  He  used  the  first  reaper 
which  worked  with  success  in  this  section  of  country. 

John  Lindley. 

John  Lindley  was  born  February  9,  1806,  in  Christian  Coun- 
ty, Kentucky.     His  father's  name   was   John  Lindley,  and  his 


m'lean  county.  257 

mother's  name  was  Elizabeth  Gray.  In  1827  he  moved  his 
brother  William  to  Illinois  and  stayed  a  few  months.  In  March, 
1831,  he  came  again,  moving  his  father's  family.  The  deep 
snow  was  then  melting  away,  and  the  country  was  a  sea  of  water 
from  one  to  three  feet  in  depth.  This  was  the  case  more  partic- 
ularly in  Macoupin  and  Sangamon  Counties.  Nevertheless  he 
came  through,  driving  his  six-horse  team  with  a  single  line. 
His  father's  family  settled  on  the  south  side  of  Blooming  Grove. 

John  Lindley  entered  some  land  about  a  mile  from  the 
southern  edge  of  Blooming  Grove.  One  tier  of  farms  had  al- 
ready  been  entered  around  the  grove,  and  he  was  obliged  to  take 
to  the  prairie  or  go  to  some  other  timber.  After  entering  his 
land  John  Lindley  returned  to  Kentucky. 

On  the  twentieth  of  November,  1881,  he  married  Melinda 
Jones,  in  Kentucky.  In  1833  he  came  to  the  West  and  settled 
on  the  land  which  he  entered  in  1831.  His  wife,  Melinda,  died 
in  1837.  Two  children  were  born  of  this  marriage.  They  are  : 
Mary  Jane,  wife  of  Isaac  Pemberton,  and  William  Lindley.  Mr. 
Pemberton  lives  on  the  edge  of  Blooming  Grove,  and  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Lindley  lives  at  Long  Point,  in  DeWitt  County. 

On  the  first  of  March,  1840,  Mr.  Lindley  married  Jane  Wil- 
liams. Nine  children  were  born  of  this  marriage,  and  seven  are 
living.     They  are  : 

Gabriel  Lindley  lives  in  Christian  County,  Kentucky. 

John  W.  Lindley  lives  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  his 
father's. 

Sarah,  wife  of  Frederick  Barnes,  lives  near  her  father's. 

Elizabeth,  Daniel,  Emma  and  Ella  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Lindley  is  five  feet  and  eleven  inches  in  height,  and 
weighs  about  two  hundred  pounds.  He  is  a  man  of  some  reso- 
lution, is  very  pleasant  in  his  manner,  is  a  strong  opponent  of 
the  railroads,  and  thinks  these  monopolies  eat  up  a  great  deal  of 
his  substance  with  their  high  freights.  He  cast  his  first  vote 
for  Andrew  Jackson,  and  has  since  voted  the  Democratic  ticket. 
He  gave  an  acre  of  ground  to  build  a  school  house  in  district 
number  eight,  where  he  now  lives.  He  is  a  director,  and  takes 
great  interest  in  the  cause  of  education.  He  thinks  a  great  deal 
of  McLean  County,  as  he  has  traveled  all  over  the  State  and 
found  nothing  equal  to  i.t  for  a  farming  country.  He  lives  about 
17 


258  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

five  miles  south  and  a  little  west  of  Bloomington.  Mr.  Lindley 
is  very  decided  in  his  views,  and  is  bitterly  opposed  to  salary 
grabbers,  and  does  not  like  President  Grant  for  signing  the  bill 
which  doubled  his  own  salary. 

Allen   Withers. 

Allen  Withers  was  born  January  21,  1807,  on  a  farm  in 
Jessamine  County,  Kentucky,  about  seven  miles  from  Nicholas- 
ville.  His  ancestors  were  of  Welch  and  Irish  stock.  The  father 
of  Allen  Withers  was  twice  married.  Allen  was  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  twenty-one  children  ;  seventeen  of  these,  including  Allen, 
reached  manhood  and  womanhood.  His  opportunities  for  ac- 
quiring knowledge  were  not  very  good,  but  such  as  they  were  he 
improved  them,  and  obtained  a  pretty  good  English  education. 
At  an  early  age  he  showed  much  taste  for  commercial  pursuits, 
and  a  great  love  of  travel.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  began 
traveling  through  the  states  of  Missouri  and  Indiana.  He  trans- 
acted some  little  business  on  his  journey,  but  not  much.  His 
object  was  to  obtain  amusement  and  information,  as  well  as  to 
visit  his  friends  and  relatives  in  these  states.  In  his  travels  he 
learned  the,  ways  of  the  world  and  particularly  the  commercial 
world,  he  could  buy  and  sell.  He  then  began  business.  He 
bought  horses  and  mules  in  Missouri  and  took  them  to  Mexico, 
though  he  was  yet  very  young.  He  spent  two  years  in  Mexico 
in  trading  with  the  Mexicans  and  Indians.  He  understood  Span- 
ish as  well  as  the  Indian  dialect,  and  could  converse  very  fluent- 
ly in  either.  He  was  a  great  favorite  among  the  Indians,  and 
understood  their  character  and  mode  of  life  thoroughly.  His 
experience  among  the  Indians  was  no  doubt  richly  worth  pre- 
serving. He  was  obliged  frequently  to  live  for  some  weeks 
upon  sugar.  But,  after  all  his  hardships,  he  made  but  little 
money,  as  many  of  his  horses  and  mules  would  go  astray  in  the 
wild  Mexican  territory. 

Allen  Withers  came  to  Illinois  in  August,  1834,  his  father 
having  removed  to  this  State  two  years  previous.  He  came  at 
once  to  McLean  County.  In  the  spring  of  1835  he  entered  the 
dry  goods  establishment  of  M.  L.  Covel  as  a  clerk.  Not  long 
afterwards  his  father  bought  out  this  establishment  and  carried 
it  on  with  the  assistance  of  his  son.  The  business  was  con- 
ducted in  Eoyce  Block,  which  became  the  Withers  property. 


m'lean  county.  259 

On  the  second  of  May,  1835,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  B.  Rice, 
of  Kentucky.  He  had  known  her  in  early  youth,  and  in  his 
later  years  she  became  his  devoted,  affectionate  wife,  his  com- 
panion and  supporter  in  the  vicissitudes  of  a  very  eventful  life. 
His  wedding  trip  to  Bloomington  lasted  two  weeks;  indeed,  it 
required  one  week  to  go  from  St.  Louis  to  Pekin. 

In  the  spring  of  1834  Allen  Withers  took  the  census  of 
Bloomington,  and  the  population  amounted  to  one  hundred  and 
eighty  persons. 

In  the  fall  of  1837,  Mr.  "Withers'  brother-in-law  came  to 
make  him  a  visit,  from  Kentucky,  and  Allen  wished  to  make 
everything  as  pleasant  as  possible.  So  he  tried  to  furnish  some 
of  the  luxuries  of  civilization,  and  hunted  over  the  country  for 
two  days  to  find  some  butter.  He  succeeded  in  getting  one 
pound. 

In  1837  and  '38  Mr.  Withers  was  unfortunate  in  business, 
and  moved  to  Waterloo,  Clark  County,  Missouri,  in  the  spring 
of  1839.  Shortly  afterwards  he  moved  to  Alexandria,  on  the 
Mississippi  River.  This  place  was  laid  out  by  Dr.  Mitchell,  the 
brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Withers,  and  by  Dr.  Mitchell's  brother. 
Here  Mr.  Withers  acted  as  a  clerk  in  his  brother-in-law's  gro- 
cery.  He  built  a  two-story  log  house  on  some  land  given  him 
by  his  brother-in-law,  and  his  wife  kept  boarders,  sometimes  ten 
boarders  at  once.  There  was  but  one  hotel  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Des  Moines  River,  and  when  it  was  too  full  the  landlord  sent 
some  of  his  guests  to  Mrs.  Withers.  Mrs.  Withers  frequently 
was  obliged  to  do  her  cooking  outside  of  the  house,  but  she 
persevered  and  fairly  earned  the  prosperity  which  she  and  her 
husband  afterwards  enjoyed.  After  eighteen  months  of  working 
and  saving  in  Alexandria  Mr.  Withers  succeeded  in  making  a 
little  money  and  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Waterloo  at 
twenty  cents  per  acre.  After  building  a  home  on  it  he  sold 
house  and  land  for  six  hundred  dollars. 

In  1847,  at  his  father's  earnest  desire,  Allen  AVithers  re- 
turned to  Bloomington,  and  commenced  business  with  William 
H.  Temple,  in  the  dry  goods  line.  But  he  soon  sold  out  and 
went  into  the  hardware  business,  and  shortly  afterwards  sold  out 
the  hardware  business  and  came  back  to  Mr.  Temple.  But  after 
a  while  he  left   the   dry  goods   business  and  began  trading  in 


260  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

stock  and  working  a  farm  which  he  owned  about  three  miles 
south  of  Bloomington.  This  farm,  which  contained  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Withers. 

Allen  Withers  died  very  suddenly  of  congestive  chills  on  the 
third  of  March,  1864.  He  was  at  the  time  possessed  of  a  vig- 
orous constitution,  and  bid  fair  to  live  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Withers  was  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance.  He 
was  six  feet  and  two  inches  in  height,  and  was  possessed  of  more 
than  ordinary  intellect.  He  was  the  soul  of  honor  and  his 
candor  was  seen  in  his  clear,  honest,  blue  eyes,  and  in  every  line 
of  his  countenance.  He  was  very  muscular  and  could  endure  a 
great  deal.  He  was  a  kind,  warm-hearted  man  and  one  who 
would  naturally  have  a  great  many  friends.  In  his  political 
sympathies  he  was  a  warm  partizan,  but  his  dignity  and  kind- 
ness and  good  feeling  preserved  for  him  the  friendship  of  mem- 
bers of  all  parties.  His  popularity  was  shown  very  clearly  when 
he  was  nominated  against  his  will  as  a  candidate  for  the  legisla- 
ture. He  came  within  nine  votes  of  being  elected  in  a  county 
which  gave  six  hundred  majority  for  the  Republican  ticket.  He 
was  a  good  business  man  for,  though  he  had  many  misfortunes, 
he  became  wiser  from  experience,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
he  had  accumulated  a  great  deal  of  property  and  all  of  it  by  his 
own  exertions.  Mr.  Withers  left  no  children.  His  only  child 
had  died  many  years  before.  But  he  and  his  generous  wife 
adopted  several  children  who  needed  friends.  One  of  their 
adopted  children,  Mrs.  Winter,  has  grown  to  womanhood  and  is 
now  married  ;  and  she  is  indeed  worthy  of  the  kindness  and 
affection  bestowed  upon  her. 

Mr.  Withers  many  years  ago  made  free  a  colored  boy  and 
brought  him  up  as  a  servant  in  his  family.  The  colored  man 
still  remains  with  the  family  and  would  not  be  induced  to  leave 
it  for  any  consideration. 

The  generosity  and  kindness  of  heart  shown  by  Mr.  Withers 
will  make  him  long  remembered. 

"  The  pitcher  at  the  fountain  is  broken  ; 

The  silver  chord  is  in  twain  ; 
But  he  leaves  behind  him  a  token 

That  he'll  greet  his  dear  loved  one?  again." 


m'lean  county.  261 

Dr.  J.  F.  Henry. 

John  Flournoy  Henry  was  born  at  Henry's  Mills,  in  Scott 
County,  Kentucky,  on  the  17th  of  January,  1793.  He  was  of 
Huguenot  ancestry.  He  was  the  fourth  son  of  William  Henry, 
who  was  the  son  of  Reverend  Robert  Henry,  pastor  of  Cub 
Creek  church,  of  Charlotte  County,  Virginia.  The  father  of 
Dr.  Henry  fought  under  General  Greene  at  the  battle  of  Guil- 
ford Court  House  in  March,  1781,  where  the  victorious  career  of 
Lord  Cornwallis  was  arrested  and  a  retrograde  movement  of 
the  British  troops  compelled,  which  resulted  in  the  surrender  of 
Cornwallis  at  Yorktown. 

In  the  autumn  of  1781  William  Henry  moved  to  Lincoln 
County,  Kentucky,  and  on  the  12th  of  October  of  that  year  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Julia,  second  daughter  of  Matthias  Flour- 
noy, who  had  been  killed  by  the  Indians  at  Cumberland  Gap. 
Matthias  Flournoy  was  of  Huguenot  ancestry  on  both  sides. 

After  completing  his  early  education,  Dr.  Henry  entered 
upon  the  study  of  medicine,  and  for  a  time,  during  the  war  of 
1812,  he  served  as  surgeon's  mate.  In  October,  1813,  he  was  at 
the  battle  of  Thames,  where  his  father,  as  a  major  general  under 
General  Harrison,  commanded  a  wing  of  the  United  States 
forces.  It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  Dr.  Henry,  in  common 
with  many  of  the  old  soldiers  of  1812,  availed  himself  of  the 
act  of  congress  giving  a  pension  to  the  surviving  soldiers  of  that 
war,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  his  name  was  on  the  pension 
rolls  of  the  country,  where  he  had  it  placed  as  a  matter  of  pride 
rather  than  for  the  small  pecuniary  consideration  connected 
with  it. 

Dr.  Henry  graduated  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons in  New  York  City,  in  1818,  and  soon  after  went  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  spent  some  time,  but  afterwards  returned  to  Ken- 
tucky. Some  time  after  this  he  was  engaged  as  a  professor  in 
the  Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati,  with  the  late  Dr.  Daniel 
Drake,  between  whom  and  himself  there  existed  a  warm  per- 
sonal friendship.  Previous  to  this,  in  1826,  Dr.  Henry  was 
chosen  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  Congress,  made  by  the  death  of  his 
brother. 

In  1833  Dr.  Henry  settled  in  Bloomington,  McLean  County, 
Illinois,  where  he  pursued  the  practice  of  medicine  for  twelve 


262 


OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


years.  He  came  to  this  State  in  an  Illinois  River  steamboat, 
landing  at  Pekin.  In  1843  he  purchased  property  in  Burlington, 
Iowa,  and  two  years  later  moved  to  that  city  with  his  family. 
He  had  by  that  time  secured  a  competence,  and  soon  after  mov- 
ing to  Burlington  he  retired  from  the  active  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession.    He  died  in  Burlington  on  the  13th  of  November,  1873. 

He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Dr. 
Basil  Duke  of  Mason  County,  Kentucky,  who,  with  an  infant 
child,  died  a  year  or  two  after  their  marriage.  His  second  wife, 
who  survived  him,  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Ridgely  of  Lexington, 
Kentucky.  The  surviving  children  of  the  second  marriage  are 
Dr.  G.  R.  Henry  of  Burlington,  Iowa;  John  Flournoy  Henry  of 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  Mrs.  Mary  Belle  Robertson  of  Bur- 
lington, Iowa.  His  youngest  daughter,  Flora,  died  in  Burling- 
ton in  1862. 

Dr.  Henry  was  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life  an  honored 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  One,  who  knew  him  well, 
says  of  him  :  "  He  was  one  of  nature's  noblemen.  Tall,  straight 
as  an  arrow,  with  a  splendid  presence  and  a  physical  vigor,  which 
is  rare  in  these  latter  da}ys  of  fast  habits  and  rapid  living;  he 
enjoyed  a  robust  health,  which  gave  way  at  last  from  sheer  old 
age.  Upright,  honorable,  temperate,  sagacious,  and  a  thorough 
man  and  a  gentleman,  his  course  can  be  emulated  with  profit. 
He  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  Kentucky  gentleman  of  the  old 
school,  of  elegant  and  dignified  manners,  kindly  sentiments  and 
genial  disposition." 

General  Asahel  Gridley. 

A  very  important  part  of  the  history  of  McLean  County  con- 
sists of  the  acts  and  doings  of  General  Gridlev.  While  collect- 
ing  information  and  statistics  for  this  work  the  author  has  been 
questioned  more  concerning  the  sketch  of  General  Gridley  than 
of  any  other  old  settler  in  McLean  County.  He  is  a  man  of  positive 
character,  and  even  his  enemies  are  interested  in  him  and  anxious 
to  read  his  sketch. 

General  Gridley  was  born  April  21,  1810,  in  Cazenovia,  Xew 
York,  and  received  his  education  at  Pompey  Academy,  same 
State.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  determined  to  "  go  West," 
and  on  the   8th   of  October,  1831,  he  located  in  Bloomington. 


m'lean  county.  263 

He  immediately  commenced  selling  goods  of  all  kinds  and  es- 
tablished a  large  trade.  The  business  of  a  merchant  in  those 
days  is  described  by  General  Gridley,  who  says  :  "  At  that  time 
a  vender  of  goods  was  required  to  keep  for  sale  every  kind  of 
merchandise  wanted  by  the  settlers,  to-wit :  dry  goods,  groceries, 
hardware,  queensware,  drugs,  medicines,  liquors,  saddles,  har- 
nesses, leather,  salt,  iron  nails,  hollow  ware,  in  fact  anything 
which  the  wants  of  the  settlers  required." 

General  Gridley's  place  of  business  was  on  the  lot  where  the 
McLean  County  Bank  now  stands.  This  lot  he  purchased  for 
fifty-one  dollars.  When  he  settled  here  the  only  inhabitants 
were  James  Allin  and  fami'y,  Robert  E.  Guthrie  and  family, 
John  Kimler  and  wife,  Rev.  James  Latta  and  wife,  David  Trim- 
mer and  wife,  Dr.  Isaac  Baker  and  family,  Dr.  David  Wheeler 
and  daughters,  William  Evans  and  family,  William  Dimmitt, 
Samuel  Durley,  William  Durley,  General  Merritt  L.  Covel  and 
Amasa  0.  Washburn.  Of  these  there  now  remain  James  Allin, 
jr.  and  Dr.  Lee  Allin,  sons  of  James  Allin,  deceased,  Adam 
Guthrie,  son  of  Robert  Guthrie,  deceased,  William  Dimmitt  and 
Amasa  C.  Washburn.  The  condition  of  the  country  in  those 
early  days  is  shown  by  the  following  from  General  Gridley : 

"  In  the  fall  of  1831,  Col.  James  Latta  commenced  enclosing 
with  a  rail  fence  the  one  hundred  acres  now  known  as  the  Dur- 
ley addition  to  Bloomington,  the  land  then  being  open  prairie 
and  in  a  state  of  nature.  In  1832  he  broke  the  ground  and 
planted  sod  corn,  and  the  settlers  expressed  surprise  that  Col. 
Latta  should  attempt  to  make  a  farm  so  far  from  timber.  No 
one  then  supposed  that  the  prairie  would  ever  be  cultivated  more 
than  a  mile  distant  from  the  timber,  and  the  only  farms  were 
those  skirting  the  groves." 

General  Gridley  carried  on  the  business  of  merchandising 
with  Ortogrul  Covel,  his  brother-in-law,  now  deceased,  from 
1831  until  1838.  Their  business  was  milling,  merchandising 
and  manufacturing. 

The  life  and  services  of  General  Gridley  are  told  by  Jesse 
W.  Fell,  Esq.,  so  clearly  and  so  perfectly  that  it  is  impossible  to 
add  anything  to  it. 
"  De.  Duis  : 

"  My  long  delay  in  responding  to  your  request  to  write  some- 


264  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

thing  about  my  old  friend  and  comrade,  General  Gridley,  pro- 
ceeds not  from  a  want  of  interest  in  the  subject,  but  from  the 
press  of  business  engagements.  With  no  man,  outside  of  our 
immediate  family  circle,  have  I  been  so  long  and  so  intimately 
acquainted,  and  it  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  say,  with  no  man 
have  my  relations  personally  been  more  agreeable,  notwithstand- 
ing we  have  differed  widely  in  our  views  and  feelings  on  many 
topics.  Though,  in  common  with  every  one  who  has  cut  any 
figure  in  our  local  or  general  affairs,  I  am  fully  aware  that  I 
have  been  the  subject  of  sharp,  and  at  times  undeserved,  criti- 
cisms at  his  hands,  yet  knowing  the  constitutional  temper  of  the 
man  I  have  scarcely  ever  seen  the  day  when  I  could  not  take 
him  cordially  by  the  hand,  and  I  have  abundant  reason  to  know 
the  same  is  true  on  his  part.  As  our  intimacy  and  friendship, 
therefore,  reaches  over  a  period  of  more  than  two  score  years,  it 
is  a  work  of  pleasure  to  say  a  few  words  as  to  his  general  char- 
acter and  the  services  he  has  rendered  this  city  and  neighbor- 
hood. 

"  The  salient  or  leading  facts  connected  with  his  life,  I  find 
presented  in  the  paper  you  have  just  placed  in  my  hands,  and  I 
need  not  repeat  them.  You  ask  for  some  general  additional  in- 
formation relating  to  him  as  derived  from  my  long  personal  ac- 
quaintance. In  giving  this  I  beg  you  to  bear  in  mind  that  I  do 
it  in  precisely  the  same  way  I  did  in  the  case  of  another  old  and 
cherished  personal  friend,  Judge  Davis.  Without  any  attempt 
at  system,  order,  or  chronological  arrangement,  and  with  no  at- 
tention whatever  to  style  of  composition,  I  wrote  what  came 
uppermost,  on  very  slight  reflection,  aiming  to  give  facts  only. 

"I  came  to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1832,  and  in  November  of 
that  year  arrived  at  Bloomiugton,  then  a  village  of  perhaps  one 
hundred  inhabitants.  The  persons  then  composing  the  town 
are  nearly  all  embraced  in  the  paper  alluded  to,  and  among  them 
certainly  no  one  occupied  so  prominent  a  place  as  General  Grid- 
ley.  That  prominence  he  has  maintained  from  that  day  to  this. 
Whilst  other  of  our  citizens  have  reached  higher  official  posi- 
tions, and  are  consequently  more  widely  known,  no  man  has 
occupied  so  large  a  place  in  the  public  mind  since  the  day  he 
arrived  here,  in  the  general  business  operations  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, whether  as  a  merchant,  lawyer,  legislator  or  banker. 


m'lean  county.  265 

"  No  history,  however  brief,  can  ever  be  written  of  McLean 
County,  without  frequent  reference  to  his  name,  as  identified 
with  almost  everything  connected  with  our  development  and 
prosperity.  To  omit  it  would  be  impossible.  As  well  might 
you  attempt  to  write  the  history  of  our  country  and  omit  that 
name  that  stands  at  the  head  of  all  American  history. 

"  In  what  little  I  have  to  say  I  will  consider  him — as  above 
indicated — as  a  merchant,  lawyer,  legislator  and  banker. 

"  Previous  to  my  arrival  in  Bloomington  I  heard  of  him  in 
connection  with  the  Black  Hawk  war.  General  M.  L.  Covel  and 
he  raised  a  cavalry  company  in  this  county,  and  of  this  General 
Gridley  was  made  first  lieutenant.  That  he  creditably  acquitted 
himself  in  that  war  was  practically  attested  by  the  result  of  a 
military  election  which  soon  after  took  place,  at  which  he  was 
elected  a  brigadier  general.  This  conferred  upon  him  a  title 
which  he  has  since  borne. 

"  The  war  in  question  occupied  quite  a  space  in  the  general 
and  striking  news  of  the  day  throughout  the  country,  having  be- 
gun in  1831  and  closed  about  the  time  I  reached  the  State. 

"  On  my  arrival  at  Bloomington,  in  the  autumn  of  1832,  I 
found  the  General  had  just  returned  from  the  war,  and  was  do- 
ing a  general  mercantile  business,  dealing  in  almost  everything 
that  the  wants  of  the  country  demanded,  in  a  one-story  frame 
building,  occupying  the  place  where  his  bank  now  stands.  For 
some  years  he  purchased  his  goods  largely  in  St.  Louis,  of  the 
then  celebrated  house  of  Warburton  &  King,  and  others,  and 
not  unfrequently  rode  to  St.  Louis  on  horseback  to  make  his 
purchases,  and  occasionally  wagoned  his  goods  from  that  city  to 
Bloomington.  The  ordinary  conveyance,  however,  was  by 
steamboat  to  Pekin,  and  thence  to  this  place  by  wagons.  Sub- 
sequently his  principal  purchases  were  made  in  the  cities  of  New 
York  and  and  Philadelphia,  whither  he  repaired  twice  a  year  to 
keep  up  his  supply  of  goods.  It  was  during  one  of  these  semi- 
annual visits  that  he  became  acquainted  with  the  accomplished 
lady,  Miss  Mary  Ann  Enos,  whom  he  afterwards  married,  and 
who  has  since  shared  his  fortunes  through  life.  It  was  also  dur- 
ing a  visit  of  this  kind  that  he  became  acquainted  with  Mr.  Hill, 
one  of  our  oldest  and  most  reputable  men,  still  living  among 
us,  whom  he,  aided  by  his  friends,  James  Allin  and  J.  W.  Fell, 


266  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

prevailed  upon  to  remove  to  Bloomington  and  establish  the  first 
newepaper  here  published,  the  Bloomington  Observer.  This  paper 
was  well  conducted,  and  had  much  to  do  at  that  early  period 
(1836  and  '37)  in  attracting  attention  to  McLean  County  of 
emigrants  and  others  seeking  locations  in  the  West.  Though 
there  was  a  period  of  several  years  after  the  discontinuance  of 
this  journal,  during  which  no  paper  was  here  published,  the 
Bloomington  Observer  may  not  inappropriately  be  considered  as 
the  beginning  of  one  of  our  leading  papers,  which,  under  the 
various  names  of  Western  Whig,  Intelligencer,  and  Pantograph,  is 
still  published  in  our  midst. 

"  The  ordinary  way  of  travel  to  and  from  the  East  at  that 
time  was  by  steamboats  on  the  Illinois,  Mississippi  and  Ohio 
Rivers  to  Pittsburgh,  and  thence  by  stage  across  the  mountains 
to  Philadelphia  and  New  York.  Not  unfrequently  the  whole 
trip  there  and  back,  particularly  in  the  winter  season,  was  per- 
formed by  stage.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  accompany  the 
Genera]  during  one  of  these  winter  trips  by  stage,  and  I  shall 
never  forget  the  hilarity  and  sport  of  that  memorable  trip.  We 
had  in  company  a  Missourian  as  distinguished  for  his  geniality, 
mirthfullness  and  fund  of  anecdotes  as  the  General  himself,  pos- 
sibly even  more  so,  and  we  were  never  at  a  loss  for  something  to 
relieve  what  would  otherwise  have  been  not  only  a  cold  but 
tedious,  monotonous  trip. 

"  General  Gridley's  customers,  at  this  time,  extended  over 
the  whole  county,  then  embracing  nearly  double  the  territory  it 
now  does ;  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  he  was  not  only 
known  by  all  the  people  of  the  county,  but  that  a  very  large 
share  of  the  goods  here  sold  were  over  his  counter.  The  ordi- 
nary mode  of  doing  business  at  this  time  was  on  credit,  the  peo- 
ple paying  their  store  bills  annually  on  Christmas,  or  the  first  of 
January.  This  being  the  case,  it  is  not  surprising  that  a  man 
of  his  superior  business  qualifications  should  have  so  far  extended 
his  line  of  credit,  that  when  the  financial  crash,  commencing  in  '37 
with  the  removal  of  the  public  deposits  from  the  old  United  States 
Bank  came,  he  was  carried  down  in  common  with  almost  every 
man  at  that  time,  who  did  business  on  that  basis.  So  entirely 
prostrated  was  the  credit  and  business  of  the  country  that  credit 
was  not  only  gone,  but  property  of  every  description  was  almost 


m'lean  county.  2f>7 

valueless.  As  an  illustration  in  point,  property  in  which  I  was 
interested,  and  for  which  $200  per  acre  had  been  offered  and  re- 
fused, was  sacrificed  by  selling  at  less  than  $10  per  acre.  It  re- 
flects, therefore,  no  discredit  on  the  business  capacity  of  General 
Gridley,  which  then,  as  now,  was  considered  of  the  very  highest 
order,  to  state  that,  failing  in  collecting  of  those  who  justly 
owed  him,  he  shared  the  common  lot,  and  had  to  begin  anew  at 
the  foot  of  the  financial  ladder.  In  its  results,  this  failure,  how- 
ever, looking  at  it  from  a  financial  stand-point,  I  have  always 
looked  upon  as  fortunate,  as  it  developed  his  powers  in  other 
directions,  and  thereby  secured  a  higher  measure  of  success  than 
he  could  reasonably  have  hoped  for,  had  he  continued  in  his  old 
business.  And  this  brings  me  to  consider  him  in  another  re- 
lation. 

"  About  this  time  the  whole  country  was  stirred  by  the  mem- 
orable contest  of  1840,  the  chief  basis  of  the  contest  being  the 
financial  blunders,  as  viewed  from  the  Whig  stand-point,  of  the 
then  dominant  party.  This,  aggravated  by  the  disclosure  of  an 
alarming  amount  of  official  corruption  in  high  places,  gave  to  the 
"Whig  party  an  opportunity  to  make  a  contest  with  reasonable 
prospects  of  success,  and  to  make  the  matter  doubly  sure,  that 
party  laid  aside  their  old  and  tried  statesman,  Henry  Clay,  and 
placed  in  nomination  a  successful  military  man,  General  Harri- 
son. The  whole  country,  from  center  to  circumference,  was 
deeply  excited  ;  monster  mass  meetings  and  immense  proces- 
sions consisting  not  only  of  men  and  women,  bands  of  music, 
&c,  but  canoes  on  wheels,  drawn  by  horses,  and  filled  with  men 
going  through  all  the  motions  of  boatmen;  log  cabins  drawn  in  the 
same  way,  conveying  coons  perched  in  conspicuous  places,  bar- 
rels of  hard  cider,  &c,  were  everywhere  in  order,  and  in  no  part  of 
our  country  more  conspicuously  so  than  here  in  Illinois.  Into  this 
contest  every  man  having  any  capacity  for  stump-speaking  threw 
himself;  and  not  a  few  made  their  appearance  who,  up  to  this 
period,  had  never  supposed  they  had  that  capacity.  Among  this 
number,  as  I  have  good  reason  to  know,  was  Asahel  Gridley. 

"During  the  period  I  am  reviewing  it  was  thought  necessary  to 
get  up  one  of  those  formidable  processions  then  so  common  and 
visit  what  was  then  called  the  village  of  Peoria,  demonstrating  very 
largely  on  the  way,  particularly  in  the  towns,  in  two  of  which 


268  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

— Trernont  and  Washington — we  stopped  to  hold  mass  meet- 
ings. It  was  at  the  latter  place  that  I  first  heard  the  General 
make  a  regular  or  set  speech.  Judge  Davis,  Dr.  John  F.  Henry 
and  a  number  of  others,  myself  included,  accustomed  to  speak- 
ing, had  taken  our  turn,  when,  seconded  by  a  number  of  others, 
I  called  for  the  General.  He  immediately  responded,  and 
though  wholly  unprepared,  made  a  speech  that  for  clearness, 
point,  and  telling  effect,  was  inferior  to  nothing  we  had  heard  dur- 
ing our  trip.  I  slept  with  him  that  night,  and  have  good  reason 
to  know  that  that  was  a  turning  point  in  his  history.  This  ef- 
fort had  roused  him  to  a  consciousness  of  power  in  a  new  di- 
rection. 

■'  Shortly  after  this  it  became  necessary  to  place  in  nomina- 
tion candidates  for  the  legislature,  and  it  was  quite  natural  that 
the  people  should  fix  upon  one  so  capable  as  General  Gridley  of 
leading  them  to  success  in  a  county  which  had  up  to  that  period 
been  regarded  as  Democratic.  I  need  scarcely  say  he  was  elect- 
ed, and  that  though  so  recently  in  political  life,  he  immediately 
took  a  high  rank  among  the  members  of  the  House,  composed 
of  such  men  as  Lincoln,  Hardin,  Governor  Bissel  and  others. 
Nothing  of  striking  interest  occurred  during  the  period  for 
which  he  was  elected  to  the  Lower  House,  particularly  as  affect- 
ing the  interests  of  his  immediate  constituents.  So  far  as  I  now 
recollect,  and  though  out  of  chronological  order,  I  will  pass  over 
his  early  professional  experience,  and  say  a  few  words  in  con- 
nection with  his  services  for  four  years  in  the  other  branch  of 
the  legislature. 

"  For  several  years  prior  to  1850  a  good  deal  had  been  said 
in  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States 
in  favor  of  a  grant  of  land  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  what  is 
now  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  through  the  efforts  of 
Judges  Breese,  Douglas  and  others  the  prospect  of  such  a  grant 
began  to  look  promising.  It  was,  therefore,  eminently  proper 
that  the  people  of  this  part  of  the  State  should  at  this  time  send 
to  the  legislature  some  of  their  most  efficient  men,  in  order  to 
secure,  if  practicable,  Bloomington  as  a  point  on  the  contem- 
plated road,  should  the  grant  be  made.  Most  fortunately  for 
the  future  of  Bloomington  aud  McLean  County  (and  I  may  say 
with   equal  propriety  for  the  interests  of  DeWitt  and  Macon 


m'lean  county.  269 

Counties  and  their  respective  county  seats),  the  people  were  alive 
to  that  matter,  and,  overlooking  mere  availabilty  (which  unfor- 
tunately too  often  controls  such  matters)  elected  General  Gridley 
to  the  Senate  for  four  years  commencing  December,  1850.  It 
was  during  this  period  that  the  grant  in  question  was  made,  and 
the  great  struggle  was  had  as  to  the  location  of  that  road.  It 
was  at  this  time  too  that  the  charter  of  the  Alton  &  Sangamon 
Railroad — as  it  was  then  called — was  so  amended  as  to  make 
Bloomington  a  point  on  another  great  trunk  road,  (now  known 
as  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,)  and  thus  Bloomington  secured 
to  us  a  pre-eminence  as  to  railroad  facilities  equal,  if  not  supe- 
rior, to  any  other  point  in  the  State  ;  for  it  is  well  known  that 
the  roads  subsequently  located  here  were  attracted,  largely,  by 
our  prominence  as  a  railroad  centre.  Few  among  those  who 
now  constitute  our  population — a  population  more  than  twenty 
fold  what  it  was  then — stop  to  reflect  or  even  know  the  great 
point  on  which  our  rapidly  increased  population  was  deter- 
mined. From  a  somewhat  intimate  acquaintance  with  our  State 
and  its  legislation  for  the  last  forty  years,  I  have  no  hesitation 
in  saying  a  solution  of  the  matter  is  found  largely  in  the  legisla- 
tion above  alluded  to,  and  that,  had  we  not  had  General  Gridley, 
or  some  other  man  of  much  more  than  ordinary  ability  to  then 
represent  us,  Bloomington's  population  would  now  probably  be 
numbered  by  hundreds  instead  of  thousands.  This  opinion  will 
not  seem  unreasonable  when  we  reflect  that  in  the  act  of  con- 
gress making  the  grant  no  points  except  the  termini  were  de- 
signated, and  that  by  a  slight  deflection  west  of  the  third  prin- 
cipal meridian  the  neighborhood  of  which  the  road  had  to  be 
located,  it  would  run  through  a  country  at  that  time  much  better 
developed,  passing  through  a  large  number  of  county  seats  a 
little  west  of  that  meridian,  including  Springfield  and  Peoria, 
the  former  then,  as  now,  the  seat  of  government  and  the  latter 
then  largely  outnumbering  us  in  wealth,  population  and  influ- 
ence. True,  the  railroad  company,  if  such  a  location  had  been 
made,  would  not  have  secured  quite  so  much  land  on  the  imme- 
diate line  of  it3  road,  but  it  would  thus  have  insured  more  speedi- 
ly a  business  for  the  road,  which  was  a  matter  of  paramount 
importance,  and  also  a  readier  sale  for  the  contiguous  lands 
which  it  would  thus  have  secured. 


270  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

"  The  railroad  company,  however,  had  not  the  fixing  of  the 
location.  It  was  done  by  representatives  of  the  people,  and  the 
odds  in  numbers  being  against  us,  growing  out  of  a  more  sparse 
population  east  than  west  of  the  meridian,  and  having  the  State 
government  influence,  added  to  that  of  Peoria,  to  contend  with, 
it  was  a  fight  of  no  ordinary  importance  to  us,  in  which  the 
chances  against  us  seemed  largely  to  preponderate.  Thanks  to 
the  untiring  devotion  and  consummate  ability  of  our  senator, 
aided,  of  course,  by  help  outside,  as  well  as  in  the  legislature, 
those  seeming  advantages  were  overcome,  and  the  location  was 
so  fixed  in  the  charter  as  to  secure  the  road  through  our  midst, 
and,  what  was  more,  through  the  county  seat  of  two  of  the  other 
counties  by  him  represented.  If  General  Gridley  had  rendered 
no  other  service  to  this  community,  this  alone  is  of  sufficient 
importance  to  entitle  him,  in  all  coming  time,  to  our  grateful 
remembrance. 

"And  here  it  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  observe,  that,  not- 
withstanding he  has  been  thus  intimately  associated  not  only 
with  the  legislation  connected  with  our  system  of  railroads  ex- 
tending out  from  this  point,  but,  more  or  less,  with  the  practical 
construction  of  several  of  them,  no  man  can  truthfully  say,  that 
he  ever  derived  the  slightest  pecuniary  benefit  from  any  contracts, 
speculations  in  stocks  or  bonds,  connected  with  any  of  said 
roads,  or,  even  the  less  objectionable  way,  of  sharing  in  the  pro- 
fits of  town  speculations  on  their  lines.  Though  the  General 
makes  no  pretensions  to  any  superior  virtue  to  his  neighbors, 
and  has  never  been  averse  to  availing  himself  of  proper  and 
legitimate  modes  of  speculation,  he  has  wisely  concluded  he 
would  not  avail  himself  of  the  facilities  for  money-making 
offered  by  any  official  position  he  might  hold.  Had  our  repre- 
sentatives in  the  State  Legislatures  and  in  Congress,  our  rail- 
road directors  and  others  officially  connected  with  the  building 
of  our  roads,  more  generally  observed  the  same  rule,  how  widely 
different  would  be  the  present  condition  of  things  financially 
throughout  the  country;  and  how  much  higher  would  stand  the 
American  character  among  the  nations  of  the  world.  In  sketch- 
ing the  life  and  character  of  anyone  in  times  like  these — of 
wide-spread  official  degeneracy — it  is  indeed  pleasant  to  note 
this,  to  my  mind,  important  and  most  creditable  fact. 


m'lean  county.  271 

"  Omitting  other  and  important  services  which  he  rendered 
his  constituents,  the  four   years  of  his   senatorial  career,  during 
which  there  were  no  less  than  four  sessions  of  the  Legislature,  let 
us  pass  to  a  brief  notice  of  his  career  in  another  and  more  lucrative 
department  of  business.     I  shall  never  forget  an  interview  I  had 
with  him  at  his  own  house,  and  at  his  own  suggestion,  soon  after 
his  return  from  the  Legislature  in  the  spring  of  1841.      We  had 
both,  financially,  been  utterly  prostrated,  and  both  ambitious  of 
getting  '  on  our  pegs  '  again.     We  were  in  a  fitting  condition  to 
sympathize  with  each  other  and  take  counsel  together.     The  ex- 
citement of  political  life  and  the  events  of  the  winter  had  up  to 
this   period   kept   him   from    dwelling  with   too  much   intensi- 
ty on  the  dark  picture  then  opening  before  him,  but  he  was  now 
at  liberty  to  concentrate  his  mind  on  home  matters,  and  seemed 
more  thoroughly  saddened  in    spirit  than  I  had  ever  before  or 
since  known  him.     The  great  question  was,  what  he  should  do 
to  repair  his  shattered  fortunes,  and  to  supply   the  wants  of  a 
growing  family.     His  private  affairs  financially,  added  to  the  de- 
pressed condition  generally  of  the  country,  forbid  his  return  to 
his  former  calling ;  politics  were  too  precarious  to  tempt  him  to 
do  what  thousands  of  lesser  pretensions  were  then  doing,  flock- 
ing to  "Washington  to  get  some  'fat  office,'  and  though  his  mind 
had  been  running  on  "the   probable  chances  of  professional  suc- 
cess he  seemed  quite  undetermined  what  to  do.     I  need  scarcely 
say  I  advised  him  to  immediately  qualify  himself  for  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  and  this  advice,    aided  by  similar  suggestions  from 
other  quarters,  may  have  contributed  to  bring  about  that  result. 
Knowing  his  intellectual    sharpness,  and  his  success  as  a  public 
speaker,  I  felt,  and  so  expressed  myself,  that  he  had  only  to  try, 
to  succeed.     How  well  my  anticipations  have  been  verified  let 
the  legal  dockets  of  McLean  and  adjoining  counties   for  more 
than  fifteen  years,  commencing  soon  after  the  period  here  alluded 
to,  answer.     Lacking  the  advantages    of  a  collegiate  education 
and  of  a  thorough    course   of  legal    studies,  in    special  pleading 
and  the  more  technical   departments  of  practice,  it  will  hardly 
be  pretended  that  he  was  an    adept — very  few  are — but,  if  good 
hard  'horse  sense,' as  he  would  call  it,  in  the  management  of 
a  suit;  if  a   rare  faculty  of  seizing  hold  of  the  strong  points  of 
a  case,  and  making  the  most  of  them  ;  if  the   ability  to  present 


272  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

in  strong,  forcible  and  telling  language  adapted  to  the  common 
apprehension,  the  leading  facts  in  behalf  of  the  interests  of  a 
client,  omitting  those  non-essentials,  the  enumeration  of  which 
only  tends  to  bother  and  confound  a  juror ;  in  short,  if  success  is 
to  be  the  measure  by  which  his  ability  as  a  lawyer  is  to  be  esti- 
mated, then  was  he  not  merely  a  respectable  but  an  able  attor- 
ney. That  such  is  the  popular  verdict,  not  only  the  records  in 
question  will  testify,  but  all  our  old  inhabitants  who  knew  him 
when  in  professional  life. 

"  Let  us  now  consider  him  as  a  banker.  It  was  during  his 
senatorial  career  that  he  formed  an  acquaintance  with  the  Hon. 
Jonathan  Scammon,  a  politician  of  some  reputation,  and  one  of 
the  leading  bankers  of  Chicago,  who  encouraged  him  to  organize 
a  bank  in  Bloomington — the  McLean  County  Bank — being  the 
first  here  established.  It  wTas  in  the  spring  of  1853,  in  pursu- 
ance of  an  act  of  the  legislature,  this  bank  was  organized  for 
business,  with  General  Gridley  as  its  president  and  financial 
manager,  and  in  that  position  he  has  ever  since  remained,  gradu- 
ally absorbing,  as  his  means  would  enable  him,  the  stock  of  his 
two  co-incorporators,  J.  Y.  Scammon  and  J.  H.  Burch,  having 
lono-  since  become  its  sole  proprietor.  This  bank  has  now  been 
in  operation  more  than  twenty  years,  affording  banking  accom- 
modations in  the  way  of  loans  to  a  vast  number  of  our  leading 
dealers  in  stock  and  other  business  men,  and  furnishing  a  safe 
and  reliable  depository  to  our  merchants  and  others  for  their 
cash,  as  received  in  the  ordinary  way  of  business.  It  would  be 
interesting  to  know  how  many  millions  of  other  people's  money 
have  passed  through  this  bank,  undiminished  by  the  loss  of  a 
farthing,  but  I  am  reliably  informed  it  is  more  than  ten-fold 
greater  than  the  aggregate  wealth  of  the  entire  county. 

Here,  too,  adopting  the  practical  standard,  it  may  very 
safely  be  said  he  has  achieved  a  great  success,  and  at  the  same 
time  extended  accommodations  to  thousands  in  the  wTay  of  mov- 
ing our  annual  crops,  operating  in  cattle,  hogs,  etc.  For  a  long 
time  this  was  the  only  bank  for  a  vast  circuit  of  country,  reach- 
ing in  most  directions  more  than  fifty  miles,  and  it  is  fair  to 
assume  that  a  large  share  of  the  ample  fortune  accumulated  by 
the  General  is  in  the  results  of  its  operation. 

In  the  year  1857,  the  Bloomington  Gas  Light  and  Coke  Com- 


m'lean  county.  273 

pany,  having  been  unsuccessful,  was  taken  hold  of  by  the  Gene- 
ral, and  that  here,  too,  his  efforts  have  been  crowned  with  suc- 
cess, let  the  massive  and  thoroughly  appointed  gas  works,  with 
their  fifteen  miles  of  piping,  their  four  hundred  city  lamps  and 
nine  hundred  individual  consumers,  bear  witness.  Into  this,  a 
mere  wreck,  financially,  he  infused  life  and  vitality,  and  has 
built  a  business  that  of  itself  most  men  would  be  exceed- 
ingly proud ;  and  yet  this  has  constituted  but  a  small  part  of 
the  work  of  this  remarkable  man.  In  addition  to  his  daily  and 
never  ceasing  labors  in  connection  with  the  bank,  he  has  not  only 
accomplished  this  and  a  part  of  the  time,  as  has  been  seen,  served 
us  faithfully  in  the  Senate,  but  he  has  made  large  and  costly  im- 
provements in  the  way  of  building ;  acted  for  years  as  railroad 
director  and  president  of  one  of  our  leading  roads  that  had  not 
yet  been  built  had  not  he  and  a  few  other  co-workers  performed 
labors  and  assumed  responsibilities  few  would  have  done ;  be- 
sides doing  his  full  share  in  matters  of  general  interest,  as  ef- 
fecting our  material  prosperity,  in  fostering  into  being  manufac- 
turing and  other  improvements  demanded  by  a  growing  city. 
It  is  no  disparagement  to  the  just  claims  of  others  who  have 
aided  in  building  up  our  city,  to  state  that  in  both  public  and 
private  improvements  no  man  has  cut  so  important  a  figure  ;  and 
when  we  add  to  this  the  highly  important  services  he  rendered 
us  in  his  labors  to  secure  to  Bloomington  its  prominence  as  a  rail- 
road center,  as  heretofore  stated,  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  estimate 
the  amount  of  good  he  has  accomplished.  That  he  has  here 
left  his  mark  in  ineffacable  characters,  and  that  he  will  long  be 
remembered  as  one  of  the  chief  actors  in  building  up  our  city 
and  neighborhood,  cannot  admit  of  a  doubt. 

"Omitting  any  mere  personal  description  of  the  man,  and  the 
leading  traits  of  his  character,  except  as  herein  disclosed,  about 
which  much  that  is  highly  complimentary  to  him  might  be  said, 
I  cannot  close  a  notice  of  one  so  prominently  known  among  us, 
without  briefly  referring  to  a  somewhat  striking  feature  in  his 
character  that  has  made  him  not  unfrequcntly  many  enemies, 
and  which  we  feel  is  not  properly  estimated  by  those  who  know 
him  but  superficially.  I  allude  to  that  spirit  of  sharp  criticism 
— shall  I  call  it  ? — in  which  he  is  too  much  accustomed  to  in- 
dulge towards  those  with  whom  he  differs,  or  whose  interests  and 
18 


274  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

his  seem  to  come  in  collision.  Many  have  supposed,  on  slight 
acquaintance,  that  this  proceeded  from  a  malevolent  disposition 
and  general  ill-will  towards  those  who  differed  with  him.  Long 
acquaintance  has  taught  me,  as  it  has  hundreds  of  others,  that 
this  is  a  mistake,  and  that,  whilst  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  this 
is  a  defect  in  his  character  (and  who  have  not  their  defects  ?)  it 
is  wrong  to  suppose  that  he  indulges  in  any  such  feelings  as 
above  indicated,  except  in  the  most  transient  and  superficial  way. 
Being  of  a  highly  impulsive  nature,  never  having  learned  prop- 
erly to  restrain  a  warm  and  imperious  temper, — and  being  too 
utterly  incapable  of  deceit  or  mental  reservation,  when  any  in- 
vasion is  supposed  to  be  made  upon  his  rights  he  immediately 
fires  up,  with  a  zeal  often  more  intense  than  wise,  and  under  its 
influence  says  things  which  he  would  be  far  from  doing  in  his 
cooler  moments,  and  which  are  frequently  recalled  with  equal 
emphasis,  very  soon  thereafter.  Under  such  circumstances,  who 
that  is  well  acquainted  with  him  has  not  known  him  sometimes 
to  assail  even  a  friend,  who,  the  very  next  hour,  perhaps,  he 
would  not  only  speak  well  of,  but  cordially  embrace,  and  per- 
chance render  a  most  important  favor.  Ought  not  such  invec- 
tives, as  he  himself  will  admit  are  much  too  often  and  too  freely 
indulged  in,  instead  of  being  imputed  to  a  bad  and  malevolent 
heart,  as  some  have  done,  to  be  asscribed  to  a  mind  so  mercurial 
in  its  temper,  so  irrepressible,  and  so  utterly  incapable  of  giv- 
ing expression  to  anything  else  than  the  feelings  of  the  moment  ? 
In  other  words,  without  wishing  to  dignify  as  a  virtue  what  he 
himself  has  often  admitted  to  me  to  be  decidedly  wrong,  is  it 
not  a  species  of  frankness  in  speaking  his  thoughts,  extravagant- 
ly and  too  often  unjustly  expressed  of  course,  which  many  of 
us  mentally  indulge  in  when  our  rights  are  assailed,  without 
giving  expression  to  our  feelings?  In  other  words,  does  not  the 
average  man  very  frequently  think  what  he  has  the  boldness, 
though  indiscretion,  at  times  certainly,  to  utter  outright? 

"  In  closing  this  very  important  sketch  of  one  of  our  leading 
citizens,  it  ruay  not  be  amiss  to  say  a  word  in  relation  to  the  part 
he  took  in  the  last  political  movement,  with  which  his  name  is 
identified.  I  mean  the  Cincinnati  Convention,  in  doing  which, 
I  confess  lam  largety  influenced  by  a  desire  to  show  the  mag- 
nanimous spirit  displayed  by  him  on    that  occasion. 


m'lean  county.  275 

"  Though  connected  with  the  Republican  party,  and  feeling 
a  deep  interest  in  the  election  in  1860  and  1864  of  its  most  dis- 
tinguished champion,  the  cares  of  business  had  so  multiplied 
around  him,  that  he  had  not  taken,  since  the  dissolution  of  the 
old  Whig  party,  that  active  part  in  politics  he  had  previously 
done.  In  1872,  believing  that  the  mission  of  the  Republican 
party  had  been  accomplished,  and  that  those  in  power,  from 
their  long  continuance  in  office,  had  become  both  extravagant 
and  corrupt,  he  was  very  decidedly  in  favor  of  a  change;  and 
overlooking  entirely  the  fact  that  his  personal  relations  had  not 
been  at  all  of  a  genial  character  with  Judge  Davis,  and  differing 
with  him  as  he  had  on  most  measures  of  a  local  character,  he 
yet  was  one  of  the  very  first  to  suggest  that  name  as  the  most 
suitable  for  the  American  people  to  rally  around,  in  order  to 
reform  the  abuses  that  had  crept  into  our  national  affairs. 

"  I  shall  never  forget  the  response  he  made  when  I  first  spoke 
to  him  on  the  subject,  in  answer  to  which  he  made  substantially 
this  reply  :  '  Fell,  you  know  my  relations  with  the  Judge  have 
not  been  as  pleasant  as  your  own ;  we  are  totally  different  men  ; 
but  he  is  a  pure  man,  an  able  man,  a  man  of  immense  executive 
ability ;  he  hates  all  kind  of  thievery  and  official  corruption,  and 
in  short  is  the  man  of  all  men  to  reform  existing  abuses.  I  am 
for  him  against  the  world.'  And  when  General  Gridley  said 
he  was  for  any  man  it  meant  something.  There  was  no  double 
meaning  ;  no  mental  reservations ;  no  backing  down  ;  no  half- 
way support.  It  meant  work,  and  work  he  did  with  a  zeal  and 
ability  inferior  to  no  one,  so  long  as  there  was  a  ray  of  hope  of 
our  success. 

"  In  working  in  this  cause,  in  the  national  convention,  an- 
other pleasant  incident  occurred,  in  which  friendly  personal  re- 
lations were  restored  between  him  and  another  of  our  old  and 
leading  citizens,  between  whom  unpleasant  relations  had  unhap- 
pily previously  existed,  I  mean  Dr.  Stipp.  In  response  to  a  sug- 
gestion of  a  friend  he  said:  '"We  are  not  on  speaking  terms, 
but  I  am  the  youngest  man,  and  I'll  go  this  moment  and  tender 
him  my  hand.'  He  did  so,  saying:  '  Doctor,  here  is  my  hand. 
Let  us  be  friends ;'  and  it  was  grasped  by  the  doctor  with  the 
same  frankness  and  cordiality  with  which  it  was  offered.  It  was 
beautiful  to  see  the  magnanimous  spirit  evinced  by  both  these 


276  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

men ;  and  I  am  glad  to  know  that  pleasant  personal  relations  be- 
tween all  these  men  have  not  only  been  thus  restored,  but  re- 
stored as  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  permanently. 

"  A  misapprehension,  quite  too  common,  to  which  the  Gen- 
eral has  exposed  himself,  by  these  outbursts  of  feeling,  is  my 
apology  for  thus  noticing  this  feature  of  his  character. 

"  Hoping  you  may  be  able  to  pick  up  something  that  may 
be  of  value,  as  illustrating  the  life  of  one  who  has  occupied  so 
large  a  space  in  the  public  mind,  from  among  these  rambling, 
fragmentary  thoughts,  I  have  the  honor  to  be 

"Yours  truly,  Jesse  W.  Fell." 

Such  is  the  sketch  of  General  Gridley,  which  Mr.  Fell  has 
written.  The  reader  has  found  it  full  of  thought,  showing  a  re- 
markable insight  into  the  workings  of  the  mind,  and  full  of 
knowledge  of  him  of  whom  he  writes. 

On  the  18th  of  March,  1836,  General  Gridley  married  Mary 
Ann  Enos.  They  have  four  children  living.  They  are  Juliet, 
Albert,  Mary  and  Edward.  The  last  named  lives  at  home  with 
his  father,  and  is  a  young  man  of  great  promise. 

Judge  David  Davis. 

The  greatest  legal  light  of  Bloomington  is  Judge  David 
Davis.  He  was  born  in  Cecil  County,  Maryland,  on  the  ninth 
of  March,  1815.  He  graduated  at  Kenyon  College,  Ohio,  on 
the  fourth  of  September,  1832,  and  commenced  the  study  of 
law  at  Lenox,  Massachusetts,  in  October  following,  in  the  office 
of  Judge  Henry  W.  Bishop.  After  studying  there  for  two  years 
he  went  to  the  New  Haven  Law  School  where  he  remained  until 
the  fall  of  1835,  when  he  removed  to  Pekin,  Tazewell  County, 
Illinois.  After  practicing  law  for  one  year  in  Pekin  he  removed 
to  Bloomington,  which  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  Here  he 
succeeded  to  the  law  business  of  Mr.  Jesse  W.  Fell,  who  became 
much  interested  in  operations  in  real  estate.  He  took  possession 
of  Mr.  Fell's  old  office  which  was  one  door  east  of  what  is  now 
Larison  &  Espey's  drug  store.  Mr.  Davis  succeeded  in  the  law 
at  the  very  outset.  He  was  not  a  great  orator  nor  even  a  very 
fluent  talker,  but  he  was  a  clear-minded  man  and  soon  took  a 
front  rank  in  his  chosen  profession. 

On  the  thirtieth  of  October,  1838,  Judge  Davis  married  Miss 


m'lean  county.  277 

Sarah  Walker  at  Lenox,  Massachusetts.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Judge  Walker  of  that  State.  Judge  Davis  has  two  children 
living,  a  son  and  a  daughter;  the  former  is  living  with  his  family 
near  Bloomington. 

In  the  year  1840  Mr.  Davis  was  the  candidate  of  the  Whigs 
for  the  office  of  State  Senator  against  Governor  Moore,  but  the 
latter  was  successful.  The  senatorial  district  theu  embraced  the 
counties  of  Moultrie,  Macon,  Piatt,  DeWitt,  McLean  and  Living- 
ston. In  1844  Mr.  Davis  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the 
Assembly,  but  declined  to  be  a  candidate  for  re-election. 

In  1847  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention and  in  1848  was  chosen  by  the  people,  without  opposi- 
tion, to  be  Judge  of  the  Eighth  Judicial  Circuit,  embracing  four- 
teen counties.  This  was  a  position  for  which  Judge  Davis  was 
eminently  fitted.  It  has  been  said  of  him  that  his  leading  char- 
acteristic is  love  of  equity,  and  this,  combined  with  a  strong 
will,  quick  perceptions  and  the  very  clearest  judgment,  made 
his  decisions  universally  respected.  His  decisions  were  seldom 
appealed  from  and  more  seldom  reversed.  An  old  settler,  while 
speaking  of  the  time  when  Judge  Davis  was  on  the  bench,  re- 
marked, rather  sarcastically:  "  Everybod}^  seemed  to  think  in 
those  early  times  that  the  administration  of  justice  was  the  ob- 
ject of  going  into  our  courts."  The  love  of  justice  and  the  pen- 
etration which  characterized  Judge  Davis  are  well  illustrated  by 
the  following  incident  which  was  told  of  him  by  Mr.  Lincoln, 
when  the  latter  appointed  Judge  Davis  to  a  seat  on  the  Supreme 
Bench  of  the  United  States.  On  one  occasion  a  guardian,  for 
mercenary  purposes,  proposed  to  sell  the  estate  of  his  ward  and 
thereby  have  some  money  to  handle.  The  guardian  by  his  coun- 
sel had  made  out  a  prima  facie  case  and  his  witness  was  about 
to  leave  the  stand,  when  Judge  Davis  stopped  him  and  put  him 
through  a  severe  examination,  which  showed  up  the  guardian's 
bad  faith ;  he  then  turned  to  the  latter  and  said  in  his  sharp 
shrill  voice  :  "  Now  ain't  you  ashamed  of  yourself  to  be  trying 
to  cheat  your  ward  in  this  way  !  Clerk,  dismiss  this  application 
at  plaintiff's  cost." 

Judge  Davis  did  not  enforce  the  most  rigid  rules  of  order  in 
his  court,  though  he  was  careful  that  everything  should  be  done 
with  propriety.     He  was  fond  of  humor  and   did  not  wish   to 


278  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

spoil  a  joke  for  the  sake  of  any  false  or  extreme  ideas  of  dignity. 
On  one  occasion,  when  a  case  of  assault  and  battery  was  being 
tried,  a  witness  who  was  a  participant  in  the  affair  was  telling 
of  his  movements  and  remarked  that  while  the  fight  was  hottest 
he  providentially  knocked  his  antagonist  down.  The  Judge  said 
he  could  not  allow  such  testimony,  as  Providence  had  very  little 
to  do  with  such  a  fight,  and  the  witness  corrected  his  testimony 
by  saying  that  as  good  luck  would  have  it  he  knocked  his  antago- 
nist down.     At  one  time  a  witness  while  describing  a  horse  was 
very  profane  in  his  language  and  continued  so  while  speaking  of 
the  reputation  of  the  brute,  without  any  interruption  from  the 
Judge  ;  but  when  the  witness  stepped  from  the  stand  the  court 
remarked  :  "  Mr.  Sheriff,  you  will  take  charge  of  this  man  until 
he  pays  a  fine  of  twenty-five   dollars ;  the  court  will  give  the 
witness  until  he  is  called  again  to  testify,  to  determine  what  por- 
tions of  his  evidence  are  objectionable  in  style."     Judge  Davis 
was  always  impatient  when  he  discovered  any  symptoms  on  the 
part  of  a  witness  to  evade  or  conceal  the  truth.     In  a  warmly 
contested  lawsuit  one   of  the   witnesses   swore   strongly  against 
the  defendant  and  did  so  in  a  fierce,  revengeful   manner.     The 
attorney  for  the  defendant  then  asked  the  witness  if  he  did  not 
have  some  ill-feeling,  some   old  grudge  against  the  defendant, 
but  the  witness  evaded  the  question  and  the  lawyer  pressed  the 
matter  strongly  until  the  witness  was  obliged  to  admit  having 
had  a  slight  misunderstanding.     The  case  was  growing  exciting 
when  the  lawyer  enquired:  "Don't  you  hate  the   defendant?" 
The  witness  began  his  usual  prevarications  when  the  Judge  ex- 
claimed with  his  shrill  voice  :  "  Man,   why  don't  you  say  you 
hate  the  defendant !     Say  so,  of  course  you  hate  him,  of  course 
you  hate  him,  say  so,  say  so,  say  so  and  stop  your  lying  !"  Judge 
Davis  was  not  a  severe  man  in  the  administration  of  criminal 
law,  but  he  was  always  anxious  to  have  the  community  as  well 
as  the  law-breakers  impressed  with   its   efficiency.     While  sen- 
tencing criminals  his   manner  was  most  impressive,  and  when 
any  particularly  evil  trait  of  character  was  apparent,  his  appear- 
ance was  really  terrible.     At  one  time  a  young  man,  who  had 
been  found  guilty  of  robbing  a  very  old  and  almost  helpless 
gentleman  on  the  highway,  was  brought  up  to  be  sentenced.  The 
case  was  one  which  showed  the  lowest  state  of  depravity  in  a 


m'lean  county.  279 

young  man  in  the  vigor  of  life.  The  Judge  called  the  attention 
of  the  accused  to  the  enormity  of  highway  robbery  and  spoke 
particularly  of  the  fact  that  the  young  criminal  in  committing 
the  offence  had  thrown  aside  all  respect  for  age.  The  manner 
and  appearance  of  the  Judge  were  really  terrible  as  he  closed 
his  remarks  by  sentencing  the  prisoner  to  serve  seven  years  in 
the  Illinois  Legislature  !  "  Penitentiary,  your  Honor,"  suggested 
the  prosecuting  attorney.  The  Judge  directed  the  clerk  to  let 
the  record  show  "  penitentiary"  instead  of  "  legislature." 

The  Eighth  Judicial  Circuit  which  embraced  at  first  four- 
teen counties  contained  an  array  of  talent  rarely  equalled  among 
the  same  number  of  lawyers.  Judge  Logan  was  the  leader  of 
the  bar,  but  following  him  closely  were  Lincoln,  Stuart,  Baker, 
Linder,  Gridley,  Judge  0.  L.  Davis,  Judge  Thornton,  Hon.  0. 
B.  Ficklin,  Judge  Emerson,  C.  H.  Moore,  Judge  Benedict, 
Judge  Parks,  Judge  Edwards,  and  others,  some  of  whom  have 
since  become  immortal  in  history.  Lincoln  was  the  constant 
companion  of  Judge  Davis  in  their  travels  around  the  extensive 
circuit,  and  at  the  close  of  their  journey  each  day  Lincoln  re- 
lated those  humorous  stories  which  have  made  him  so  famous. 
Mr.  Davis  traveled  in  a  two-horse  buggy  and  Mr.  Lincoln  rode 
iu  his  own  conveyance  drawn  by  his  celebrated  horse  "  Buck," 
the  one  which  followed  the  great  martyr  in  the  funeral  proces- 
sion to  his  final  resting-place. 

The  year  1860  was  one  memorable  in  Illinois.  Some  years 
before  this  many  prominent  citizens  of  the  State  resolved  to 
press  Abraham  Lincoln  as  a  candidate  for  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  during  this  year  the  excitement  was  so  in- 
tense that  nearly  all  law  business  was  at  a  stand-still,  because 
the  lawyers  and  judges  devoted  all  of  their  time  to  the  campaign. 
Judge  Davis  was  by  far  the  most  active  and  influential  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  supporters  and  his  labors  were  almost  herculean.  Per- 
haps some  idea  may  be  given  of  the  labors  of  Judge  Davis  by 
giving  an  extract  from  a  letter,  written  by  Mr.  Jesse  W.  Fell  to 
a  late  distinguished  senator  of  the  United  States,  in  reply  to  a 
question  by  the  latter  as  to  the  part  taken  by  Mr.  Fell  in  the 
campaign  of  1860.  The  question  was  suggested  by  an  autobi- 
ography of  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  which  Mr.  Fell  was  the  pro- 
prietor, recently  published  by  Osgood  &  Co.  of  Boston.  The 
following  is  the  extract : 


280  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

"Before  responding  to  your  inquiries,  allow  me  to  say,  you 
give  me  much  more  credit  than  I  am  entitled  to  for  the  part  I 
took  in  bringing  before  the  American  people  the  name  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  as  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency.  Your  original 
impressions  were  entirely  correct.  To  Judge  Davis  more  than 
any  other  man,  living  or  dead,  is  the  American  people  indebted 
for  that,  extraordinary  piece  of  good  fortune,  the  nomination  and 
consequent  election  of  that  man  who  combined  in  his  person  in 
so  high  a  degree  the  elements  necessary  to  a  successful  adminis- 
tration  of  the  government  through  the  late  most  critical  period 
in  our  national  history. 

"  It  is  quite  possible  Mr.  Lincoln's  fitness,  or  rather  availabil- 
ity, as  a  candidate  for  that  position  may  have  occurred  to  me 
before  it  did  to  the  Judge,  but  at  an  early  day — as  early,  I  think, 
as  1858 — it  had  his  earnest  approval,  and  I  need  not  say  his 
vastly  superior  influence  gave  to  his  opinion  on  this  subject  a 
weight  and  character  which  my  private  and  humble  opinion 
could  not  command. 

"  It  is  well  known  that  Judge  Davis,  though  not  a  delegate, 
was  one  of  the  leading  men  at  the  Decatur  State  Convention  in 
May,  1860,  that  elected  delegates  to  the  Chicago  National  Con- 
vention ;  that  he  was  there  selected  as  one  of  the  senatorial 
delegates  to  the  latter  body ;  that  for  more  than  a  week  prior  to  the 
nomination  he  had  in  connection  with  other  friends  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, opened  the  'Lincoln  Headquarters'  at  the  Tremont  House, 
Chicago,  where,  and  throughout  the  city,  wherever  delegates 
were  to  be  found,  he  labored  day  and  night,  almost  sleeplessly, 
throughout  that  long  and  dramatically  interesting  contest,  work- 
ing with  a  zeal,  assiduity  and  skill  never  surpassed,  if  ever 
equalled  ;  and  that  when  those  herculean  labors  culminated  in 
the  choice  of  his  trusted  and  most  confidential  friend,  his  feel- 
ings so  overpowered  him  that  not  only  then  but  for  hours  after, 
in  grasping  the  hands  of  congratulating  friends,  he  wept  like  a 
child. 

"  Whilst  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that,  without  the  hearty  and 
vigorous  co-operation  of  quite  a  number  of  equally  eminent  men, 
the  prestige  attached  to  the  names  of  Seward  and  others  could 
not  have  been  broken,  and  this  nomination  secured,  no  one,  as 
familiar  as  I  was  with  what  was  then  and  there   enacted,  can 


m'lean  county.  281 

doubt  for  a  moment  the  pre-eminent  part  there  played  by  the 
Judge.  Among  Lincoln  hosts  he  was  emphatically  the  great 
central  figure  ;  the  great  motor  of  the  hour.  'Render  unto  Csesar 
the  things  that  are  Caesar's.'  " 

In  1861  Judge  Davis,  Judge  Holt  and  Mr.  Campbell  were 
chosen  by  President  Lincoln  to  investigate  the  management  of 
the  Quartermaster's  Department  at  St.  Louis,  which  was  under 
the  management  of  Quartermaster  McKinstry  who  held  his  office 
under  General  Fremont.  The  investigation  was  thorough  and 
laid  bare  the  corruption  and  mismanagement  of  affairs  at  St. 
Louis. 

In  1862  Judge  Davis  was  appointed  by  Abraham  Lincoln  one 
of  the  Associate  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States.  This  appointment  was  not  made  by  any  personal  solici- 
tation of  Judge  Davis,  but  simply  on  account  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
knowledge  of  the  man,  and  by  the  effort  of  friends.  At  the 
time  of  his  appointment  he  was  well  known  in  Illinois  as  a  man 
of  great  judicial  learning  and  the  best  of  judgment,  but  his  rep- 
utation had  not  gone  beyond  his  State,  as  he  had  never  filled,  a 
position  where  his  decisions  would  be  published.  But  when  he 
came  to  the  Supreme  Bench  of  the  United  States  his  reputation 
as  a  jurist  went  beyond  the  most  sanguine  expectations  of  his 
friends.  A  writer  in  the  American  Law  Times,  in  discussing  the 
character  of  Judge  Davis,  says :  "Judge  Davis  is  a  natural  law- 
yer, a  character  so  truly  great  that  to  doubt  him  would  be  im- 
possible. His  mind  is  all  equity,  and  as  vigorous  as  it  is  kind. 
He  is  progressive,  and  yet  cautious;  a  people's  judge,  and  yet  a 
lawyer's."  His  opinion  in  the  Milligan  case  has  attracted  more 
attention  from  the  people  at  large  than  any  decision  since  that 
of  Judge  Taney  in  the  Dred  Scott  case.  Judge  Davis  lays  down 
some  fundamental  principles  of  constitutional  law  which  will 
stand  as  land  marks  for  ages  after  he  shall  have  been  gathered  to 
his  fathers. 

That  which  people  are  most  anxious  to  learn  about  Judge 
Davis  is  his  connection  with  the  Cincinnati  Convention.  The 
active  principles  of  the  movement  which  resulted  in  the  Cin- 
cinnati Convention  were : 

First. — The  administration  of  public  affairs  in  the  interest  not 
of  a  party  but  of  the  whole  people. 


282  •  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Second. — Official  responsibility  and  a  war  of  extermination 
against  that  system  of  jobbery  and  corruption  which  disfigures 
both  of  the  great  political  parties,  and  which  is  sapping  the  very 
foundations  of  civilized  society. 

Third. — An  absolute  destruction  of  the  old  doctrine  :  "To 
the  victors  belong  the  spoils,"  and  a  restoration  of  the  Jeffer- 
sonian  maxim  :  "Is  he  honest  ?  Is  he  capable  ?" 

Fourth. — Reconciliation.  Freedom  and  local  self-government 
for  the  South,  and  an  end  of  bayonet  rule. 

Judge  Davis  was  well  fitted  by  nature  and  education  to  be  at 
the  head  of  such  a  movement.  He  had  been  elected  several 
times  to  the  position  of  Circuit  Judge  by  the  voice  of  the  people 
irrespective  of  party,  and  his  every  feeling  was  in  sympathy  with 
its  active  principles.  His  quick  perception  and  his  hatred  of 
all  forms  of  peculation  and  jobbery  would  make  him  an  effective 
executive  officer  and  a  terror  to  evil-doers.  Judge  Davis  was 
nominated  for  President  by  the  Labor  Reformers  at  the  Colum- 
bus Convention,  and  this  made  him  an  object  of  jealousy  by 
many  of  the  friends  of  the  candidates  who  were  to  come  before 
the  Cincinnati  Convention,  and  they  began  to  combine  against 
him.  So  effective  was  their  combination  that  he  was  beaten 
and  Mr.  Greeley  nominated  in  his  stead.  It  is  now  gener- 
ally acknowledged  that  this  was  a  great  mistake.  The  following 
"Scrap  of  Political  History,"  which  was  published  in  the  Bloom- 
ington  Pantograph,  sheds  some  light  upon  the  condition  of  affairs 
at  Cincinnati  : 

A  SCRAP  OF  POLITICAL  HISTORY. 

"  Editor  Pantograph :  Overhauling  old  papers  my  attention 
has  just  been  called  to  the  following,  written  by  one  of  the  dis- 
tinguished men  of  our  country — the  late  Senator  from  Wisconsin — 
who,  by  the  way,  has  wisely  quit  politics  and  taken  to  a  profession 
he  is  so  eminently  fitted  to  adorn.  He  may  not  thank  me  for 
thus  resurrecting  old  matters  with  which  his  name  is  associated, 
but  at  the  risk  of  incurring  not  only  his  displeasure,  but  that  of 
one  still  more  distinguished,  I  feel  constrained  to  ask  its  publi- 
cation. Had  the  Senator  written  in  the  light  of  subsequent 
history,  it  could  not  have  been  more  truthfully  and  strongly 
done. 


m'lean  county.  283 

"  Just  as  the  Cincinnati  Convention  was  going  into  that 
memorable  session  that  terminated  in  the  nomination  of  that 
great  and  good  man  that  now  rests  from  his  labors,  this  corres- 
pondence was  thrown  before  that  body,  and  to  that  fact  may  be 
ascribed  that  other  fact  that  this  masterly  expose  of  the  duty  of 
the  hour  never  afterwards  appeared. 

"As  politics  are  now  dead,  and  these  names  forever  removed 
from  the  political  arena,  I  trust  and  believe  this  publication  will 
excite  no  unfriendly  criticisms. 

"  (The  letter  of  Senator  Doolittle  was  in  reply  to  one  from 
the  Wisconsin  delegates  at  Cincinnati,  asking  his  'opinion  on 
the  candidates  prominently  named,  in  the  order  of  their  sup- 
posed strength,  in  securing  the  votes  of  both  Republicans  and 
Democrats  to  secure  success.') 

Mr.  Doolittle's  Response. 

"  Cincinnati,  May  1st,  1872. 
"  Hon.  H.  A.  Tenner/,  Chairman,  etc.  : 

"  You  ask  me  my  opinion  as  to  the  candidates  prominently 
named.  They  are  Judge  Davis,  Governor  Brown,  Mr.  Adams, 
Senator  Trumbull  and  Mr.  Greeley;  and  you  ask  me  to  speak 
frankly  my  opinion  as  to  which  would  carry  the  greatest  number 
of  Republican  and  Democratic  votes. 

"  Of  all  these  men,  I  can  speak  in  high  terms  as  to  capacity, 
integrity,  and  as  to  their  being  in  full  sympathy  with  the  present 
Liberal  Republican  movement. 

"  Personally,  as  against  the  probable  nominee  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Convention,  I  could  support  either  of  them.  But  what 
you  ask  is  my  opinion  as  to  their  strength.  I  state  their  names 
in  order  just  as  I  believe  they  really  stand  in  their  popular 
strength  as  nominees  against  General  Grant :  First,  David  Davis  ; 
second,  B.  Gratz  Brown;  third,  Lyman  Trumbull;  fourth, 
Charles  Francis  Adams  ;  fifth,  Horace  Greeley.  Without  giving 
reasons  why  others  should  not  be  nominated,  I  give  some 
reasons  why  I  think  Judge  Davis  should  be,  in  order  to  insure 
union  and  success. 

"  First. — He  is  and  always  has  been  a  Liberal  Republican. 
In  himself  he  is  a  true  representative  of  the  principles  upon 
which  the  Liberal  movement  is  based. 


284  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

"  Second. — He  will  take  as  large  a  Republican  vote  as  any 
man  in  the  East,  and  more  than  any  other  in  the  West.  As  a 
test  of  his  popularity  a  gentleman  from  Illinois  informs  me  he 
has  been  five  times  elected  to  important  offices  by  the  votes  of 
the  people  ;  three  times  as  Circuit  Judge  in  a  large  district,  re- 
ceiving each  time  evert/  vote  in  the  district,  once  as  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  without  serious  opposition,  and  once  as  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention,  receiving  every  vote  in  his 
county.  Where  can  you  find  a  better  record  than  that  ?  He 
lives  in  a  Republican  county,  where  there  is  a  Republican  ma- 
jority of  two  thousand.  If  nominated,  he  will  receive  more 
than  one  thousand  majority,  as  we  are  assured  by  more  than  five 
hundred  Republicans  from  his  own  county,  now  here,  who  have 
come  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  attend  this  convention  to 
show  how  he  stands  as  a  Republican  and  as  a  man  at  the  home 
where  he  has  lived  for  thirty-five  years.  In  the  history  of  the 
United  States  no  record  of  any  man  can  be  found  to  show  greater 
popularity  than  the  almost  unanimous  election  of  Judge  Davis 
five  times  in  succession  to  public  office.  He  will  carry  a  large 
Republican  vote,  also,  because  he  was  the  bosom  friend  of  Mr. 
Lincoln.  He  was  the  man,  who,  more  than  any  other,  brought 
him  out  for  President.  He  was  the  administrator  of  his  estate, 
and  the  guardian  of  his  children.  He  is  in  every  sense  a  great 
man — great  headed,  great  hearted,  and  full  of  vigor,  and  of  as 
much  executive  will  and  force  as  any  other  man  that  lives. 

"  Third. — He  would  be,  in  my  opinion,  unanimously  indorsed 
by  the  Democratic  Convention,  and  would  carry  the  solid  vote 
of  the  Democracy  of  'the  United  States,  North  and  South, 
against  Grant. 

"  Fourth. — His  nomination  here,  followed  by  his  indorse- 
ment at  the  Democratic  Convention  to  be  held  hereafter,  insures 
an  election. 

"  Fifth. — His  nomination  will  carry  the  Legislature  of  Illinois, 
and  will  re-elect  Mr.  Trumbull  to  the  Senate,  where,  instead  of 
being  under  the  ban  of  a  tyrannical  majority,  as  he  is,  he  would 
be  the  leader  of  the  Senate.  This  is  Mr.  Trumbull's  great  role. 
It  is  where  duty  and  interest  and  public  good  should  lead  him  ; 
it  is  the  place  to  which  he  is  best  fitted.     There  is  too  much  at 


m'lean  county.  285 

stake  upon  the  success  of  this  movement  to  allow  personalities 
to  control  the  action  of  the  convention. 
"  Respectfully  yours, 

"J.  R.  Doolittle." 

Judge  Davis  has  been  remarkably  successful  as  a  dealer  in 
real  estate,  and  in  all  of  his  purchases  and  sales  has  shown  the 
very  best  of  judgment.  His  first  purchase  of  real  estate  was 
made  in  Chicago,  but  as  he  "was  associated  with  others,  and  the 
disposition  of  the  property  was  in  a  great  measure  beyond  his 
control,  the  speculation  was  not  fortunate.  Nevertheless  he  had 
great  faith  in  the  future  of  Chicago,  although  it  then  numbered 
only  a  few  hundred  inhabitants,  and  he  purchased  an  eighty-acre 
tract  of  land  lying  about  three  miles  from  the  harbor.  It  now 
sells  by  the  foot,  so  far  as  it  is  offered  for  sale.  It  is  to  this  for- 
tunate investment  that  he  is  indebted,  in  part  for  the  ample 
fortune  he  possesses.  His  policy  in  dealing  in  real  estate  has 
been  to  purchase  property  in  the  suburbs  of  a  growing  town,  in 
order  that  it  might  become  valuable  with  the  increase  of  the 
place  in  size  and  prosperity.  He  was  always  careful  to  buy  land 
intrinsically  valuable,  considering  what  it  would  produce,  so  that 
in  any  event  his  speculation  would  be  a  safe  one. 

As  is  well  known,  Judge  Davis  is  a  man  of  great  public 
spirit,  but  thinks  public  matters  should  be  managed  as  other 
business  matters  are,  on  a  good  financial  basis.  He  has  been 
charged  with  being  indifferent  in  the  matter  of  subscribing  to 
build  railroads.  His  theory  with  regard  to  railroads  is  that  they 
should  be  built  where  it  will  pay  to  build  them  as  an  investment, 
and  that  the  idea  of  voting  aid  from  towns,  counties  and  states, 
or  donating  lands  along  the  line  of  the  proposed  road  is  wrong 
in  principle.  He  believes  that  capitalists  are  always  sharp 
enough  to  see  where  it  will  pay  to  invest  their  money  and  are 
ready  to  build  railroads  which  will  return  a  fair  profit  to  the  in- 
vestors. He  thinks  that  the  voting  of  aid  by  towns  and  counties 
and  making  land  grants  results  in  many  cases  in  building  roads 
which  will  not  pay  running  expenses,  and  in  others  of  putting 
roads  in  the  hands  of  unprincipled  managers  who  care  nothing 
whatever  for  the  people  who  have  helped  them  and  the  towns 
that  have  voted  them  aid.     Under  these  circumstances  he  has 


286  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

always  been  very  conservative  and  cool  about  assisting  railroads 
and  some  fault  has  been  found  with  him  for  so  doing  ;  but  many 
of  those  who  have  blamed  him  in  times  past  are  now  very  much 
of  his  way  of  thinking. 

Bloomington  and  Normal  have  been  much  benefited  by  their 
State  institutions,  the  Normal  School  and  the  Soldiers'  Orphans' 
Home.  The  location  of  these  institutions  here  was  due  in  a 
great  measure  to  Judge  Davis,  who  donated  forty  acres  of  land 
to  the  Normal  School  and  sixty  acres  to  the  Orphans'  Home. 
The  former  donation  was  worth  at  the  time  when  given,  four 
thousand  dollars  and  the  latter  twelve  thousand.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  great  exertions  were  made  to  have  these  institu- 
tions taken  elsewhere  and  Judge  Davis'  example  and  influence 
did  very  much  to  prevent  their  transfer. 

So  far  as  matters  of  charity  are  concerned  it  is  not  usually 
safe  to  speak  definitely  of  any  one.  People  who  have  the  greatest 
reputations  for  charity  usually  deserve  only  a  part  of  the  credit 
they  receive,  as  a  suspicion  is  sometimes  aroused  that  their 
charities  are  performed  to  be  seen  of  men.  Judge  Davis  does 
not  indulge  in  ostentatious  charity,  but  his  friends  assert  that 
very  few  can  be  found  anywhere  so  liberal  even  when  judged  by 
the  proper  standard — ability  to  give. 

Judge  Davis  was  at  one  time  enabled  to  do  some  service  to 
the  city  of  Bloomington  by  saving  to  it  the  machine  shops  of  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad.  These  shops  secure  a  monthly  dis- 
bursement of  fifty  thousand  dollars  and  the  matter  is  of  the 
greatest  importance  to  Bloomington.  When  they  were  burned 
down,  Judge  Davis  was  holding  court  in  Chicago.  He  there 
learned  that  it  was  the  intention  of  various  parties  to  make  an 
effort  to  transfer  the  machine  shops  to  another  point.  He  im- 
mediately gave  notice  to  the  citizens  of  Bloomington  who  took 
active  measures  to  save  them. 

The  character  of  Judge  Davis  is  pretty  well  shown  by  the 
incidents  related  in  the  foregoing  sketch.  It  is  also  indicated 
by  his  appearance  and  manner.  He  is  about  five  feet  and  eleven 
inches  in  height,  has  a  large,  commanding  form,  a  broad,  expan- 
sive forehead,  blue,  penetrating  eyes  and  a  rather  prominent 
nose.  He  has  a  very  pleasant  address  and  superior  conversa- 
tional powers;  in  his  manner  he  is  disposed  to  be  familiar,  par- 


m'lean  county.  287 

ticularly  to  those  who  are  modest  in  their  demeanor  and  who 
seem  to  need  encouragement.     lie  is  a  very  companionable  man 
and  much  devoted  to  his  friends.     He  is  a  straightforward  busi- 
ness man  and  has  the  best  of  judgment  in  all   financial  matters. 
An  old  pioneer  while  writing  of  Judge  Davis  says :  "  If  I  were 
called  upon   to   state  the  leading  characteristics   of  the  man  I 
would  say  they  are  Honesty,  Will  and  Concentration."     Judge 
Davis'  power  of  will  was  once  very  conspicuous  when  he  and 
seven  others  started  from  Bloomington  to  attend  a  mass  meeting 
at  Peoria  during  the  political  campaign  of  1844,  when  Henry 
Clay  was  a  candidate  for  the  presidency.     When  they  came  to 
the  Mackinaw  Creek  they  found  -it  swollen  by  recent  rains,  for 
the  season  was  the   wettest  ever  known  in  the  United  States. 
The  west  end  of  the  bridge  where  they  were  to  cross  had  been 
washed  away,  and  workmen  were  trying  to  repair  it.     The  cur- 
rent was  strong  and  threatened  to   carry  them  away  if  they  at- 
tempted to  ford  the  stream,  and  their  horses  would  be  liable  to 
be  swallowed  up  by  the  mud  where  they  would  be  obliged  to 
land,  for  after  breaking  through  a  thin  crust  the  mud  seemed 
bottomless.     The  party  gave  up  all  hopes  of  attending  the  mass 
meeting;    but   Judge   Davis  insisted    on    going   ahead.     After 
agreeing  to  indemnify  the  owner  of  the  team,  if  his  horses  were 
lost,  Judge  Davis  took  charge  of  matters,  and,  unhitching  the 
team,   managed  to  carry  the    party  across  on  horseback,  near 
enough  to  the  opposite  bank  to  land ;  then  by  attaching  a  long 
rope  to  the  wagon  they  pulled  it  triumphantly  through  and  went 
their  way  rejoicing.     At  one  time  Judge   Davis   and  Abraham 
Lincoln  were  traveling  on  horseback  to  attend  court  at  Decatur. 
When  they  reached  the  Sangamon  River  it  was  late   at  night, 
and  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  be  in  Decatur  on  the  following 
morning.     But  as  they  could  see  nothing  ahead  of  them,  Lin- 
coln gave  up  the  idea  of  proceeding  further.     When  they  came 
to  the  river's  bank  Judge  Davis,  without  saying  a  word,  plunged 
into  the  stream  with  his  horse  and  swam  across  ;  but  being  un- 
able in  the  darkness  to  find  a  landing,  returned  to   the  point 
from  which  he  started.     After  going  some  distance  down  stream 
Judge  Davis  again  swam  across  and  this  time  was   fortunate 
enough  to  find  a  landing.     Then  with  the   assistance  of  some 
farmers  he  built  a  fire  on   the  bank  of  the   river  to  show  Mr. 


288  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Lincoln  where  to  land,  if  he  chose  to  swim  over.  The  latter 
swam  towards  the  light  and  was  safely  landed,  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning  both  parties  were  enabled  to  be  in  attendance 
at  court.  This  incident  shows  the  resolution  which  has  always 
been  so  marked  in  Judge  Davis'  character  and  which  has  so 
largely  contributed  to  his  success. 

Elder  "William  Trabue  Major. 

The  memory  of  William  Trabue  Major  is  preserved  with 
affection  and  reverence  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  born 
about  three  miles  from  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  on  March  1st, 
1790,  and  died  January  11th,  1867.  His  father's  name  was  John 
Major  and  his  mother's  name  Judith  Trabue.  The  ancestors  of 
his  father  were  English,  and  of  his  mother,  French.  The  pa- 
rents of  his  mother  emigrated  from  France  at  an  early  day  in 
consequence  of  some  of  the  many  revolutions  for  which  that 
country  has  become  so  famous.  William  T.  Major  was  the 
eldest  of  six  children,  and  it  was  his  father's  intention  to  bring 
him  up  to  the  study  of  the  law.  But  after  he  had  finished  his 
education,  which  he  received  at  Georgetown,  Kentucky,  it  was 
evident  that  his  failing  health  would  never  allow  him  to  study 
law.  In  order  to  recover  his  health  he  visited  his  relatives  in 
Xorth  and  South  Carolina,  riding  on  horseback  to  make  his 
journeys.  He  returned  with  restored  health,  and  went  to  farm- 
ing in  order  to  acquire  a  robust  constitution. 

He  married  Margaret  Shipp  February  18th,  1812.  This  lady 
is  still  living.  She  is  widely  known  and  respected,  and  is  almost 
worshipped  by  her  children. 

Mr.  Major  lived  for  six  years  in  Bourbon  County,  and  sev- 
enteen years  in  Christian  County,  Kentucky.  From  the  latter 
place  he  moved,  in  1835,  to  Bloomington,  Illinois.  Mr.  Major 
was  a  man  of  deep  and  earnest  convictions.  In  childhood  his 
mind  was  directed  to  the  subject  of  religion,  and  when  he  grew 
to  manhood  his  religious  convictions  were  quickened.  He  was 
for  six  years  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  In  1830  there 
was  in  Kentucky  a  great  religious  awakening.  It  was  during 
this  year  that  in  consequence  of  a  difference  of  doctrine  Mr. 
Major  was  excluded  from  the  Baptist  Church.  It  was  his  sole 
anxiety  that  the  Bible  alone  should  be  his  rule  of  faith,  and 


m'lean  county.  289 

that  all  human  ceremonies  should  be  thrown  aside.     After  leav- 
ing the  Baptist  Church  Mr.  Major  joined  the  Christian  Church, 
which  he  has  done  much  to  build  up.     He  was  the  founder  of 
this  church  in  Bloomington,  and  never  ceased  working  for  it 
until  the  day  of  his  death.     lie  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  in- 
stitution of  human  slavery,     He  believed  it  to  be  a  most  terrible 
curse  to  America,  and  it  was  on  account  of  this  belief  that  he 
determined  to  leave  Kentucky  and  go  to  Illinois.     His  devoted 
wife  always  shared  his  convictions,  and  always  supported  him  by 
her  faith  and  love.     With  his  family  he  came  to  Bloomington  in 
1835.     Here  he  worked  earnestly  in  the  cause  of  Christianity. 
He  built  the  first  Christian  Church  in  Bloomington,  and  when 
it  became  too   small  he  built  one  larger.     The   old  building  is 
now  used  by  the  Lutherans  as  a  church  and  school  house.     Mr. 
Major  frequently  preached  and  administered  the  rite  of  baptism. 
There  were  at  that  time  many  Methodists  and  Presbyterians  in 
Bloomington,  and  they  seemed  to  think  strangely  of  Mr.  Major's 
doctrine;  but  he  relied  with  faith  and  simplicity  on  the  Bible  as 
his  guide.     The  Christian  Church  in  Bloomington  has  now  from 
three  to  four  hundred  members ;  this   is  more  than  the  entire 
population  of  Bloomington  when  the  church  was  founded.    Mr. 
Major  has  been  remarkably  liberal  in  making  gifts  to  build  up 
the  Christian  Church.     He  gave  one  thousand  dollars  towards 
building  Eureka  Christian  College,  at  Eureka;    he  also  gave 
largely  to  a  Christian  College   at  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and  to 
Bethany  College  in  Virginia.     The  last  mentioned  is  the  largest 
in  the  United  States,  belonging  to  the  Christian  denomination. 
Young  men   are  there  educated  free  of  charge.     In  1856,  Mr. 
Major  built  the  Eemale  College   at  Bloomington.     It  was  first 
designed  as  a  Female  Orphan  School,  but  afterwards  changed  to 
a  Female  College.     At  first  it  flourished  well.     Mr.  Major  pro- 
vided in  his  will  that  it  should  have  a  boarding  establishment 
where  the  pupils  should  pay  but  four  dollars  per  week.     It  also 
provided  that  they  should  be  instructed  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
Christian   religion   in  accordance  with   the   tenor  of  the  Bible. 
But  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Major,  which   occurred  in  1867,  the 
school  gradually  sank,  and  was   not  a  paying  institution.     The 
building  is  now  used   as  a  Water-Cure  Estabtishment  by   Dr. 
Burrows. 
19 


290  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

Mr.  Major  was  a  remarkably  public  spirited  man.  He  was 
very  free  with  his  gifts  to  all  religious  denominations,  but  par- 
ticularly so  to  the  Christian  Church.  When  at  last  the  time 
came  for  him  to  render  an  account  to  his  Maker  for  the  deeds 
done  in  the  body,  he  was  peaceful  and  collected  and  met  his  ap- 
proaching change  with  the  serenity  of  a  saint.  Nearly  all  the 
people  in  Bloomington  paid  their  last  tribute  to  his  memory,  for 
they  felt  that  indeed  a  man  of  God  had  passed  from  earth.  He 
left  a  family  of  eight  children  living,  four  boys  and  four  girls. 

Mr.  Major  was  very  prosperous  in  his  business  affairs.  When 
he  came  to  Bloomington  land  was  very  cheap,  and  he  bought  a 
great  deal  for  five  dollars  per  acre,  and  a  great  deal  he  bought 
from  the  Government  at  $1.25  per  acre.  His  investments  proved 
very  profitable  to  him,  although  he  was  no  speculator. 

In  the  year  1852  Mr.  Major  built  the  first  public  hall  in 
Bloomington.  It  was  a  brick  building,  and  was  destroyed  by 
fire  in  1872.  Major's  Hall  has  become  historic.  The  first  Re- 
publican meeting  was  held  in  this  hall  on  the  twenty-ninth  of 
May,  1856.  It  was  called  the  Anti-Nebraska  State  Convention. 
The  president  of  the  meeting  was  John  M.  Palmer,  since  governor, 
and  it  was  at  this  memorable  meeting  that  Abraham  Lincoln  deliv- 
ered one  of  his  grandest  speeches.  It  was  at  this  meeting  that 
the  first  Republican  governor,  W.  H.  Bissell,  was  nominated  for 
that  office.  This  hall  was  first  used  by  the  State  Normal  School 
before  the  Normal  school  building  could  be  made  available  for 
use. 

As  to  personal  appearance  Elder  Major  was  a  little  above  the 
medium  height;  his  hair  was  gra}-,  almost  white.  His  counte- 
nance wore  the  expression  of  a  saint.  He  was  always  ready 
with  a  kind  word  and  a  smile,  and  always  willing  to  succor  the 
distressed. 

Chastine  Major. 

Chastine  Major  was  born  May  25,  1800,  on  a  farm  in  Frank- 
lin County,  Kentucky,  three  miles  from  the  city  of  Frankfort. 
His  paternal  ancestors  were  of  English  stock,  while  his  mother 
was  of  French  descent.  Chastine  Major  was  the  youngest  son 
in  a  family  of  six  children,  five  boys  and  one  girl.  His  sister 
was  still  younger.     All  of  the  children  grew  to  manhood  and 


m'lean  county.  291 

womanhood.  It  was  a  family  of  farmers.  All  of  the  boys  were 
farmers  except  his  brother  John,  who  became  a  commission 
merchant  in  New  Orleans. 

John  was  a  soldier  in  General  Jackson's  army,  when  the 
British  were  defeated  at  New  Orleans  in  1815.  In  1817  his 
father  removed  to  Christian  County,  Kentucky,  where  he  died 
in  1821.  His  brother  Joseph  remained  on  the  homestead,  while 
the  rest  of  the  boys,  except  John,  came  to  Illinois.  Chastine 
Major  received  his  little  education  in  the  usual  way  in  Kentucky, 
that  is,  the  farmers  clubbed  together  and  hired  a  teacher.  In 
1824  he  did  his  duty  to  himself  and  his  country  and  was  married. 
The  bride  was  Joanna  Hopkins,  daughter  of  Captain  Samue 
Hopkins  of  Christian  County,  Kentucky. 

During  our  Black  Hawk  war  he  made  a  trip  to  Illinois  to 
see  the  country,  and  in  1835  he  and  his  brother  William  Trabue 
Major  emigrated  to  this  State.  While  in  Kentucky  they  were 
both  of  them  strongly  opposed  to  the  institution  of  human 
slavery  and  this  was  the  occasion  of  their  leaving  that  State. 
Mr.  Chastine  Major  located  in  Stout's  Grove,  Danvers  township 
about  twelve  miles  from  Bloomington.  This  grove  was  named 
after  Ephraim  Stout,  the  first  white  settler  there.  At  Stout's 
Grove  Mr.  Major  bought  a  quarter  section  of  improved  land, 
well  fenced  in,  with  a  log  house  on  it,  for  six  dollars  per  acre 
His  remaining  land  he  entered  from  the  government. 

The  market  at  that  time  was  Pekin  ;  the  most  of  the  produce 
was  taken  there.  Oats  brought  fifteen  cents  per  bushel,  corn 
ten  cents  and  wheat  from  forty  to  fifty  cents.  For  beef  and  pork 
the  demand  was  slight.  But  when  Chicago  began  to  flourish, 
he  prices  began  to  rise.  The  first  drove  of  fat  cattle  sold  to 
Chicago  dealers  from  this  section  of  the  country  was  taken  in 
by  Isaac  and  Absolom  Funk,  father  and  uncle  of  the  present 
Mayor  of  Bloomington.  In  1841  it  began  to  be  profitable  to 
raise  pork  because  of  the  packing  establishments  at  Pekin  and 
Peoria,  which  shipped  it  down  the  river  to  New  Orleans.  The 
prices  then  ranged  from  two  to  three  dollars  per  hundred.  When 
Mr.  Major  came  to  the  country  the  town  of  Bloomington  was  a 
very  insignificant  place.  At  one  time  some  ten  or  twenty  teams 
came  in  to  Bloomington  from  Bond  County  on  their  way  to 
Galena.  The  owners  of  the  teams  went  on  a  spree  and  threat- 
ened to  carry  off  the  whole  of  Bloomington  on  their  wagons. 


292  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

When  Mr.  Major  came  to  Danvers  township  all  of  the  settlers 
combined  could  not  get  up  a  respectable  school ;  but  now  they 
sustain  six  and  all  are  well  filled  with  scholars  and  doing  finely. 
Mr.  Major  moved  from  Stout's  Grove  to  Bloomington  in  1860 
and  has  been  living  at  the  latter  place  ever  since.  He  has  raised 
a  family  of  ten  children  all  of  whom  are  living,  and  three  are 
at  home  with  their  father  and  mother.  Mr.  Major  has  four  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres  of  land  in  Danvers  and  sixty  acres  near 
Bloomington. 

He  has  never  been  an  office-seeker  and  has  paid  but  little 
attention  to  public  affairs  ;  nevertheless  he  has  been  made  over- 
seer of  public  roads,  school  director  and  judge  of  elections. 

As  to  personal  appearance,  he  is  of  medium  stature  and  well 
made.  His  face  is  full  and  fleshy ;  his  eyes  have  a  very  pene- 
trating expression.  His  hair  is  rather  gray,  and  his  head  is  a 
little  bald  on  the  top.  He  is  a  man  who  would  not  have  ene- 
mies; he  mixes  very  little  with  the  world  and  is  generally  found 
at  home. 

Dr.  Laban  Shipp  Major. 

Laban  Shipp  Major  was  born  May  25,  1822,  in  Christian 
County,  Kentucky.  In  1835  he  came  with  his  parents  from 
Hopkinsville,  Kentucky,  to  Bloomington,  Illinois,  where  he 
arrived  on  the  sixteenth  of  April.  They  traveled  with  a  two- 
horse  wagon  which  brought  their  furniture,  and  the  family  carri- 
age and  two  or  three  horses.  The  night  before  their  arrival  in 
Bloomington  they  stayed  at  Salt  Creek,  near  what  is  now  the 
thriving  city  of  Lincoln.  The  next  morning,  when  they  awoke, 
they  found  the  ground  covered  with  an  inch  of  snow.  At  noon 
they  stopped  for  dinner  at  the  house  of  Isaac  Funk  at  Funk's 
Grove.  Dr.  Major  describes  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Funk,  one  of* 
the  most  celebrated  of  the  early  pioneers.  He  says  :  "  It  was 
a  log  cabin  about  twenty-five  feet  square  and  one  story  high, 
with  a  loft  reached  by  a  rude  ladder.  Here  all  the  family,  which 
was  quite  large,  slept  as  well  as  all  the  wayfarers  whom  the  hos- 
pitable host  saw  fit  to  eutertain.  But  that  which  most  attracted 
my  attention  was  the  immense  fire-place  which  extended  across 
the  greater  part  of  one  side  of  the  house.  It  had  in  it  two  or 
three  logs  some  twenty  feet  long  and  two  or  three  feet  thick, 


m'lean  county.  293 

and  they  made  a  fire  large  enough  to  roast  an  ox  whole.  No 
chairs  were  to  he  found  in  this  mansion;  hut  the  hearth  in  front 
of  the  fire-place  was  very  capacious  and  about  eighteen  inches 
lower  than  the  puncheon  floor,  and  this  answered  all  the  pur- 
poses of  chairs.  But  it  troubled  my  inquiring  mind  to  know 
how  Mr.  Funk  ever  got  those  immense  saw-logs  into  his  fire- 
place to  burn.  But  he  explained  the  matter.  The  doors  on  each 
side  of  the  house  were  opposite  each  other,  and  with  four  yoke 
of  oxen  he  hauled  one  end  of  a  log  as  near  one  of  these  doors 
as  it  could  be  got  by  pulling  it  at  right  angles,  then  going  with 
his  oxen  to  the  other  side  of  the  house  he  passed  a  log  chain 
from  them  in  at  one  door  clear  across  the  house  and  out  at  the 
other  door  where  it  was  attached  to  the  end  of  the  log.  Then 
the  oxen  pulled  the  log  into  the  house  end  foremost,  when  it  was 
an  easy  matter  to  roll  it  into  the  fire-place.  A  fire  made  by  these 
logs  would  last  from  five  to  seven  days." 

Dr.  Major's  school  days  were  happy  ones.  He  attended  the 
High  School  in  the  old  Court  House  in  what  was  known  as  the 
Fourth  room.  It  was  in  this  Court  House  that  many  of  the 
greatest  men  of  Illinois  made  some  of  their  famous  speeches. 
It  was  here  that  Edward  Baker  spoke  so  eloquently — the  man 
who  was  afterwards  senator  from  Oregon,  who  entered  the  army 
during  the  rebellion  and  was  killed  at  Ball's  Bluff.  Here  Doug- 
las and  Lincoln  frequently  met  to  discuss  the  issues  between  the 
Whigs  and  the  Democrats,  and  in  some  measure  prepared  them- 
selves for  the  great  political  contests  in  which  they  were  after- 
wards to  engage. 

Only  twenty-five  scholars  were  allowed  to  attend  school  in 
the  old  Court  House,  and  the  teacher,  Dr.  William  C.  Hobbs, 
was  the  great  light  of  Bloomington's  social  circles.  Dr.  Major 
says  that  hardly  any  lady  in  Bloomington  could  buy  a  dress  or 
bonnet  or  ribbon  without  consulting  Dr.  Hobbs  as  to  whether 
or  not  it  was  becoming.  He  was  at  every  ball,  wedding  and 
funeral.  When  he  attended  a  party  of  any  kind  the  lady  of  the 
house  never  dared  to  pass  the  cake  before  submitting  it  to  him 
for  inspection.  He  would  break  off  a  small  piece  and  taste  it 
and  say  in  his  ceremonious  way,  "Very  good,  indeed,  but  it  has 
a  little  too  much  sugar,"  or,  "not  quite  enough  flour."  But  an 
occasion  was  soon  to  arise  when  the  skill  and  tact  of  Dr.  Hobbs 


294 


OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


were  to  be  severely  tried.     Perhaps  the  reader  is  not  aware  that 
an  English  nobleman  once  came  clear  across  the  Atlantic  ocean 
and  over  the  continent  to  see  the  city  of  Bloomington  and  make 
the  acquaintance  of  the  people  in  the  Athens  of  Illinois.     Such 
was  the  case.     The  great   Col.  Houghton  came  and  Dr.  Hobbs 
was  obliged  to  take  charge  of  him  and  introduce  him  to  the 
brilliant  society  of  Bloomington,  until  young  Croesus  had  seen 
the  wealth  and  beauty  of  Athens.     He  had  come  all  the  way 
from  England  to  establish  banks  and  loan  money  to  the  people 
of  Bloomington  at  six  per  cent,  interest.     Of  course  the  beauty 
of  Bloomington  came  out  in  ribbons,  and  as  everyone  wished  to 
consult  Dr.  Hobbs  in  the  matter,  the  courtier  was  driven  nearly 
crazy  by  the  demands  made  upon  him.     But  the  English  noble- 
man was  resolved  to  have  security  for  his  money  and  took  noth- 
ing less  than  first  mortgages  on  real  estate,  and  the  money  was 
to  be  given  to  the  borrowers  when  the  ship  of  gold  from  Eng- 
land should  arrive  at  K"ew  York.     Dr.  Hobbs  had  no  real  estate 
and  could  not  borrow,  but  he  commended  the  nobleman  to  others 
and  advised  them  to  bring  on  their  mortgages.     Just  before  Col. 
Houghton  left,  the  citizens  gave  him  a  Peacock  dinner  with 
great  ceremony.  The  nobleman  was  so  pleased  with  this  gracious 
reception  that  he  decided  to  have  some  of  the  portraits  of  his 
hosts  for  vignettes  to  his  bank  bills.     He  carried  off  many  of 
their  mortgages.     Nothing  was  heard  of  him  for  a  long  time  or 
of  the  mortgages  which  had   been  given  him ;  but  at  last  Cap- 
tain Cozzens  of  St.  Louis  arrested  a  stranger  answering  to  Col. 
Houghton's  description.     The  prisoner  was  brought  back  as  far 
as  Springfield  and  identified  as  the  supposed  English  nobleman. 
There  he  compromised  matters,  went  away  and  was  never  heard 
of  more.     Dr.  Major  says  that  those  who  trusted   the   Colonel 
say  :    "  Put  not  your  trust  in    riches,  English    nobles   or  pea- 
cocks." 

Dr.  Major  attended  the  school  of  Dr.  Hobbs  for  about  a  year. 
He  attended  Hillsborough  Academy,  a  select  school  south  of 
Springfield,  for  two  winters,  working  during  the  summer.  A 
severe  sickness,  brain  fever,  made  him  an  invalid  for  nearly  a 
year.  After  this  he  attended  Knox  College  at  Galesburg  for 
fifteen  months,  when  he  was  prostrated  by  a  second  attack  of 
brain  fever.     After  a  short  sickness  he  recovered.     He  taught 


m'lean  county.  295 

school  for  a  while  on  Panther  Creek  about  twenty  miles  north 
of  Bloomington.  When  Mr.  Major  was  twenty-two  years  of 
age  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Gish,  who 
was  at  that  time  and  still  remains  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
physicians  of  Kentucky.  He  remained  with  Dr.  Gish  about  two 
years  and  then  attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  Medical 
School  at  Cincinnati.  After  practising  medicine  for  two  years 
he  graduated  at  the  medical  school  where  he  had  attended  lec- 
tures. This  was  in  March,  1848.  In  September  of  that  year  he 
went  to  Chicago  and  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine,  at 
which  he  continued  for  twenty  years  with  success.  He  attended 
the  first  case  of  cholera  reported  in  Chicago  in  1849.  The 
patient  was  himself  a  physician  and  fortunately  recovered.  Dr. 
Major  was  obliged  to  make  the  study  of  cholera  at  that  time  a 
specialty,  as  most  of  the  physicians  fied  from  fear.  But  after 
twenty  years  of  successful  practice  he  gave  up  the  profession  of 
medicine.  In  1867  he  built  Major  Block  on  the  S.  E.  corner  of 
La  Salle  and  Madison  streets  for  $75,000.  The  great  fire  of 
Chicago  burnt  it  up,  but  it  has  recently  been  restored  at  a  cost 
of  $250,000,  and  is  a  magnificent  building.  The  ground  on  a 
portion  of  which  this  block  stands  was  bought  in  parts  in  1856, 
'62  and  '67,  at  a  cost  altogether  of  $25,000.  In  1867  Dr.  Major 
sold  a  piece  of  it,  fifty  by  sixty-six  feet,  for  $86,000,  and  had  one 
hundred  and  forty  by  sixty-six  feet  left,  on  which  Major  Block 
now  stands.  The  ground  is  now  worth  from  two  to  three  thous- 
and dollars  per  foot.  In  this  same  locality  Dr.  Major  was  offered 
in  1853  a  lot,  forty-five  feet  by  one  hundred  and  ninety,  for 
$2,250.  He  went  to  Bloomington  to  get  $300  as  a  loan  from  his 
father  in  order  to  make  the  first  payment.  His  father  remarked 
that  this  would  be  paying  $50  per  foot,  for  which  sum  he  might 
buy  forty  acres  of  land  near  Bloomington  at  Congress  price,  and 
considered  Dr.  Major  to  be  fit  for  a  cell  in  the  Jacksonville 
asylum.  Three  years  afterwards  this  same  ground  was  sold  for 
$400  per  foot. 

Dr.  Major  married,  September  26,  1849,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Dunlop  in  Indianapolis.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Rev.  John 
Dunlop  of  that  place.  She  died  December  1,  1863.  The  mar- 
riage was  a  very  happy  one  and  was  blessed  with  six  children 
of  whom  three  are  living,  two  girls   and  one  boy.     On  the  thir- 


296  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

tieth  of  January,  1866,  Dr.  Major  married  Miss  Margaret  Lar- 
rainie,  daughter  of  Charles  Larminie,  Esq.,  of  Chicago.  She 
is  a  very  estimable  and  accomplished  lady.  Two  children  have 
been  born  of  this  marriage. 

Dr.  Major  is  rather  a  heavily  built  man,  is  well  set,  has  broad 
shoulders,  a  full  face  and  a  jovial  countenance.  He  has  the 
family  expression.  He  has,  too,  those  qualities  of  mind  by 
which  the  family  is  distinguished,  that  is,  good  judgment,  espe- 
cially in  financial  matters,  first-rate  business  capacity,  and  firm- 
ness in  all  his  dealings.  He  enjoys  a  joke  heartily,  whether  it 
is  at  his  own  expense  or  at  some  one  else's. 

John  Milton  Major,  M.  D. 

John  Milton  Major  was  born  on  the  seventh  of  September, 
1824,  at  Hopkiusville,  Christiau  County,  Kentucky.  In  the 
spring  of  1885  his  father,  William  Trabue  Major,  emigrated  to 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  taking  young  John  with  him.  While  in 
Kentucky  the  elder  Major  had  been  a  strong  opponent  of  sla- 
very, and  this  had  much  to  do  with  his  emigration  from  that 
State.  When  he  came  to  Illinois  he  invested  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars in  real  estate,  lying  north  of  Bloomington  in  the  present 
town  of  Normal.  It  was  not  his  intention  to  be  a  speculator,  but 
his  investment  became  so  profitable  and  the  rise  in  land  so  rapid 
that  he  was  soon  quite  wealthy.  He  was  a  man  of  great  energy 
and  did  much  for  the  city  of  Bloomington,  having  laid  out  no 
less  than  six  additions  to  the  place. 

When  the  parents  of  John  Milton  Major  came  to  Blooming- 
ton, young  John  was  sent  to  "pay"  school  to  get  his  early  educa- 
tion. The  "pay"  school  was  one  requiring  a  weekly  or  monthly 
tuition  to  be  paid  for  each  scholar.  If  a  person  wished  to  start 
a  school  he  went  the  rounds  with  his  subscription  paper  to  find 
scholars,  and  if  he  found  enough  pupils,  after  canvassing  the 
neighborhood,  he  started  the  "pay"  school.  A  teacher  was  sel- 
dom questioned  as  to  his  ability,  and  there  were  no  school  di- 
rectors or  boards  of  education  to  examine  him,  so  the  scholars 
were  obliged  to  take  their  chances. 

In  1846  young  John  was  sent  to  Bethany  College,  Virginia, 
where  he  studied  literature  and  science  for  two  years.  He  then 
studied   medicine  in   Bloomington  under  the  care  of  an  elder 


m'lean  county.  297 

brother.  In  1848  and  '49  he  attended  his  first  course  of  medical 
studies  in  Cincinnati,  after  which  he  began  to  practice  as  a  phy- 
sician at  Quincy,  Illinois,  with  old  Doctor  Parsons.  Here  he 
encountered  many  of  the  difficulties  which  are  peculiarly  trou- 
blesome for  young  physicians.  People  want  an  old  doctor,  and 
Doctor  Major's  brow  was  not  wrinkled  with  years.  On  one  oc- 
casion, in  January,  1850,  Dr.  Parsons  was  called  to  go  twenty 
miles  in  the  country,  and,  as  he  did  not  wish  to  face  the  intense 
cold,  sent  young  Dr.  Major.  He  gave  the  latter  a  letter  of  in- 
troduction to  an  old  widow  lady,  whose  children  were  very  sick 
with  pneumonia.  Dr.  Parsons  had  been  the  old  lady's  family 
physician,  in  whom  she  had  great  confidence,  and  she  was  much 
disappointed  with  the  juvenile  appearance  of  Dr.  Major.  She 
heaved  a  great  many  sighs  and  thought  she  could  not  trust  her 
children  in  the  hands  of  this  youth.  But  when  this  juvenile, 
adding  a  year  or  so  to  his  age,  told  her  he  was  twenty-five,  she 
allowed  him,  with  some  misgivings,  to  prescribe  for  her  children. 
He  was  successful  in  curing  them,  and  she  was  quite  as  well  sat- 
isfied as  if  the  old  doctor  had  been  present,  for  she  had  thought 
it  was  age  that  made  the  doctor,  and  not  the  man. 

In  the  summer  of  1849  the  Asiatic  cholera  was  very  bad  at 
Quincy,  and  the  doctor  had  much  practice  with  it.  He  only  re- 
mained at  Quincy  one  year  before  he  removed  to  Macomb, 
where  he  again  met  the  cholera,  which  was  very  wide  spread. 
He  remained  at  Macomb  five  years,  when  he  again  attended  lec- 
tures in  the  hospital  in  the  Ohio  Medical  Institute  at  Cincinnati. 
After  this  he  returned  to  Bloomington,  and  continued  his  prac- 
tice. In  1855,  the  doctor  saj-s,  the  cholera  again  broke  out 
among  our  Irish  friends  in  the  forty  acres.  In  one  family  there 
were  five  cases  of  cholera  at  one  time,  two  in  the  collapsed  stage, 
when  the  doctor  was  called,  but  they  all  recovered  except  one. 
The  doctor  practiced  medicine  in  Bloomington  until  1867. 

In  1857  he  bought  out  the  interest  of  Dr.  Wakefield  in  the 
drug  store  of  Wakefield  &  Thompson,  and  the  new  firm  became 
R.  Thompson  &  Co.  In  1867  he  bought  out  Thompson  and  gave 
up  the  practice  of  medicine,  but  soon  afterwards  sold  out  the 
establishment  to  Ira  Lackey  &  Bro.  Since  then  Dr.  Major  has 
been  engaged  in  trading. 

In  1851  he  married  Adeline  Elkin,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Gar- 
rett Elkin,  of  Springfield,  who  was  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of 


298  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

that  place.     He   has  a  family  of  two  hopeful   and  enterprising 
boys. 

Dr.  Major  is  of  medium  stature  and  rather  slenderly  built. 
He  is  very  quick  in  his  movements  ;  his  eyes  are  very  keen,  and 
he  is  always  ready  for  business.  His  nose  is  aquiline,  and,  like 
that  of  Tennyson's  heroine,  it  is  "tip  tilted  like  the  petal  of  a 
flower."  He  is  a  man  of  great  energy  and  is  far-sighted  in  his 
calculations.  He  has  great  versatility  of  talent,  and  sees  into 
all  things  quickly.  He  is  careful  in  business,  and  can  make 
profits  where  many  another  would  fail.  He  is  very  upright  in 
all  his  doings,  and  is  worthy  of  his  father's  reputation. 

Thomas  Fell. 

Thomas  Fell  was  born  June  11,  1806,  on  a  farm  in  Chester 
County,  Pennsylvania.  His  father,  Jesse  Fell,  was  a  farmer  and 
hatter.  His  ancestors  were  English  and  were  members  of  the 
Society  of  Friends,  but  Thomas  Fell  now  belongs  to  the  Metho- 
dist Church.  He  is  the  second  son  of  nine  children  (seven  sons 
and  two  daughters).  It  seemed  to  be  the  practice  in  the  Fell 
family  to  keep  those  children  who  were  rugged  and  healthy  at 
work  on  the  farm,  while  those  who  were  sickly  were  sent  to 
school.  It  happened  that  Thomas  Fell  possessed  a  remarkably- 
good  constitution,  and  he  was  therefore  kept  at  work,  while  his 
brother  Jesse,  whose  health  was  somewhat  delicate,  was  sent  to 
school  and  received  a  better  education  than  any  of  the  other 
children.  When  Thomas  Fell  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age 
he  was  sent  to  Cecil  County,  Maryland,  to  learn  the  trade  of 
wheelwright.  Two  years  of  his  apprenticeship  were  spent  here 
and  two  years  in  Uwchlan  township,  Chester  County. 

Thomas  Fell  was  married  January  24,  1830,  to  Eleanor 
Evans,  in  Uwchlan  township,  where  he  finished  his  apprentice- 
ship. During  this  same  year  he  commenced  working  at  his 
trade  on  his  own  account  in  a  place  called  Gallagherville,  about 
thirty-two  miles  west  of  Philadelphia.  There  he  remained  for 
two  years  when  he  moved  to  Pequa  Valley,  Lancaster  County, 
where  he  stayed  two  years  and  then  went  to  Chester  County, 
where  he  stayed  one  year,  after  which  he  emigrated  to  the  great 
West. 

He  left  Chester  County  in  May,  and  went  to  Lancaster, 
Ohio,  and  in  September  started  for  Bloomington,  Illinois,  where 


m'lean  county.  299 

he  arrived  October  10,  1835.  At  that  time  his  brother,  Jesse 
W.  Fell,  who  had  come  two  years  previous,  was  the  only  lawyer 
in  Bloomington,  that  is,  the  only  one  who  had  earned  a  diploma. 
Here  Thomas  Fell  went  to  work  as  a  house-builder,  and  con- 
tinued at  this  business  from  1835  to  1852. 

In  February,  1848,  while  Mr.  Fell  was  living  at  Randolph's 
Grove,  he  was  called  upon  to  act  as  auctioneer  to  sell  a  large 
amount  of  cattle  and  other  stock  at  Smith's  Grove  in  McLean 
County.  He  left  home  the  evening  before  the  sale  and  came  as 
far  as  Bloomington,  the  weather  being  as  mild  as  in  the  month 
of  May.  The  next  morning  he  started  for  Smith's  Grove,  while 
the  mercury  was  twenty-six  degrees  below  zero.  It  began  snow- 
ing, and  the  wind,  which  was  in  the  northeast,  blew  with  such 
terrific  force  that  he  was  obliged  to  go  back  to  Bloomington,  as 
his  horse  would  not  face  the  storm.  Within  half  an  hour  after 
his  return  the  sun  shone  clear  and  bright  and  he  started  once 
more  and  arrived  at  Smith's  Grove  with  frozen  ears,  but  saved 
them  by  an  application  of  snow.  The  sale  lasted  until  late,  and 
nearly  every  one  stayed  over  night.  The  next  morning  he  re- 
turned to  Bloomington,  while  the  mercury  was  down  to  thirty 
below  zero,  and  went  to  the  home  of  his  father.  It  was  all  he 
could  do  to  get  into  the  house,  and  there  he  found  himself  so 
frightfully  frozen  that  it  was  a  hard  matter  to  save  his  life. 
When  he  stepped  into  the  house,  he  was  so  drawn  up  and  dis- 
torted with  cold  that  his  own  father  did  not  recognize  him. 

In  1853  Thomas  Fell  and  Jesse  W.  Fell  furnished  forty  thou- 
sand ties  and  between  three  and  four  thousand  cords  of  wood 
for  the  Chicago,  Alton  &  St.  Louis  Railroad. 

In  1860  Thomas  Fell  went  twice  to  Colorado  and  returned, 
crossing  the  plains  four  times.  He  was  anxious  to  find  gold. 
He  started  first  with  a  company  of  about  fourteen  persons. 
Among  them  were  his  nephew,  Henry  C.  Fell,  W.  O.  Davis,  the 
present  proprietor  of  the  Pantograph,  John  Rese,  William  Hill 
and  others.  After  remaining  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  for  some 
time,  his  health  and  that  of  Mr.  Davis  began  to  fail,  and  these 
two  determined  to  return  to  Illinois.  On  their  way  they  had  a 
few  little  experiences  with  the  Indians.  Near  Box  Elder  Springs 
on  the  plains  they  stopped  to  feed  their  horses  and  eat  dinner, 
and  when  they  had  finished,  Mr.  Davis  drove  oft'  with  the  team, 


300  OLD  SETTLERS  OF 

leaving  Mr.  Fell  alone  to  write  up  his  diary.     Suddenly  an  In- 
dian  made  his  appearance  out  of  a  gully  near  by,  and  then  a 
second  and  a  third,  and  Mr.  Fell  retreated  pointing  his  pistol  at 
thera.     At  sight  of  his  pistol  they  held  up  their  hands  for  peace  ; 
nevertheless   they  seemed  to  be  working  to  surround  him,  but 
he  ordered  them  away  very  peremptorily,  and  they  left.     Atone 
time  one  of  their  party,  a  rather  quick-tempered  man,  became 
involved  in  a  difficulty  with  an  Indian  and  attempted  to  strike 
him,  but  missed  him  and  struck  his  horse  instead.     The  Indian 
went  away,  but  Mr.  Fell,  knowing  their  revengeful  character,  felt 
confident  that  the  matter  was  not  ended,  and  the  man,  who  had 
become  involved  in  the  difficulty,  hastened  on  ahead  to  Denver. 
The  Indian  soon  returned  with  a  squad  of  others  to  help  him, 
and  the  whites,  who  were  scattered  around,  all  pointed  the  In- 
dians to  some  timber  near  by,  all  telling  the  same  story,  and  the 
red-skins  finally  left.     From  Denver  the  party  went  to  Colorado 
City,  which  is  at  the  base  of  Pike's  Peak,  and  here  entered  the 
mountains  and  crossed  South  Park  for  California  Gulch,  which 
is  one  hundred  miles  west  of  Denver  in  the  second  snowy  range 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains.     At  one  place  on  this  journey  Mr. 
Fell  broke  his   collar  bone  in  lifting  a  wheel,  while  ascending 
the  mountains.     He  had  no  physician   to  attend  him,  aud  was 
obliged  to  allow  nature  to  work  her  own  cure.     He  returned  to 
Bloomington,  where  he  arrived  in  August,  and  by  the  following 
October  he  was  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  do  some  work. 
Mr.  Fell  has  lived  a  pleasant  life  with  his  amiable  lady.     He 
is  a  heavy  set  man,  of  medium  height,  is  very  muscular  aud  can 
endure  much.     He   is  very  kind,  good-natured  and  accommo- 
dating, and  takes  pleasure  in  giving  help  or  information.     He 
has  had  a   family   of  twelve   children,  of  whom  five  are  living, 
four  daughters  and  one   son.     All  are   married  and   settled  in 
life.     They  are : 

Rebecca  R.  Flesher,  wife  of  Josiah  Flesher,  was  born  Octo- 
ber 19,  1836.  and  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Ellen  Amanda  Dawson,  wife  of  George  Dawson,  was  born 
December  16, 1838,  and  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Rachel  G.  Luccock,  wife  of  Thomas  E.  Luccock,  was  born 
August  14,  1841,  and  lives  at  Lexington,  Illinois. 

Thomas  Hardin  Fell  was  born  November  26,  1847,  and  lives 
at  Jacksonville,  Illinois. 


m'lean  county.  301 

Jane  Ann  Williams,  wife  of  John  A.  Williams,  was  born 
May  20,  1850,  and  lives  in  Normal. 

John    Magoun. 

John  Magoun  was  born  June  14,  1806,  in  Pembroke,  Ply- 
mouth County,  Massachusetts,  twelve  miles  from  Plymouth 
Rock,  and  five  miles  from  the  farm  of  Daniel  Webster,  at  Marsh- 
field.  The  century  and  a-half  old  house  where  he  was  born  is 
still  standing,  and  has  always  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Ma- 
goun family.  The  first  of  the  Magoun  family  of  whom  any 
record  exists  was  John  Magoun,  who  was  a  freeholder  in  1666. 
The  name  "John  "  has  ever  since  been  a  favorite  with  the  Ma- 
goun family,  and  nearly  every  generation  has  taken  care  that  it 
should  not  be  forgotten.  The  father  of  the  John  Magoun  of 
whom  we  are  writing  was  Elias  Magoun,  and  his  mother  was 
Esther  Sampson  before  her  marriage.  They  had  five  sons : 
Elias,  who  was  for  a  while  cashier  of  the  Hope  Bank  of  War- 
ren, Rhode  Island  ;  William,  who  graduated  at  Brown  Univer- 
sity, Rhode  Island,  and  died  in  Turin,  Italy,  in  1871 ;  Calvin, 
who  died  at  Marsh  field,  Massachusetts,  and  John  and  Luther. 
The  parents  of  these  five  sons  were  earnest  Christians,  and 
lived  honored  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  them.  The  chil- 
dren were  brought  up  on  the  Magoun  farm,  and  learned  habits 
of  industry.  John  Magoun  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when 
his  father  died.  After  this  sad  event  he  went  to  Boston  and  for 
several  summers  worked  there  at  the  mason's  trade,  and  during 
winters  taught  school  in  the  country.  While  in  Boston  he  saw 
Lafayette,  during  the  visit  of  the  latter  to  America ;  he  heard 
Webster's  eulogy  on  Adams  and  Jefferson,  in  Fanuil  Hall;  he 
saw  the  corner-stone  of  Bunker  Hill  monument  laid  in  its  place, 
and  he  listened  to  the  sermons  of  Br.  Channing,  Br.  Lyman 
Beecher  and  Father  Taylor.  Mr.  Magoun  had,  in  his  childhood, 
known  Father  Taylor,  and  the  latter  had  in  the  beginning  of  his 
ministry  made  the  Magoun  farm  his  favorite  home. 

On  the  thirtieth  of  September,  1835,  John  Magoun  and  his 
cousin,  Calvin  C.  Sampson,  and  S.  P.  Cox  left  Boston  for  New 
Orleans.  These  three  friends,  who  went  out  together  to  seek 
their  fortune,  had  many  adventures.  Mr.  Sampson  died  in 
Marshfield,  August   9,  1868,  a  few  days  after  he  and  John  Ma- 


302  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


D 


goun  had  met  each  other  in  accordance  with  a  previous  arrange- 
ment. &.  P.  Cox  is  now  a  resident  of  Bloomington.  The  voy- 
age of  these  friends  to  New  Orleans  was  a  rough  one  of  twenty- 
one  days,  and  all  on  board  were  sea  sick.  All  three  were  soon 
engaged  in  business,  but  Magoun  and  Cox  could  not  be  satisfied. 
They  had  read  "  Peck's  Guide  for  Emigrants  to  Illinois,"  and 
nothing  could  prevent  them  from  making  a  visit  to  this  mar- 
velous country.  They  took  a  steamer  for  St.  Louis,  and  made 
the  acquaintance  of  the  river  boatmen.  Mr.  Magoun  says  that 
the  latter  patronized  the  bar  very  extensively,  and  this  showed 
to  his  satisfaction  the  cause  of  the  accidents  which  were  con- 
stantly occurring.  He  found  St.  Louis  a  city  of  eight  thousand 
three  hundred  and  eighteen  inhabitants.  From  St.  Louis,  Ma- 
goun and  his  companion  went  to  Naples,  on  the  Illinois  River, 
and  from  there  to  Jacksonville,  where  a  colony  was  being  form- 
ed with  the  intention  of  settling  somewhere.  They  each  bought 
a  share  in  the  colony,  and  this  entitled  them  each  to  a  quarter 
section  of  land  and  three  town  lots.  The  locating  committee, 
Horatio  N.  Pettit,  John  Gregory  and  George  F.  Purkitt,  located 
the  land  and  reported  that  they  had  entered  twenty-one  sections 
at  Haven's  Grove,  about  ten  miles  north  of  a  little  town 
called  Bloomington,  in  McLean  County.  The  hopeful  colonists 
were  soon  on  their  way  to  the  promised  land,  and  on  their  ar- 
rival put  up  at  the  houses  of  Jesse  Havens,  sr.,  and  his  sons-in- 
law,  Benjamin  Wheeler,  David  Trimmer  and  John  Smith.  Of 
these  colonists  five  are  now  living  :  James  H.  Robinson,  Presi- 
dent of  the  National  Bank  of  Bloomington,  who  joined  the  corn- 
puny  at  Springfield,  James  F.  and  Joseph  D.  Gildersleeve,  S. 
P.  Cox  and  John  Magoun.  Messrs.  Cox  and  Magoun  assisted 
Mr.  Dickason,  the  County  Surveyor,  to  survey  the  colony  lands 
and  lay  off  the  colony  town,  which  was  afterwards  called  Hud- 
son. On  the  fourth  of  July,  1836,  the  colonists  made  their  se- 
lection of  town  lots.  After  this  Mr.  Magoun  came  to  Bloom- 
ington, where  he  had  the  honor  of  laying  some  bricks  in  the  old 
court  house. 

In  the  latter  part  of  December,  1836,  Mr.  Magoun  started  on 
foot  with  two  others,  Joseph  Bedell  and  Chester  Foster,  to  re- 
visit their  homes  in  the  East.  A  record  of  their  travels  was 
kept  and  published  by  Joseph  Bedell.  From  his  little  book  the 
following  incident  of  their  journey  is  given  : 


m'lean  county.  303 

"  The  first  night  we  put  up  at  a  farmer's  house,  and  one  of 
his  daughters,  scarcely  out  of  her  teens,  of  no  extraordinary 
beauty,  attracted  my  special  attention.  In  reply  to  an  inquiry 
of  one  of  my  companions,  in  the  simplicity  and  awkwardness  of 
her  nature,  exclaimed :  '  Mar !  Mar !  that  are  feller  wants 
some  grease  to  grease  his  boots,'  causing  one  of  my  companions 
to  bite  his  lips  tightly  while  the  other  burst  into  a  fit  of  laugh- 
ter. "We  turned  it  off"  upon  some  other  incident,  and  the  young 
lady  never  knew  that  she  was  the  object  of  our  sport."  The 
same  author  says :  "  The  ladies  in  the  West  in  those  days  were 
downright  home-made  looking,  no  artificial  fancy  fixings  to 
adorn  their  persons." 

The  three  travelers  walked  twenty-two  miles  per  day  on  an 
average;  but  in  Ohio  they  bought  a  horse  and  jumper  and  rode 
to  Morristown,  New  Jersey,  and  went  from  there  to  New  York 
by  stage,  where  they  arrived  February  5,  1837.  On  their  route 
they  visited  the  capitols  of  Indiana,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania  and  New 
Jersey,  and  saw  the  assembled  wisdom  of  all  these  States  in 
their  legislative  halls. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Magoun  arrived  at  his  old  home,  his  mother 
died.  Just  before  her  last  change  took  place  she  said  to  her 
son  :  "  I  greatly  desired  to  see  you  once  more ;  this  desire  is 
now  gratified,  and  I  am  ready  and  willing  to  depart." 

While  on  a  subsequent  visit  to  his  old  home  Mr.  Magoun  as- 
sisted in  building  the  tall  chimney  of  the  Roxbury  Chemical 
Works.  While  at  work  on  this  chimney,  at  the  height  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy-six  feet  from  the  ground,  the  inside  scaf- 
folding gave  way  and  precipitated  Mr.  Magoun  and  two  others 
a  distance  of  one.  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  among  the  broken 
fragments.  One  of  the  three  was  killed,  another  nearly  so,  but 
Mr.  Magoun  escaped  with  a  few  bad  bruises  and  scratches.  He 
says  of  the  one  who  was  killed  :  "  He  seemed  to  have  a  pre- 
sentiment of  his  sad  fate.  The  moment  before  he  fell  he  sud- 
denly said,  as  he  looked  eastward  over  Boston  harbor  :  '  I  must 
have  one  more  look  towards  my  dear  old  Ireland  home.'  " 

Mr.  Magoun  was  in  business  in  Clinton,  Illinois,  with  James 
Miller,  and  afterwards  in  Bloomington  with  J.  E.  McClun  and 
others.  At  present  he  is  one  of  the  partners  of  the  Home  Bank 
in  Bloomington.  He  has  some  eleven  hundred  acres  of  laud  of 
the  Hudson  colony  in  a  farm. 


304  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

During  the  year  1849  Mr.  J.  Seeley,  of  Hudson,  went  to 
England  for  his  family.  On  his  return,  he  left  them  at  Chicago 
until  he  could  go  to  Hudson  to  procure  a  conveyance  to  trans- 
port them  to  their  new  home.  On  his  way  to  the  latter  place  he 
stopped  at  Mr.  Lillie's,  was  there  attacked  with  the  cholera  and 
soon  died.  The  most  of  Mr.  Lillie's  family  and  also  the  attend- 
ing physician  died  of  the  same  disease.  This  event  of  course 
caused  general  alarm  in  Bloomington  and  elsewhere ;  neverthe- 
less but  one  case  occurred  in  Bloomington.  Lucian  A.  Samp- 
son, a  merchant  and  worthy  citizen,  was  the  victim.  He  had 
been  to  Chicago,  where  the  cholera  was  prevailing,  and  on  his 
return  was  stricken  down  without  a  moment's  notice  with  this 
disease  in  its  worst  form.  Mr.  Magoun  was  told  of  the  condi- 
tion of  his  friend  Sampson  and  asked  to  attend  him  in  his  sick- 
ness. This  was  not  a  pleasant  task,  but  Mr.  Magoun  could  not 
endure  the  thought  of  seeing  his  neighbor  in  distress,  and  went 
to  his  assistance,  resolving  to  take  the  consequences  whatever 
they  might  be.  This  was  in  the  afternoon.  During  that  night 
Mr.  Sampson  bade  adieu  to  his  child  and  weeping  wife,  saying  : 
"  We  shall  meet  again  in  heaven,"  and  died  the  following  morn- 
ing. Abraham  Brokaw  and  Goodman  Ferre  assisted  in  the 
preparations  for  the  burial.  Every  precaution  was  taken  to  pre- 
vent the  spread  of  the  disease,  and  no  other  cases  appeared  in 
Bloomington.  Nevertheless  this  single  case  created  a  panic. 
One  of  the  citizens,  who  was  called  in  and  assisted  in  placing 
the  body  in  the  coffin,  inquired  the  disease,  and,  when  told  it 
was  cholera,  ran  for  life,  and  leaped  a  high  fence,  which  would 
have  been  impossible  in  his  usual  state  of  mind. 

Mr.  Magoun  was  too  old  a  man  to  serve  in  the  army  during 
the  rebellion  ;  but  he  once  saw  a  day  or  two  of  service.  On  the 
second  of  September,  1862,  at  nearly  midnight,  a  dispatch  was 
received  requesting  a  force  of  two  hundred  men  to  be  instantly 
raised  in  Bloomington,  and  sent  to  Springtield  without  delay. 
Mr.  Magoun  and  thirty  others  enlisted  at  once,  and  the  entire 
force  was  made  up  in  the  morning  and  sent  to  Springfield,  where 
it  was  ascertained  that  it  was  required  to  guard  the  confederate 
prisoners  at  Camp  Butler.  He  was  discharged  after  a  few  days 
service,  and  returned  home  with  the  pleasant  reflection  that 
he  had  done  no  one  any  damage  and  no  one  had  damaged  him. 


m'lean  county.  305 

Mr.  Magoun  is  a  strictly  temperate  man  and  believes  in  total 
abstinence.  While  a  boy  he  often  visited  a  good  aunt,  the  eldest 
sister  of  his  father.  Her  once  kind  and  loving  husband  was 
made  a  drunkard  by  a  wealthy  neighbor,  who  kept  a  licensed 
saloon  at  one  end  of  his  country  store.  There  this  rum-seller 
sold  liquor  to  the  mau,  whose  nerves  were  so  shattered  and 
whose  resolution  was  so  wanting  that  he  was  absolutely  without 
self-control,  and  when  the  wretched  man's  broken-hearted  wife 
pleaded  with  the  rum-seller,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  not  to  make 
her  home  desolate,  he  would  tell  her  that  her  husband's  money 
was  as  good  as  any  other  man's  money,  and  that  a  license  was 
issued  to  sell  liquor  to  all  comers.  It  was  then  that  John  Ma- 
goun learned  to  hate  all  intoxicating  drinks,  including  beer  and 
wine,  and  then  that  he  became  a  strong  advocate  of  the  Maine 
Liquor  Law.  The  unfortunate  man,  who  was  so  completely  un- 
der the  influence  of  liquor,  died  at  last  a  victim  of  intemper- 
ance; but  in  this  case  poetic  justice  was  done,  and  the  liquor- 
seller  himself  died  of  strong  drink. 

John  Magoun  is  also  opposed  to  the  use  of  tobacco,  and 
thinks  it  "the  vilest  of  weeds." 

From  Mr.  Magoun 's  well  known  philanthropy  it  may  be  sup- 
posed that  he  was  an  opponent  of  slavery,  when  the  questions 
relating  to  that  American  institution  were  being  agitated  ;  and 
hardly  the  bondmen  themselves  were  more  rejoiced  than  he, 
when  the  proclamation  of  President  Lincoln  was  issued  to  free 
the  slaves  of  America.  And  the  same  benevolent  feelings,  which 
cause  him  to  sympathize  with  the  distressed,  make  him  an  ad- 
vocate of  peace,  and  he  desires  and  hopes  for  the  coming  of 
that  brighter  day  "when  nations  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against 
nation,  neither  shall  they  war  any  more." 

Mr.  Magoun  is  very  fond  of  children  and  very  highly  esteems 
the  gentler  sex,  among  whom  he  is  a  great  favorite.  He  was 
never  married  but  advises  all  young  men  not  to  follow  his  exam- 
ple, and  exhorts  them  earnestly  to  go  and  not  do  likewise. 

Mr.  Magoun  is  about  five  feet  nine  inches  high,  has  dark 
hair,  blue  eyes,  weighs  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds,  and 
though  sixty-seven  years  of  age  he  would  not  be  taken  by  a 
stranger  for  more  than  fifty.  Few  gray  hairs  have  obtruded 
themselves  upon  his  temples;  his  carriage  is  erect  and  his  step 
20 


306  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

elastic.  He  enjoys  the  society  of  friends,  especially  of  ladies, 
as  he  used  to  do  in  days  gone  by,  and  looks  as  if  his  lease  of  life 
was  good  for  many  years  to  come.  Few  men  have  lived  in  any 
community  so  distinguished  for  kindness  of  heart,  for  charity 
and  purity  of  life.  For  thirty-seven  years  he  has  lived  in  Bloom- 
ington,  and  perhaps  no  man  is  better  known  throughout  the 
county  of  McLean.  Though  generous  and  liberal  almost  to  a 
fault  he  has  accumulated  considerable  personal  and  real  estate, 
and  has  thus  verified  in  his  own  history  the  truth  of  the  scrip- 
ture which  says,  "there  is  that  which  scattereth  and  yetincreas- 
eth."  He  liberally  assisted  the  Wesleyan  University  when  that 
institution  was  struggling  in  its  infancy  and  he  is  now  one  of  its 
trustees  and  rejoices  in  its  prosperity.  He  is  a  man  of  the 
warmest  affection  and  cherishes  the  memory  of  his  dear  brother, 
who  a  few  years  since  died  at  Turin  in  Italy.  Perhaps  the  best 
idea  of  his  character  will  appear  from  the  language  of  one  of 
his  friends  who  wrote  of  him  : 

k-  Xo  man  ever  lived  whose  heart  has  been  more  warm  and 
open  to  the  wants  of  the  poor.  Crowds  of  the  distressed  and 
destitute  have  always  waited  upon  him,  and  the  worthy  and 
needy  applicant  has  never  been  turned  empty  away.  It  may  be 
said  of  him  in  this  community,  as  it  was  in  relation  to  one  of 
old,  that  "  the  ear  that  hears  him  blesses  him,  and  the  eyes  that 
see  him  give  -witness  to  him,"  for  he  has  delivered  so  many  poor 
who  have  cried,  and  the  fatherless  and  him  that  had  none  to  help 
him.  The  blessings  of  those  who  were  ready  to  perish  are 
bestowed  upon  him,  and  he  has  caused  the  widow's  heart  to  sing 
for  joy.  Eyes  has  he  been  to  the  blind  and  feet  to  the  lame. 
He  has  been  a  father  to  the  poor  and  the  cause,  which  he  knetv 
not  he  has  sought  out.  Such  has  been  the  life  of  John  Magoun. 
lie  has  sought  neither  honor  nor  position  in  the  world,  but  has 
striven  only  to  do  good  and  to  make  all  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact  happier  and  better,  and  when  he  lays  him  down  to  die 
the  people  among  whom  he  has  lived  so  long  will  rise  up  and 
call  him  blessed,  yea,  they  will  weep  over  his  grave  and  say  in 
their  hearts  'Here  lies  the  poor  man's  friend.'  " 

Thomas  Jefferson  Karr. 

Thomas  Jefferson  Karr  was  born  in    Whitewater  township, 
Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  near  Miami  Town,  close  to  the  Miami 


m'lean  county.  307 

River,  February  10,  1821.  His  father,  Thomas  Karr,  was  a 
farmer  born.  Young  Thomas  received  some  little  education  in 
Ohio.  He  came  with  his  father  to  Randolph's  Grove,  about 
eight  miles  from  the  present  city  of  Bloomington,  in  1835.  Here 
he  attended  a  district  school  in  a  log  school  house.  In  1843  he 
married  Elizabeth  Low,  the  daughter  of  Nathan  Low,  one  of 
the  old  settlers  of  McLean  County.  Mrs.  Karr  is  still  living, 
and  with  her  youngest  son  Guy  manages  the  property  acquired 
by  the  patient  toil  of  her  husband.  Mr.  Karr  was  an  extensive 
farmer  and  dealer  in  stock.  He  commenced  life  with  some  as- 
sistance from  his  father,  but  the  most  of  his  property  was  ac- 
quired by  his  own  foresight  and  patient  toil.  He  was  rather 
delicate  in  his  constitution,  and  died  on  the  17th  of  February, 
18G6,  in  consequence  of  a  railroad  accident  received  about  two 
weeks  previous. 

Mrs.  Karr  could  not  claim  damages  of  the  railroad  company 
for  the  loss  of  her  husband  because  she  refused  to  allow  a  post 
mortem  examination. 

Mrs.  Karr  remembers  ver}'  clearly  the  Black  Hawk  war  in 
1832.  At  that  time  many  of  the  settlers  moved  South  for  fear 
of  an  Indian  massacre ;  but  Mr.  Low  and  his  family,  of  which 
Airs.  Karr  was  a  member,  remained.  Mrs.  Karr  has  lively  re- 
collections of  the  trips  to  Chicago,  which  required  from  fifteen 
to  seventeen  days.  Mr.  Karr  hauled  wheat  to  Chicago  for 
thirty  cents  per  bushel.  There  were  four  stopping  places  on  the 
road  between  Blooming  Grove  and  Chicago.  These  were  Oli- 
ver's Grove,  Brewer's  Grove,  Ephard's  Point  and  Kankakee. 

The  weather  in  early  days  was  more  changeable  than  now. 
Mrs.  Karr  remembers  that  very  often  there  were  four  decided 
changes  of  the  weather  in  twenty-four  hours.  During  the  win- 
ter of  the  deep  snow  she  walked  on  the  hard  crust  to  school  at 
the  Hinshaw  school  house. 

The  late  Thomas  Jefferson  Karr  was  a  man  of  medium 
height,  slender  and  well  proportioned.  He  was  very  keen  in 
business  matters,  but  upright  and  honest  in  his  dealings.  His 
eyes  were  mild  and  gentle  in  expression.  He  was  well  known 
and  universally  respected ;  he  was  very  kind  and  hospitable  and 
always  ready  to  help  his  neighbors. 


308  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

The  following  are  Mr.  Karr's  children  : 

Harvey  B.  Karr,  born  October  26,  1843,  lives  on  his  farm 
near  Shirley.     He  deals  in  stock.     He  has  a  family. 

Mrs.  Lizzie  Bradley,  wife  of  Dr.  Bradley,  was  born  Decem- 
ber 8,  1845.     She  lives  in  Pekin. 

Guy  Karr  was  born  May  20,  1850.  He  lives  with  his 
mother. 

Martha  Karr  was  born  December  9,  1853,  died  July  2,  1856. 

Dora  Karr  was  born  April  16,  1857  and  lives  at  home  with 
her  mother. 

Hon.  James   Miller. 

James  Miller  was  born  May  23,  1795,  in  Rockingham  Coun- 
ty, Virginia.  His  ancestors  were  Scotch-Irish  ;  his  grandfather 
was  a  Presbyterian  minister  in  Ireland.  Young  James  received 
such  an  education  as  could  be  obtained  in  a  district  school,  for 
his  father  had  quite  a  flock  of  little  ones  to  take  care  of;  there 
were  ten  of  them  in  all,  nine  boys  and  one  girl.  In  1811  his 
father  moved  to  Madison  County,  Kentucky,  on  account  of  his 
ill  health.  This  was  when  James  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  It 
was  intended  that  James  should  be  a  farmer,  and  he  was  raised 
with  a  view  to  this  occupation  ;  but,  having  a  talent  for  trade, 
he  became  a  merchant.  When  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  he 
was  filling  the  offices  of  collector  and  sheriff,  positions  of  trust 
and  responsibility.  At  that  time  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church.  Christianity  was  not  then  fashionable. 
Popular  feeling  was  against  it,  and  especially  against  the  Meth- 
odist denomination.  It  was  in  the  face  of  this  popular  feeling 
and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  was  holding  a  position  depend- 
ent, in  a  great  measure,  upon  popular  will,  that  he  took  Li- 
stand  for  the  Lord  and  determined  to  lead  a  Christian  life.  Mr. 
Miller  was  earnest  and  devoted  and  soon  was  made  a  class 
leader,  and  afterwards  a  recording  steward.  During  the  whole 
of  his  remaining  life  he  occupied  positions  of  trust  and  respon- 
sibility in  the  church,  and  was  indeed  one  of  its  brightest  orna- 
ments. 

Mr.  Miller  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  lived  only 
one  year.  His  daughter,  who  was  born  during  his  first  mar- 
riage, is  living  in  Kentucky. 


m'lean  county.  309 

On  the  18th  of  March,  1827,  he  married  Mrs.  Belle  McGar- 
vey,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by  Bishop  Morris.  She  is 
an  excellent  lady,  and  during  their  whole  wedded  life,  a  period 
of  forty-five  years,  she  sympathised  with  him  and  worked  with 
him  in  the  cause  of  Christianity.  They  have  had  three  boys 
born  to  them,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

While  in  Kentucky  Mr.  Miller  was  dissatisfied  with  the  in- 
stitution of  slavery,  and  for  that  reason  he  determined  to  leave 
the  State.  His  wife  disliked  this  very  much,  but  when  she  saw 
how  much  Mr.  Miller  was  annoyed  by  the  condition  of  things 
around  him,  and  how  much  he  wished  to  go,  she  said,  like  a 
prudent  wife  :  "  Husband,  in  case  you  wish  to  go,  now  is  the 
time.  I  will  not  stand  in  the  way.  Our  children  will  soon  be 
waited  on  by  slaves,  and  it  will  then  be  hard  to  break  away." 

In  1835  he  came  to  Bloomington,  Illinois.  Here  he  went 
into  mercantile  business  in  partnership  with  John  Magoun,  and 
afterwards  with  John  Magoun  and  Judge  McClun.  He  entered 
a  great  deal  of  land  and  had  a  large  city  property. 

In  1856,  Mr.  Miller  was  elected  State  Treasurer  of  Illinois, 
and  so  well  and  faithfully  did  he  fulfill  the  trust  reposed  in  him 
that  he  was  re-elected  in  1858.  Mr.  Miller's  long  and  useful 
life  was  brought  to  a  close  on  the  twenty-third  day  of  Septem- 
ber, 1872.  His  funeral  was  largely  attended ;  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, of  which  he  was  an  honored  member,  taking  an  active 
part.  At  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  held  October  14,  1872,  in  Bloomington,  resolutions  of 
respect  were  passed  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Miller.  The  follow- 
ing is  one  of  the  resolutions  passed  : 

"  Resolved,  That  our  faith  is  an  unfaltering  one  that  the  de- 
parted, who  has  so  long  been  to  us  a  brother,  a  counselor  and  a 
friend,  is  now  among  the  angels  and  the  redeemed  in  heaven, 
where  we  hope  to  meet  him  when  the  journey  of  life  is  ended." 

William  H.  Temple. 

William  II.  Temple  was  born  December  10,  1811,  at  Rich- 
mond, Virginia.  His  ancestors  emigrated  from  England  at  an 
early  day.  He  was  one  of  eleven  children,  but  of  these  only  five 
grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  When  he  was  four  years  old 
his  father,  who  had  been   a  merchant  in  Richmond,  removed 


310  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

with  his  family  to  a  farm  in  Davidson  County,  Tennessee,  about 
four  miles  from  Nashville.  Here  William  worked  on  the  farm 
in  summer  and  attended  school  in  winter,  from  his  sixth  to  his 
sixteenth  year.  At  that  time  he  obtained  a  situation  as  clerk  in 
a  dry  goods  and  hardware  store  in  Nashville,  kept  by  a  jolly 
Scotchman.  Here  he  stayed  four  years,  when  his  father  sold 
out  and  moved  to  a  farm  in  Shelby  County,  "West  Tennessee- 
Here  William  lived  until  December,  1835,  when  he  came  to 
visit  his  uncle  in  Bloomington.  He  came  with  no  intention  of 
remaining,  but  concluded  to  stay  one  year  as  a  clerk  for  J.  W. 
S.  Moore,  and  at  last  settled  here  for  life. 

In  February,  1838,  he  married  Miss  Mildred  Elizabeth  Parke. 
This  lady  was  born  in  Virginia.  She  came  to  Illinois  in  1835. 
She  is  still  living,  and  also  her  mother,  Mrs.  Parke,  who  is  now 
seventy-three  years  of  age.  Mr.  Temple's  marriage  was  blessed 
by  the  birth  of  ten  children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

In  the  fall  of  1838  he  commenced  business  on  his  own 
account.  There  were  then  in  Bloomington  only  five  stores. 
These  belonged  to  J.  E.  McClun,  Baker  &  Son,  0.  Covel  k  Co., 
James  Allin  and  William  H.  Temple.  Trade  was  small,  but 
profits  were  larger  than  at  present.  Some  of  his  first  and  best 
customers  were  old  James  Price,  John  Benson,  Jesse  Funk, 
Isaac  Funk,  Omey  Only  and  Bailej-  Harbord.  The  last  four  are 
now  dead.  Business  was  then  done  on  the  credit  system.  The 
customers  traded  for  a  year  before  they  paid  up,  and  perhaps 
even  then  they  failed  to  square  their  accounts.  Mr.  Temple  has 
sold  goods  longer  than  any  other  merchant  in  Bloomington, 
havins:  continued  in  the  business  from  1838  until  1871.  This 
period  of  time  covers  a  great  many  financial  crises.  In  1837  the 
United  States  Bank  suspended  payment,  and  nearly  all  the 
banks  in  the  country  did  the  same,  which  made  money  very 
close.  In  February,  1842,  the  Illinois  State  Bank  in  Springfield 
suspended  and  money  became  so  scarce  that  sometimes  people 
could  not  pay  the  postage  on  letters  sent  to  them.  Postage  on 
letters  was  then  from  eighteen  to  twenty-five  cents.  The  failure 
of  the  State  Bank  was  caused  by  its  making  heavy  loans  to 
farmers  in  McLean  and  adjoining  counties,  and  the  failure  of  the 
farmers  to  pay.  But  by  the  breaking  of  the  bank  a  great  many 
farmers  made  their  fortunes  ;  for  the  bank  paper  could  be  bought 


m'lean  county.  311 

for  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents  on  the  dollar,  and  many  who 
were  owing  the  bank  bought  up  its  paper  and  paid  their  indebt- 
edness. Mr.  Temple  remembers  that  his  friend,  Isaac  Funk,  was 
security  to  the  amount  of  six  thousand  dollars  for  a  farmer 
named  Albert  Dickinson,  who  lived  on  Money  Creek.  Mr. 
Dickinson  gave  Mr.  Funk  a  deed  of  one  thousand  acres  of  land 
for  it,  and  Mr.  Funk  bought  bank  paper  for  thirty.seven  and  a 
half  cents  on  the  dollar  and  paid  the  loan,  thus  making  in  this 
little  transaction  §3,750.  People  who  had  a  little  cash  in  those 
days  could  make  a  fortune  in  a  few  minutes.  In  1841,  the  year 
previous  to  the  failure  of  the  State  Bank,  the  bankruptcy  law 
was  passed  and  many  people  took  advantage  of  it  and  failed. 
This  was  during  Harrison's  (or  rather  Tyler's)  administration. 
At  that  time  the  best  butter  was  sold  for  five  cents  per  pound, 
corn  from  eight  to  ten  cents  per  bushel,  and  wood  for  one  dollar 
per  cord.  Game  was  plenty,  and  quails  sold  for  twenty-five 
cents  per  dozen.  On  the  other  hand,  many  things  which  farmers 
bought  were  exceedingly  high.  Calico  was  thirty- seven  and  a 
half  cents  per  yard  (now  twelve  and  a  half  cents),  and  it  may 
well  be  supposed  that  ladies  wore  very  economical  in  their 
dresses.  Seven  yards  of  calico  were  considered  sufficient  for  a 
dress,  and  the  largest  took  only  eight  yards,  but  now  twelve  or 
fifteen  yards  are  thought  necessary.  People  usually  wore  home- 
spun which  they  brought  to  a  tailor  to  be  cut  and  then  carried 
it  home  to  their  wives  to  be  made  into  garments.  There  were 
then  only  two  tailors  in  Bloomington  and  no  dressmakers  or 
shoemakers.  A  couple  of  cobblers  were  kept  busy  mending 
boots  and  shoes,  but  not  in  making  them.  The  best  imported 
calf-skin  boots  sold  for  five  dollars.  The  merchants  in  Bloom- 
ington usually  bought  their  goods  in  St.  Louis,  but  Gridley  and 
Covel  bought  in  Philadelphia.  When  the  river  was  sufficiently 
high,  goods  were  brought  by  way  of  Pekin.  This  was  usually 
done  in  the  spring  ;  but  in  the  fall  the  river  was  low  and  goods 
were  hauled  by  team  from  St.  Louis.  The  mail  to  SULouis  or 
to  New  York  was  carried  by  land. 

Mr.  Temple  has  many  pleasant  recollections  of  the  old 
settlers.  He  was  three  times  in  partnership  with  Allen  Withers, 
of  whom  we  have  written  a  sketch,  and  found  him  to  be  at  all 
times  the  soul  of  honor.     Owing  to  long  sickness  and  infirmity 


312  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Temple  failed  in  business  about  two  years  ago,  and  in  this 
trying  period  his  integrity  and  fine  sense  of  honor  compelled 
him  to  give  up  everything  to  his  creditors,  except  the  house  and 
lot  where  he  lives.  But  he  may  be  sure  that  in  all  of  his  hours 
of  trial  his  old  friends  will  have  for  him  the  warmest  respect 
and  the  most  tender  sympathy. 

Mr.  Temple  is  now  quite  broken  down  in  health  ;  he  is  much 
troubled  with  rheumatism,  so  much  so  that  his  right  arm  cannot 
be  used.  He  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  is  slen- 
derly built  and  walks  a  little  bent,  as  if  with  age  and  care.  He 
is  a  man  of  delicate  sensibilities  and  of  a  rather  nervous  temper- 
ament. His  eyesight  is  good,  though  his  hearing  has  partially 
failed.  Hie  features  are  rather  small  and  his  nose  sharp.  His 
hair  is  gray,  but  he  has  plenty  of  it.  His  uprightness  and 
honesty  are  written  in  his  countenance.  All  who  dealt  with  him 
while  he  was  a  merchant  speak  particularly  of  his  fairness  and 
strict  integrity. 

James  Depew. 

James  Depew  was  born  January  8, 1800,  in  Botetourt  County, 
Virginia,  fifteen  miles  from^Fincastle,  the  county  seat.  His 
grandfather  on  his  father's  side,  named  John  Depew,  emigrated 
from  England  before  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  was  too  old 
to  serve  in  that  contest,  but  his  two  older  sons  were  engaged  in 
the  whole  of  it.  He  emigrated  from  England  to  New  Jersey  in 
1745,  when  he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  Then  he  moved  to 
Rockbridge  County,  Virginia,  and  thence  to  Botetourt  County. 
Here  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  had 
reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years.  He  raised  six 
sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom  grew  up  to  years  of  discre- 
tion. Elijah  Depew,  the  father  of  James  Depew,  was  the  fifth 
child.  The  mother  of  James  was  of  the  race  of  Ben  Burden. 
Ben  Burden  was  a  notable  man.  lie  came  to  America  from 
England  and  shortly  after  signalized  his  arrival  by  capturing  a 
bufi'alo  calf  and  sending  it  to  England  as  a  present  to  Queen 
Elizabeth.  The  Queen  showed  her  appreciation  of  it  by  grant- 
ing him  one  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  in  the  Virginia 
Valley,  between  the  Blue  Ridge  and  the  Allegheny  Mountains. 
Ben  Burden's  daughter  married  a  man   named  Peck,  and  Peck 


m'lean  county.  313 

was  James  Depew's  grandfather.  Peck  was  a  German,  and 
received  from  Ben  Burden,  with  his  wife,  a  gift  of  one  thousand 
acres  of  land.  He  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  twelve  years  of 
age.  When  he  was  over  one  hundred  years  of  age  a  man  named 
Harvey  made  him  drunk  with  wine  and  bought  his  land  for  four 
hundred  dollars.  The  Pecks  sued  Harvey  and  the  case  remained 
in  court  for  seventy  years  before  it  was  decided,  by  which  time 
the  old  generation  of  Pecks  were  all  dead.  But  the  new  gener- 
ation won  the  case ;  nevertheless,  Elijah  Depew,  whose  wife  was 
a  daughter  of  Peck,  never  received  any  of  the  money,  as  he  left 
Virginia  in  1816,  and  did  not  learn  of  the  matter  until  the  money 
had  been  divided. 

Elijah  Depew  came  to  Orange  County,  Indiana,  in  1816, 
where  he  settled  as  a  farmer.  James  Depew  received  some  edu- 
cation in  Virginia  and  continued  his  studies  in  Indiana  during 
the  winter  months.  In  1824  he  made  a  trip  to  New  Orleans  on 
a  flatboat,  with  his  brother  and  a  man  who  owned  half  the  boat 
and  cargo.  The  cargo  consisted  of  two  hundred  bushels  of 
potatoes  and  eight  hundred  bushels  of  corn.  They  started  from 
the  east  fork  of  White  River  on  the  fourteenth  of  February  and 
arrived  at  New  Orleans  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  March.  The 
latter  part  of  their  journey  was  made  rough  by  storms,  but  they 
went  safely  through  them.  They  realized  very  little  from  their 
venture,  scarcely  making  enough  to  pay  expenses.  After  selling 
the  cargo  James  returned  by  steamboat,  while  his  brother  stayed 
some  time  longer  to  dispose  of  the  cargo.  While  he  was  in  New 
Orleans  a  terrible  storm  occurred,  which  sank  twenty  flat-boats. 
All  of  these  things  made  such  an  impression  on  James'  mind 
that  he  declared  that  one  journey  was  enough. 

James  Depew's  father  died  July  24,  1824,  and  James  and  his 
brother  took  charge  of  the  family  until  1831.  James  Depew 
then  married  Judith  Hill  in  Orange  County,  Indiana.  She  had 
come  to  the  new  country  with  her  parents  from  North  Carolina. 
She  died  in  April,  1846,  and  Mr.  Depew  has  never  since  been 
married.  He  has  had  a  family  of  six  children,  three  of  whom 
are  now  living. 

In  November,  1834,  James  Depew  went  with  a  company  of 
nine  persons  to  look  at  the  far  West,  and  decide  where  to  locate. 
They  started  from  Peoli  in  Southern  Indiana.     At  Indianapolis 


314  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

the  mother,  sister  and  brother  of  James  Depew  remained  behind. 
The  remaining  six  proceeded  to  Chicago  which  was  a  little  town 
of  perhaps  seven  hundred  people.  He  enjoyed  himself  shooting 
black  squirrels  which  were  then  very  plenty.  Very  little  of 
interest  was  to  be  seen  in  Chicago.  It  was  a  muddy  little  place 
and  one  of  their  company,  David  Adams,  a  New  Englander, 
could  not  be  induced  to  invest  six  hundred-  dollars  in  Chicago 
property;  indeed,  hardly  any  of  the  party  would  then  have 
taken  property  there  as  a  gift  and  settle  on  it.  From  Chicago 
they  went  to  Ottawa,  which  then  contained  a  few  little  houses 
among  the  bluffs.  Here  the  party  separated.  James  and  two 
others  went  to  Danville,  crossing  the  big  prairie  near  Pontiac. 
From  there  he  returned  to  Indiana.  In  the  spring  of  1835  James 
Depew  and  his  two  brothers  came  West  with  all  their  effects 
and  wives  and  children,  (the  elder  brother  was  married,  the 
younger  not).  At  Blooming  Grove  Mr.  Depew  commenced 
farming  on  land  rented  of  his  cousin.  He  afterwards  farmed  for 
seven  years  where  Normal  now  stands  on  land  owned  by  James 
Miller.  Mr.  Depew  has  bought  and  sold  some  real  estate  in 
Bloomington,  has  acquired  a  competency  and  now  enjoys  his  old 
age  among  his  happy  and  grateful  children.  When  he  came 
here  Bloomington  had  about  two  hundred  inhabitants,  and  he 
has  been  most  agreeably  surprised  at  its  magnificent  growth. 
He  hauled  the  brick  and  mortar  for  the  present  court  house, 
from  the  first  story  up. 

James  Depew  is  of  medium  height,  has  gray  eyes,  reads 
common  print  without  spectacles.  His  hair  is  white  and  he  has 
plenty  of  it.  In  his  younger  days  he  was  very  active,  and  he  has 
always  enjoyed  the  best  of  health. 

Matthew  Huston  Hawks. 

Matthew  H.  Hawks  was  born  April  4,  1804,  in  Clark  County, 
Kentuck3T.  His  father's  name  was  Lewis  Hawks,  and  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Blanton.  His  father  was  of  Ger- 
man and  Scotch  descent.  His  father's  remote  ancestors  were  a 
family,  which  came  at  an  early  day  from  Germany  to  New  York, 
where  the  brothers  scattered.  When  Matthew  Hawks  was  four 
years  of  age  his  mother  died,  and  when  he  was  twelve  years  of 
age  his  father  also  died,  and  Matthew  was  left  alone  in  the  world. 


m'lean  county.  315 

His  father  had,  before  his  death,  moved  to  Jessamine  County. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  Matthew  Hawks  was  apprenticed  to  a 
man  named  Hugh  Foster  to  learn  the  tailoring  business.  He 
served  his  time  as  an  apprentice  faithfully  for  five  years.  Mr. 
Foster  was  one  of  the  best  of  men  and  treated  the  orphan  under 
his  charge  as  a  father  would  his  son.  This  kind  treatment  was 
appreciated  and  the  sensitive  and  grateful  apprentice  never  dis- 
appointed the  master,  but  often  sat  up  until  twelve  or  one  o'clock 
at  night  in  order  that  some  contract  might  be  fulfilled  at  the 
time  promised.  He  remained  with  his  old  master  for  eight  years 
after  the  apprenticeship  was  ended.  When  he  was  twenty-two 
years  of  age  Mr.  Hawks  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Campbell, 
with  whom  he  lived  until  November,  1832,  when  she  died  of 
consumption.  In  1829  he  went  to  Hopkinsville  in  Christian 
County,  Kentucky,  where  he  engaged  in  business  with  his 
brother  and  remained  with  him  until  1835.  In  1834  he  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Major,  the  daughter  of  William  T.  Major. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  came  to  Illinois  to  look  at  the  country, 
with  his  father-in-law,  who  had  bought  land  in  McLean  County. 
Mr.  Hawks  himself  bought  property  here  before  he  saw  it, 
though  he  intended  to  go  to  Chicago.  He  came  to  Blooming- 
ton  on  his  way  to  Chicago,  but  found  that  the  road  to  the  latter 
place  was  simply  a  trail,  and  exceedingly  dangerous  to  travel 
by  one  not  accustomed  to  it.  He  went  back  to  Kentucky  that 
fall  and  returned  to  Bloomington  the  following  fall  with  the 
intention  of  buying  land  and  going  to  farming,  but  some  of  his 
friends  persuaded  him  to  go  into  the  dry  goods  business  with 
which  he  was  acquainted.  He  started  in  business  in  AVashing- 
ton,  Tazewell  County,  where  he  remained  three  years  and  then 
came  to  Bloomington,  where  he  continued  his  business  until 
1845  on  twelve  months  credit.  But  he  found  it  impossible  to 
make  money  and  stopped  and  went  into  the  oil  business  and  to 
wool  carding  and  cloth  dressing.  He  was  anxious  to  obtain 
flax-seed  and  advertised  the  country  thoroughly  for  that  purpose 
and  succeeded  in  getting  three  bushels  only.  He  sowed  the 
three  bushels  and  during  the  next  year  re-sowed  all  the  flax  seed 
gathered  from  his  first  crop,  raising  thirty  acres  of  flax.  He 
then  loaned  seed  to  the  farmers  for  planting.  All  this  was  done 
for  the  purpose  of  starting  the  oil  business.     In  the  meantime 


316  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

he  was  carrying  on  the  wool  carding  business.     He  carded  wool 
from  May  until  September,  running  three  large  machines.  After 
that  he  made  linseed  oil  and  sent  it  to   Chicago  by  team,  for 
seventy-five  cents  less  per  barrel  than   he   could  send  it  now  by 
railroad.     There   he   found  ready  sale  for   it,  but  at  moderate 
prices.    He  retailed  the  oil  in  Bloomington  for  seventy-five  cents 
per  gallon  and  sold  about  a  barrel  in  a  year.     He  manufactured 
from  one  to  two  barrels  per  day  in  the  season  for  running.    The 
oil  cakes,  weighing  six  or  seven  pounds  each,  were  sold  for  a 
cent  a  piece,  and  were  used  for  fuel.     He  once  received  an  offer 
for  his  oil  cakes  from  St.  Louis,  but  it  was  so  low  that  he  could 
not  have  delivered  black  dirt  there  at   such  a  figure.     He  sold 
oil  at  St.  Louis  and  Chicago,  but  the  latter  was  the  better  mar- 
ket, and  there   he  found  very  honorable  men   to  deal  with.     In 
the  St.  Louis  market  he  could   not  find  one  honorable   man  in 
the  commission  business;  they  would  "chisel"  him  every  time 
he  dealt  with  them.     Pie  often  took  oil  to  the  St.  Louis  men  and 
when  it  was  low  he  would  tell  them  to  hold  until  it  came  up,  but 
when  it  rose  they  would  sell  it  and  report  to  him  that  it  was  sold 
while  low,  and  they  pocketed  the  difference.    In  addition  to  this 
they  would  charge  cartage,  storeage,  cooperage  and  a  half  dozen 
other  things  ;  they  would  swindle  him  on  the  guaging  at  the  rate 
of  a  gallon  per  barrel,  and  at  last  he   refused   to  send   oil  there 
any  more.     When  a  man  named  Flint,  at  Pekin,  wished  to  for- 
ward some  oil  to  St.  Louis  for  Mr.  Hawks,  the  latter  refused, 
unless  the  cash  was  paid  before  the  barrels  of  oil  were  rolled  on 
the  steamboat.     But  when  he  shipped  to  Chicago  he  dealt  with 
a  Mr.  L.  M.  Boice,  who  was  one  of  the  most  honorable  men  in 
the  commission  business.     Mr.  Boice  would  charge  interest  on 
advances,  but  would  allow  interest  on  sales  as  fast  as  made.   The 
people  were  then  troubled  by  counterfeiters  more  than  at  pres- 
ent, as  less  care  was  taken  at  that  time  in  the  engraving  of  bank 
bills.  Mr.  Boice  would  paste  such  counterfeit  bills  as  he  received 
in   his  book  for  reference.     But  at  one  time  a  clerk  knowingly 
passed  a  counterfeit  bill  and  Mr.  Boice  discharged  him  immedi- 
ately, saying  that  any  one  who   would  cheat  a  customer  would 
cheat  an  employer.     Mr.  Hawks  thinks  the    honorable  course 
pursued  by  the   Chicago  commission  merchants  was  one  great 
cause  of  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  that  city. 


m'lban  county.  317 

On  the  whole  Mr.  Hawks  did  pretty  well  with  the  cloth- 
dressing  business,  but  the  oil  business  was  much  poorer.  During 
one  year  he  worked  up  ten  thousand  bushels  of  flax-seed.  He 
thinks  the  raising  of  flax  prepares  the  ground  for  wheat.  Mr. 
Samuel  Barnard  had  a  piece  of  ground  sowed  to  wheat  which 
followed  a  crop  of  flax.  He  threshed  out  one  acre  to  find  the 
yield  precisely,  and  it  was  forty-two  bushels  of  the  best  of  wheat. 

In  1850  Mr.  Hawks  sold  out  his  business  in  Bloomington  and 
went  to  Lacon,  Marshall  County,  and  kept  a  hotel,  then  went  to 
Pekin  and  there  engaged  in  the  same  business.  When  the  rail- 
roads started  up  a  year  or  two  afterwards,  he  left  the  hotel  busi- 
ness and  in  1853  came  to  Bloomington  and  kept  a  boarding- 
house  for  twelve  or  fifteen  years. 

Mr.  Hawks  has  had  four  children,  one  born  during  his  first 
marriage  and  three  during  his  second.  They  are  all  married, 
and  he  has  children  in  the  third  generation.     His  children  are  : 

Mrs.  Sarah  Munsell,  wife  of  Zerah  Munsell,  lives  at  Chenoa. 

Mrs.  Margaret  Lander,  wife  of  Richard  M.  Lander,  lives  in 
Bloomington. 

Mrs.  Mary  Reeves,  wife  of  0.  T.  Reeves,  lives  in  Normal. 

Tom  Jefferson  Hawks  was  named  Tom  to  prevent  him  from 
being  nicknamed,  but  he  is  now  nicknamed  Thomas.  He  lives 
in  Bloomington. 

Mr.  Hawks  is  five  feet  and  eight  inches  in  height.  He  is 
strongly  made  and  seems  a  very  solid  man.  He  has  always  been 
remarkably  healthy,  was  never  sick  enough  to  be  in  bed.  He 
has  the  full  possession  of  all  of  his  senses,  has  a  healthy  red  face 
and  seems  to  enjoy  life.  He  seems  to  be  a  good  man  of  busi- 
ness ;  he  likes  to  see  men  do  business  honestly  and  wishes  dis- 
honesty rebuked.  He  is  a  very  cheerful  man,  loves  a  joke  and 
appreciates  wit  and  humor.  He  has  been  a  kind  father  to  his 
children ;  he  never  struck  one  of  them  in  his  life,  and  this  plan 
has  been  remarkably  successful.  He  has  raised  two  children  not 
his  own  and  has  ever  been  careful  to  govern  by  kindness.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  tender  and  kind-hearted  of  men.  He  left  Kentucky 
on  account  of  slavery,  as  the  goodness  of  his  heart  would  not 
allow  him  to  remain  longer  than  was  necessary  in  the  presence 
of  that  terrible  evil ;  more  than  that  he  thought  it  no  place  to 
raise  children.     He  has  always  been  kind  to  orphan  children, 


318  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

for  he  remeinbers  that  he  was  himself  an  orphan.  He  loves  to 
talk  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  country,  and  thinks  he  enjoyed 
himself  more  in  those  early  days,  when  people  helped  each  other 
and  raised  each  other's  houses,  than  he  ever  has  since.  He  was 
twice  justice  of  the  peace  in  Bloomington.  He  resigned  during 
his  first  term,  but  was  re-elected.  While  serving  as  justice  of 
the  peace  he  had  the  pleasure  of  marrying  Captain  John  L. 
Routt,  who  is  now  Second  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 

Samuel  Lander. 

Samuel  Lander  was  born  January  21, 1798,  in  Clark  County, 
Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  John  Lander  and  his  mother's 
name  before  her  marriage  was  Sallie  Skinner.  John  Lander 
was  of  English  and  Yankee  descent.  His  grandfather,  Henry 
Lander,  came  from  England  and  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  years  of  age.  Sallie  Skinner  was  probably  of  German 
descent.  In  1816  the  family  came  to  Christian  Count}-,  Ken- 
tucky. There  Mr.  Lander  lived  until  1835  when  he  came  to 
Illinois.  The  journey  was  a  pleasant  one.  They  traveled  by 
team  in  company  with  three  other  families,  numbering  sixteen 
persons  in  all.  They  camped  out  b}7  the  way  and  enjoyed  life 
in  the  open  air.  They  arrived  in  Bloomington,  October  20,  and 
for  a  few  weeks  Mr.  Lander's  family  lived  with  the  families  of 
Ludwell  E.  Rucker  and  John  Enlow,  in  a  little  shanty  about  six- 
teen feet  square.  It  was  made  of  rails  and  was  weather-boarded 
with  clapboards  split  and  shaved.  This  shanty  had  been  put  up 
by  Mr.  Lander  sometime  previous  to  his  settlement,  when  he 
came  to  the  country  and  bought  land.  He  afterwards  made  an 
addition  to  the  shanty  by  moving  a  little  eighteen  feet  square 
cabin  up  from  the  woods.  He  made  a  chimney  for  it  by  laying 
up  brickbats  without  mortar,  because  of  the  cold  weather. 

Mr.  Lander  commenced  farming  and  raising  stock.  The 
wolves  troubled  him  and  he  troubled  the  wolves,  and  at  last  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  better  of  them. 

The  finances  of  the  State  of  Illinois  were  in  a  fearful  condi- 
tion from  1838  to  1847.  "  Money  was  then  a  great  rarity."  Men 
of  the  best  of  judgment  were  discouraged,  and  land  within  two 
miles  of  Bloomington  sold  for  a  dollar  per  acre.  \Vheat,  pork, 
cattle,  everything  sold  for  a  song.     During  the   winter  of  1841 


m'lean  county.  319 

and  '42  Mr.  Lander  and  several  others  put  their  hogs  together 
in  a  "  bunch,"  took  them,  about  five  hundred  in  all,  to  Chicago, 
and  after  they  were  butchered  the  meat  brought  two  dollars  per 
hundred.  Mr.  Lander  took  oxen  to  Milwaukee,  "Wisconsin,  and 
there  sold  them  for  between  twenty-five  and  forty-five  dollars 
per  yoke.  Cows  were  sold  there  for  twelve  or  fourteen  dollars, 
and  bacon  hams  for  five  cents  per  pound.  During  the  spring 
of  1842  Mr.  Lander  sold  three  barrels  of  lard  for  three  cents  per 
pound.  He  took  some  first  rate  horses  to  Chicago  and  sold  them 
for  between  twenty-five  and  thirtj^-five  dollars  a  piece.  This 
was  in  1844.  During  the  following  year  he  sold  a  hundred  fat 
wethers  for  one  dollar  and  sixty  cents  a  piece.  Men  sunk  money 
in  Bloomington  by  buying  pork  for  $1.50  per  hundred,  nett. 
Mr.  Lander  wishes  the  rising  generation  to  take  note  of  these 
prices,  and  if  they  feel  discouraged,  he  wishes  them  to  think 
how  much  better  off  they  are  than  their  fathers  were,  and  go  to 
work  with  renewed  energy.    The  present  is  their  opportunity. 

The  tide  began  to  turn  in  1847.  During  that  year  a  constitu- 
tional convention  was  held.  Judge  David  Davis  was  chosen  a 
delegate  from  McLean  County,  and  Mr.  Lander  was  selected  to 
represent  McLean  and  Livingston  counties.  This  convention 
showed  clearly  that  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois  were  reso- 
lute and  earnest  in  trying  to  pay  their  State  debt  and  relieve 
themselves  from  their  financial  difficulties.  A  two  mill  tax  was 
levied  to  meet  the  interest  on  the  public  debt,  and  confidence 
was  restored.  This  honest  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  people 
to  meet  their  obligations  was  worth  untold  millions  to  the  State 
of  Illinois.  Its  credit  improved  at  home  and  abroad,  and  pros- 
perity came  again. 

The  convention  also  passed  a  general  banking  act,  which 
afforded  great  relief  and  inspired  the  people  with  confidence  and 
cotfrage.  The  period  embraced  by  the  years  1842  and  1847  is 
most  instructive  to  the  people  of  the  State,  and  it  is  to  this 
period  that  the  citizens  of  Illinois  may  point  with  pride.  It  was 
during  this  time  that  the  idea  of  repudiating  the  obligations  of 
the  State  were  cast  aside  and  an  honorable  course  adhered  to. 
The  convention  of  1847  finished  the  work  by  making  provision 
for  meeting  the  State  debt  and  paying  the  interest.  The  finish- 
ing of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  also  assisted  wonderfully 
in  developing  the  State  and  diffusing  confidence. 


320  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Lander  had  his  share  of  sport  in  the  early  days  and  often 
hunted  wolves  and  deer.  The  former,  he  says,  were  very  tena- 
cious of  life,  almost  as  much  so  as  an  opossum.  He  once  caught 
a  wolf  and  killed  it,  as  he  supposed  ;  but  after  it  was  skinned  it 
showed  signs  of  life.  His  son,  John  Lander,  and  a  party  of 
others  chased  a  wolf  twenty  miles,  caught  it  and  thought  it  dead. 
After  bringing  it  eight  miles  home  it  showed  signs  of  life. 

In  May,  1822,  Mr.  Lander  married  Sallie  Haggard,  in  Chris- 
tian County,  Kentucky.  By  this  marriage  he  had  six  children, 
of  whom  four  are  living.     They  are  : 

John  Lander,  who  lives  in  Arrowsmith  township. 

Charles  W.  and  Richard  M.  Lander,  live  in  Bloomington. 

Zarelda,  wife  of  William  Doyle,  lives  in  Clark  County, 
Kentucky. 

Mrs.  Lander  died  in  December,  1843.  In  February,  1845, 
Mr.  Lander  married  Ardela  C.  "Wilson.  By  this  marriage  he  has 
had  six  children,  of  whom  two  are  living.  They  are  :  Clara  J. 
and  Walter  S.  Lander,  and  both  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Lander  is  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  has  a  san- 
guine complexion,  a  bald  head  and  heavy  eyebrows.  He  is  now 
seventy-five  years  of  age,  but  no  one  would  think  him  so  old. 
He  bids  fair  to  live  to  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  fourteen,  as 
did  his  great  grandfather,  Henry  Lander.  Samuel  Lander 
appears  to  have  been  prosperous  and  successful.  He  is  a  kind- 
hearted  gentleman.  In  politics  he  was  an  Old  Line  Whig, 
afterwards  a  Democrat,  and  now  a  free  political  thinker,  not 
bound  by  any  exclusive  ties. 

William  Thomas. 

William  Thomas  was  born  April  26,  1806,  on  a  farm  in 
Champaign  County,  (then  called  Madison  County)  Ohio.  His 
ancestors  were  descended  from  Scotch  and  Welch  stock.  In  the 
year  1600  three  brothers  named  Thomas  emigrated  from  Wales 
to  the  American  colonies.  One  of  them  settled  in  New  England, 
one  in  Virginia  and  one  in  North  Carolina.  William  Thomas' 
father,  whose  name  was  Francis  Thomas,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  in  the  year  1781,  but  when  only  two  years  of  age  his 
father  moved  to  Virginia,  where  Francis  grew  to  manhood. _Jn 
the  fall  of  1805  he   moved  to    Ohio,   where  William    Thomas, 


m'lean  county.  321 

whose  sketch  we  are  writing,  was  born.  The  circumstances  of 
Francis  Thomas'  removal  to  Ohio  were  curious.  Many  years 
before,  Mr.  John  Thomas,  an  uncle  of  Francis,  lived  in  Vir- 
ginia with  his  wife  and  family  of  nine  children.  He  was  a  very 
religious  man,  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  One  even- 
ing, while  the  family  were  engaged  in  singing  and  devotional 
exercises,  some  Indians  crept  up  and  shot  the  old  gentleman 
through  a  hole  in  the  door;  they  then  rushed  in  and  massacred 
the  whole  family  with,  the  exception  of  a  bound  girl,  who  re- 
lated the  circumstances  of  the  tragedy,  and  one  little  boy  five 
years  of  age.  The  Indians  set  the  house  on  fire,  stole  the  horses 
and  left,  taking  the  little  boy  with  them  into  captivity. '  But  the 
little  girl  succeeded  in  hiding  herself  from  them  in  the  sheep 
fold,  and  related  the  circumstances  of  the  massacre.  The  little 
boy  who  was  made  captive  was  the  cousin  of  Francis  Thomas, 
and  many  years  afterwards  the  latter  heard  of  a  young  man  who 
was  seen  with  the  Indians  on  the  Sandusky  Plains.  The  young 
man  had  light  hair  and  blue  eyes,  and  Francis  believed  him  to 
be  his  captive  cousin.  He  started  immediately  to  find  him,  and 
made  extended  journeys  and  long  searches,  and  at  last  found 
the  young  man  and  fully  identified  him  as  his  cousin.  The  In- 
dians said  he  was  taken  a  captive  from  Western  Virginia.  The 
two  young  gentlemen  were  glad  to  meet;  they  hunted  together 
(a  great  sport  in  those  days),  and  were  much  attached  to  each 
other.  Perhaps  the  reader  will  think  the  captive  cousin  was  glad 
of  an  opportunity  to  return  to  his  relatives.  Nothing  of  the  kind. 
He  had  become  an  Indian;  savage  life  was  apart  of  his  nature,  and, 
though  he  had  the  warmest  affection  for  his  cousin  Francis,  he 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  accompany  him.  Francis  remained 
a  week  with  his  cousin,  parted  from  him  with  tears,  and  sorrow- 
fully returned  to  his  home  in  Virginia. 

But  during  his  travels  to  find  his  long  lost  cousin,  Francis 
had  a  view  of  the  western  country,  and  was  so  charmed  with  it 
that,  after  sensibly  marrying  a  wife,  and  making  all  necessary 
arrangements,  he  left  the  hilly  country  of  Virginia  and  came  to 
Ohio.     Here  William  was  born. 

William    Thomas  remembers  very  clearly  the  war  of  1812, 
although  at  that  time  he  was  only  six  or  seven  years  old.     The 
northern  part  of  Ohio  was   then  infested  with  Indians,  and  Mr. 
21 


322  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Thomas  lived  only  nine  miles  south  of  the  boundary  line.  Wil- 
liam's uncle,  Arthur  Thomas,  was  captain  of  a  company  of  vol- 
unteers who  were  called  together  to  defend  the  country  from 
the  British  and  Indians.  At  the  close  of  their  enlistment  the 
company  of  volunteers  celebrated  their  return  by  shooting  and 
making  a  great  noise,  and  they  frightened  a  horse  belonging  to 
Captain  Thomas  (William's  uncle)  so  that  the  animal  broke 
away.  Captain  Thomas  and  his  son  started  for  the  horse,  but 
did  not  return.  After  waiting  several  days,  their  friends  made 
search  for  them  and  found  them  nine  miles  from  home,  massa- 
cred by  Indians. 

About  this  time,  or  a  little  before,  occurred  the  death  of  the 
mother  and  the  wife  of  Francis  Thomas,  and  the  latter  became 
so  disheartened  in  consequence  that  he  returned  to  Harrison 
County,  Virginia,  where  he  had  formerly  lived.  There  he  re- 
mained two  years,  again  married,  and  removed  to  Xenia  town- 
ship, Green  County,  Ohio. 

Here  William  received  some  little  education  in  the  often  de- 
scribed log  school  house,  lighted  by  a  greased  paper  window. 
His    course  of   instruction    embraced   arithmetic,  reading  and 
writing  ;  when  he  became  larger  he  received    some  instruction 
in  grammar.     He  had  only   two   teachers.     One    of  them  was 
a  muscular  man  named  Duff,  who  was  warranted  strong  enough 
to  whip   anyone  of  his  size  ;  and   indeed  the  teachers  in  those 
days  stood  in  need  of  all  their  muscle.     But  William   was  a 
good   boy,    and  never  was  whipped.     The    other   teacher  was 
named  Robert  P.  Black,  a  young  man,  who  managed  his  scholars 
by  his  ingenuity,  if  he  could  not  succeed  with  his   muscle.     It 
was  the  custom  in  those  days  to  bar  out  the  teacher  on  Christ- 
mas day  and  keep  him  out  until  he  agreed  to  treat  the  scholars, 
usually  to  one  bushel  of  apples  and  two  gallons  of  cider.     One 
Christmas  morning  Mr.  Black  found  that  his  scholars  had  barred 
him  out;  the  boys  were  inside ;  the  girls  had  stayed  at  home, 
knowing  what  was  to  happen.     Black,  who  was  a   tall  young 
man,  came  to  the  school  house,  and,  finding  himself  barred  out. 
went  away.     Now,  there  was  in  the  neighborhood  a  certain  Mrs. 
Kendall,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  riding  around  on  a  pony.     She 
was  a  very  tall  lady  and  well  known  in  the  neighborhood.  Some 
time  after  Mr.  Black  left  the  school  house  the  scholars  came  out, 


m'lean  county.  328 

hardly  knowing-  what  was  to  happen  next.  While  they  were 
standing  there  Mrs.  Kendall  came  riding  along  on  her  pony, 
and  dismounted  at  the  school  house  and  quietly  walked  in.  The 
scholars  curiously  followed  her,  when,  to  their  astonishment, 
she  pulled  oft"  her  bonnet  and  gown,  and  their  teacher,  Mr.  Black, 
stood  before  them.  The  scholars  were  completely  outwitted  ; 
nevertheless  the  teacher  furnished  the  bushel  of  apples  and  two 
gallons  of  cider. 

Francis  Thomas  died  in  1828,  when  William  was  seventeen 
years  of  age.  The  eldest  boy,  Ezekiel,  left  home  shortly  after 
his  father's  death,  and  studied  medicine.  He  is  now  practicing 
as  a  physician  in  Clinton,  DeWitt  County.  William  stayed  at 
home  on  the  farm  and  supported  his  step-mother,  of  whom  he 
was  very  fond,  and  who  was  worthy  of  his  affection. 

When  William  Thomas  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  went 
with  a  drove  of  horses  to  Virginia,  and  while  there  visited  Rock- 
bridge County,  and  saw  the  natural  rock  bridge,  about  which  so 
much  has  been  written.  This  is  the  bridge  which  was  climbed 
by  Dunlap,  a  medical  student  from  Lexington. 

On  the  eighth  of  April,  1830,  William  Thomas  was  made  a 
happy  man.  He  married  Catherine  Haines,  who  lived  about 
two  miles  distant,  and  whom  he  had  known  from  childhood.  He 
has  had  a  family  of  twelve  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters. 

In  the  fall  of  1881,  Benjamin  Haines,  Mr.  Thomas' father-in- 
law,  moved  to  Bloomington,  Illinois,  and  this  determined  Mr. 
Thomas,  some  years  after,  to  go  farther  West.  He  started  for 
Illinois  on  the  eighth  of  December,  1835.  He  traveled  with  his 
wife  and  two  children  in  a  wagon  to  Cincinnati,  and  took  a 
steamboat  from  there  to  Pekin,  Illinois.  But  the  ice  in  the 
river  caused  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  and  they  were  sometimes 
unable  to  move  more  than  three  or  four  miles  in  a  day.  When 
they  came  to  Louisville  they  entered  the  canal,  which  goes 
around  the  falls,  and  came  in  contact  with  another  steamer  going 
the  other  way.  Alter  a  long  and  vexatious  delay  they  proceeded, 
but  were  six  weeks  on  the  way  from  Cincinnati  to  Pekin.  From 
the  latter  place  they  came  by  team  to  Bloomington,  and  lived 
with  Benjamin  Haines,  a  merchant,  until  spring.  In  the  spring 
Mr.  Thomas  moved  to  a  farm  now  owned  by  Judge  J.  E.  Mc- 


324  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

Clun,  near  the  eastern  depot.     In  the  fall  of  1837  he  rented  the 
Durley  farm,  and  the  house  where  he  lived  stood  on  the  ground 
now  occupied  by  Durley  Hall.     This   was  then  a  part  of  the 
Durley  farm.     He  rented  this  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  for  two 
hundred  dollars  per  annum  for  five  years.     In  the  spring  of  1840 
he  sold  the  lease  of  this  farm  and  moved  to  Main  street.     From 
1842  to  1849  he  lived  where  Thomas  Ashley  has  since  built  Ives 
Block,  corner  of  Jefferson   and  Madison  streets.     In    1849  he 
moved  to  East  Jefferson  street,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 
In    March,    1848,    Mr.    Thomas  took  a  drove  of    fifty-four 
horses  to  Chicago  for  J.  C.  Duncan  &  Co.,  merchants  in  Bloom- 
ington.     He  had  great  trouble  in  getting  them   over  the  Ver- 
milion River  as  the  season  was  very  wet  and  the  bridge  across 
the  river  had  been  washed  away.     He  had  with  him  a  man  who 
had  formerly  been  a  soldier  and  was  very  courageous.     The  old 
soldier  swam  the  river   seventeen   times  in   one  day  during  that 
cold  March  weather.     But  when  the  wagon  was  taken  across  a 
horse  collar  fell  into  the  water  and  the  old  soldier  sprang  in  to 
get  it  and  was  taken  with   cramps.     When  rescued  he  was  in- 
sensible, and  it  was  thought  that  his    adventures  were    ended, 
but  whisky  and  pepper  revived  him.     Mr.  Thomas  succeeded  in 
taking  his  horses  safely  through  to  Chicago.     "While  there  he 
attended  the  great  canal  boat  celebration,  when   the  Illinois  and 
Michigan    Canal  was   completed.     This  was  considered  a  great 
event  at  the  time.     The  first  boat  came  from  the  Illinois  River 
into  the  Chicago  River,  and    was    landed    between    State    and 
Dearborn  streets,  at  the  wharf  of  Mr.  Samuel  Walker.  This  gen- 
tleman made  a  grand  speech  on   that  occasion  ;  many  other  gen- 
tlemen also  made  speeches,  for  eloqueuce  was  as  cheap  then  as  at 
the  present  time.     At  this  time,  too,  work  was  done  on  the  six 
mile  iron  railroad.     This  road  was  built  by  a  company  and  was 
the  second  in  the    State.     It  started  from  Wells   street,  on  the 
North  side  of  the    Chicago  River,  and    ran  west,  crossing  the 
north  branch  of  the  river,  and  continuing  to  the  Six  Mile  House 
Tavern.     It  was  completed  on  the  tenth  of  November,  1848  ;  a 
free  ride  was  offered   to   all  and    a  free  treat   at   the  Six    Mile 
House.     Mr.  Thomas  did  not  go  on  the  excursion  because  the 
railroad  was  a  "  snakehead."     A  railroad  of  this  kind  was  built 
by  extending  wooden   beams   upon  sleepers  and   bolting  to  the 


m'lean  county.  325 

beams  straps  of  irou,  which  served  as  rails,  upon  which  cars 
were  to  run.  The  heads  of  the  bolts  were  sunk  low  enough  to 
prevent  friction  to  the  trains  passing  over  them.  But  this  ar- 
rangement was  subject  to  a  peculiar  danger.  The  ends  of  the 
iron  straps  were  sometimes  torn  loose  from  the  beams  and  curled 
up,  and  when  the  train  passed  over  them  swiftly  they  would 
sometimes  spring  up  and  strike  the  bottom  of  the  car  and  go 
through  it  instantly,  to  the  danger  and  perhaps  death  of  the 
passengers.  These  straps  of  iron,  which  curled  up,  were  called 
"  snake-heads,"  and  the  roads  were  called  "  snake-head  "  roads. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Thomas  was  offered  four  and  a  half  acres  ol 
land,  situated  about  one  mile  south  of  Lake  street,  in  the  present 
heart  of  the  city,  for  one  hundred  dollars  per  acre.  If  he  had 
such  an  offer  made  to  him  now  he  would  probably  accept  it. 

William  Thomas  was  treasurer  of  McLean  County  for  eleven 
years,  beginning  in  the  spring  of  1851  and  ending  in  the  fall  ol 
1861.  During  the  first  seven  years  that  he  served  as  treasurer 
he  was  also  assessor,  but  after  that  time  the  offices  were  sepa- 
rated, as  the  county  adopted  township  organization  and  each 
township  chose  its  own  assessor.  In  the  spring  of  1836  the 
brick  court  house  was  built  by  Leander  Munsell  for  six  thousand 
three  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars,  of  which  sum  five  thous- 
and three  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars  was  to  be  paid  in 
twenty  year  bonds,  bearing  interest  at  eight  per  cent.  When 
Mr.  Thomas  came  into  office  no  interest  had  been  paid  for  three 
years  and  no  money  was  in  the  treasury.  In  order  to  meet  this 
he  immediately  raised  the  valuation  of  the  propertjT  in  the 
county.  The  approximate  value  then  amounted  to  three  mil- 
lions of  dollars,  and  the  tax  was  thirty  cents  on  a  hundred  dol- 
lars. The  interest  was  then  paid,  and  in  1852,  '53  and  '54,  the 
principal  was  paid,  and  the  count}-  was  out  of  debt.  Mr. 
Thomas  says  that  while  he  was  treasurer,  the  townships  improved 
every  year  and  became  more  settled.  The  farmers  had  fine 
crops  of  wheat  from  1851  to  1856,  but  since  then  the  wheat  has 
partially  failed.  He  says  that  in  1853  a  new-comer  bought  a 
quarter  section  of  railroad  land  for  twelve  dollars  an  acre.  His 
crop  that  year  paid  for  the  laud  and  all  improvements  on  it  and 
left  money  in  his  pocket. 

William  Thomas  is  five  feet   eleven  inches  in  height,  not 


326  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

heavily  built,  has  sharp  features,  light  hair  and  plenty  of  it. 
Both  hair  and  whiskers  are  turning  gray  with  age.  He  is  very 
healthy  and  has  many  years  yet  to  live. 

Thomas  Williams. 

Thomas  Williams  was  born  in  the  town  of  Bracon,  Count}- 
of  Bracoo,  South  Wales,  England.  His  ancestors  were  of  the 
real  Welch-Irish  stock.  The  Williams  are  very  numerous  in 
that  part  of  the  country  and  have  lived  in  the  County  of  Bracon 
for  five  hundred  years  or  more.  The  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  called  Thomas  Williams,  and  his  name  has  been 
carried  through  five  generations,  one  of  the  sons  of  the  family 
taking  that  name.  Thomas  had  two  brothers  and  one  sister,  all 
of  whom  were  younger  than  he.  He  received  a  very  fair  Eng- 
lish education,  having  attended  school  from  his  sixth  to  his  six- 
teenth year.  He  remembers  nothing  of  interest  when  a  boy. 
He  was  a  lively  lad  and  sometimes  "  up  to  his  trick*. ''  His 
father  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner  in  the  town  of  Bracon,  and  died 
when  young  Thomas  was  in  his  sixteenth  year.  Upon  the 
death  of  his  father,  his  mother  moved  into  the  country  to  a 
cousin  of  her's,  where  she  had  been  a  dairy-maid  before  her 
marriage.  She  took  with  her  the  youngest  child,  a  boy  of  six 
years,  and  kept  her  cousin's  house.  The  boy  was  sent  to  school 
and  Thomas  paid  his  tuition.  His  sister  and  remaining  brother 
were  taken  care  of  by  other  relatives  of  the  family,  while 
Thomas  was  bound  out  for  five  years  to  learn  the  carpenter  and 
joiner's  trade.  He  had  served  under  his  father  as  an  apprentice 
for  two  years,  and  had  an  aptitude  for  the  work.  When  he  had 
finished  the  time  required  for  an  apprentice  according  to  the 
English  custom,  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  he  then 
commenced  working  as  a  journeyman  carpenter  and  assisted  his 
brothers  and  sister.  When  he  was  twenty  four  years  of  age  he 
began  to  keep  house  and  do  job  work  on  his  own  account.  His 
sister  became  his  housekeeper  and  his  next  younger  brother  was 
apprenticed  to  him  as  a  joiner,  and  when  the  youngest  brother 
was  fourteen  years  of  age,  he,  too,  became  his  brother's  ap- 
prentice. 

Thomas  was  the  first  of  the  family  who  proposed  going  to 
America  in  order  to  improve  their  circumstances.     He  had  read 


m'lean  county.  327 

a  great  deal  of  America  and  especially  of  Illinois,  and  on  the 
nineteenth  of  April,  1880,  all  except  the  second  son,  Henry, 
embarked  on  an  English  sailing  vessel  at  Newport  in  Wales  for 
New  York,  where  they  arrived  on  the  seventeenth  of  June.  On 
board  of  the  vessel  they  furnished  their  own  bedding  and  pro- 
visions, and  before  starting,  the  captain  took  notice  that  all  pas- 
sengers were  well  supplied.  He  was  a  very  fine  man,  had  been 
a  captain  twenty-one  years  and  had  never  seen  America.  Their 
fare  was  seven  pounds  sterling  each.  They  had  a  very  favor- 
able journey,  which  lasted  about  six  weeks,  but  at  one  time 
experienced  a  severe  storm.  During  the  storm,  a  little  before 
sunset,  a  whale  was  seen  near  the  vessel,  but  it  soon  disappeared. 
The  next  morning  when  everything  was  calm,  they  spied  a 
vessel  in  distress.  When  they  came  near,  the  strange  vessel 
was  found  to  be  an  American  ship  bound  from  Bordeaux,  France, 
to  New  York,  laden  with  wines  and  perfumes.  Another  ship 
also  came  to  assist  the  one  in  distress,  which  was  found  to  be  in 
a  sinking  condition.  It  had  already  turned  upon  its  side,  but 
the  crew  was  safely  removed  and  divided  between  the  two  ships 
and  carried  to  New  York.  One  of  the  rescued  crew  was  a 
sailor  who  had  served  on  board  a  ship,  which  had  been  lost  a 
year  previous  in  the  same  latitude,  and  the  poor  fellow  was  very 
much  affected  by  the  circumstance,  for  he  had  all  the  supersti- 
tion for  which  sailors  are  remarkable.  Mr.  Williams  speaks  in 
very  high  terms  of  the  captain,  who  was  a  Christian  gentleman, 
and  used  all  the  means  in  his  power  to  make  the  crew  of  the 
distressed  ship  comfortable,  and  the  men  under  his  command 
followed  his  example. 

As  soon  as  they  landed  in  New  York  Mr.  Williams  obtained 
work  in  the  city,  while  his  mother  and  sister  and  youngest 
brother  went  to  live  with  some  distant  relatives  in  Pennsylvania. 
Being  a  good  workman  he  received  two  dollars  per  day,  which, 
considering  the  value  of  money  then,  was  good  wages.  Board 
and  lodging  were  five  dollars  per  week.  He  stayed  three  years 
in  the  city  and  three  years  on  Long  Island,  always  working  at 
his  trade.  In  1832  that  great  pestilence,  the  Asiatic  cholera, 
broke  out  in  New  York.  It  began  in  the  latter  part  of  June 
and  lasted  until  September.  On  a  single  day  three  hundred 
cases  were  reported  and   of  these   one   hundred   and   fifty  died. 


328  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

The  corporation  cars  carried  off  from  four  to  six  coffins  at  once. 
The  cause  of  this  fearful  mortality  was  seen  in  the  condition  of 
the  streets,  which  were  exceedingly  unclean,  and  the  pigs  ran 
through  them  without  hinderance.  Bat  when  the  cholera  broke 
out  the  streets  were  put  in  fine  order  and  the  pigs  were  not 
allowed  to  take  their  out-of-door  amusement. 

In  December,  1835,  a  great  fire  burned  over  a  large  tract  of 
ground  adjoining  the  East  River;  the  buildings  on  seventeen 
acres  of  land  were  laid  in  ashes.  The  fire  was  checked  with 
great  difficulty  as  the  weather  was  so  exceedingly  cold  that  the 
water  was  frozen  in  the  hose  before  it  could  be  forced  on  the 
burning  buildings.  Mr.  Williams  was  somewhat  astonished  at 
the  spirit  of  enterprise  by  which  the  whole  seventeen  acres  were 
rebuilt  by  the  year  1836.'  In  1833  he  helped  to  build  the  Pavil- 
ion Hotel  at  Far  Rockway,  twenty-one  miles  southeast  of  ISTew 
York.  It  was  built  by  a  compauy  and  was  destroyed  by  fire 
about  five  years  ago. 

In  183G  Mr.  Williams  came  to  the  West.  He,  in  company 
with  two  families,  six  persons  in  all,  formed  a  party.  They  went 
to  Philadelphia  by  water  and  rail,  thence  to  Ilarrisburg,  Pa.,  by 
rail  and  canal;  thence  by  rail  and  canal  to  Pittsburg;  thence  by 
water  down  the  Ohio  to  Cairo,  and  up  the  Mississippi  and  Illi- 
nois Rivers  to  Pekin.  They  came  across  from  Pekin  to  Hudson 
on  a  wagon  drawn  by  a  double  yoke  of  oxen. 

Here  Mr.  Williams  remained  two  vears  following;  his  trade. 
In  July,  1838,  he  moved  to  Bloomington.  While  here  he  has 
successfully  carried  on  his  business  as  a  builder  and  contractor, 
and  has  done  rernarkablv  well  at  it.  In  1850  he  built  the  First 
Methodist  Church,  and  can  look  with  pride  upon  many  fine 
buildings  which  have  been  put  up  under  his  direction.  On  the 
fourth  of  October,  1838,  Mr.  Williams  married  Miss  Ann  E. 
Fling  of  Money  Creek.  Her  parents  had  emigrated  to  that 
place  from  Ohio  and  to  Ohio  from  Virginia,  where  Mrs.  Williams 
was  born.  Mr.  Williams  hits  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
seven  are  uoav  living,  three  boys  and  four  girls. 

-  i  far  as  political  matters  are  concerned,  Mr.  Williams  is 
very  reserved.  He  goes  to  the  polls  and  ca^s  his  vote  on  elec- 
tion day  and  that  is  all.  He  was  an  "Old  Line  Whig"  until  the 
Republican  party  was  formed  when  he  joined  that  organization. 


m'lean  county.  329 

When  lie  came  toBloomington  the  population  numbered  lour 
or  live  hundred  persons;  but  improvements  were  few  indeed 
before  the  railroads  came.  On  his  arrival  in  town  Mr.  James 
Allin  offered  him  the  use  of  an  old  log  cabin  to  live  in  for  one 
year  free  of  rent.  It  stood  near  Major's  Hall,  and  was  kept  for 
all  new-comers,  who  had  no  place  to  go  to.  Mr.  Williams  was 
never  much  of  a  speculator,  but  he  has  made  some  good  invest- 
ments, which  would  perhaps  have  been  better  if  he  had  held  to 
his  property  longer.  He  bought  of  James  Allin  for  seven  hun- 
dred dollars  block  No.  108  of  Allin's  Addition.  It  had  one 
hundred  and  ninety-eight  feet  front  on  Washington  street,  and 
was  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  deep.  He  sold  ninety-nine  by 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  to  A.  C.  Moore  for  sixteen  hundred 
dollars,  and  the  north  half  to  Ellsworth  and  Richardson  for  six- 
teen hundred  dollars.  It  is  worth  now  at  least  one  hundred  and 
twenty  dollars  per  foot.  On  this  block  Mr.  Williams'  own  resi- 
dence stands.  In  1850  when  he  contracted  to  build  the  First 
Methodist  Church  he  bought  five  acres  of  timber  land  in  the 
school  section  for  thirty-five  dollars  per  acre.  After  taking  from 
it  one  thousand  dollars  worth  of  walnut  timber  and  two  hun- 
dred cords  of  fire  wood  he  sold  it  for  two  hundred  dollars  to 
James  Depew.  He  bought  five  acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  the 
Third  Ward  for  sixty  dollars.  He  took  from  it  a  great  deal  of 
lumber  for  business  and  his  fire-wood  for  sixteen  years  and  sold 
it  for  three  hundred  dollars;  it  was  afterwards  sold  with  a  little 
house  for  fifteen  hundred,  but  its  value  now  is  out  of  all  propor- 
tion to  these  figures.  He  bought  the  lot  of  sixty- six  feet  front 
of  Judge  Davis,  where  now  the  Burch  House  stands,  for  one 
hundred  dollars,  and  worked  out  the  purchase  money.  At  pres- 
ent it  is  worth  at  least  two  hundred  dollars  per  foot. 

Mr.  Williams  is  a  very  muscular,  hard  working  man.  With 
the  exception  of  a  little  fever  and  .ague  on  his  first  arrival  in  the 
West  he  has  never  suffered  from  sickness.  He  is  rather  small 
in  stature  but  very  active  and  strong.  He  has  worked  at  his 
trade  fifty- four  years,  and  can  do  a  good  day's  work  now.  His 
eyes  are  gray  and  still  very  good  ;  he  was  fifty-four  years  of  age 
before  he  wore  spectacles.  He  has  throughout  his  life  sustained 
a  most  honorable  reputation,  and  no  man  in  the  community 
stands  higher  than  he  in  this  respect.     He  has  been  very  happy 


330  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

in  his  domestic  life,  and  has  had  ten  children,  of  whom  seven 
are  living,  and  at  home.     They  are  : 

Rebecca,  born  October  26,  1839,  wife  of  H.  W.  Johnson. 

John  Henry,  born  June  1,  1841. 

Thomas  Fling,  born  October  25,  1850. 

Frances  Allen,  born  December  24,  1852. 

Charles  Edward,  born  December  11,  1854. 

Ida  May,  born  February  8,  1857. 

Delia  Ora,  born  February  14,  1859. 

The  following  are  dead  :  George  William,  born  March  7, 
1843,  died  January  8,  1848 ;  Mary  Frances,  born  August  6, 
1845,  died  August  29,  1847 .  Sarah  Allen,  born  December  25, 
1848,  died  January  16,  1851. 

Kersey  II.  Fell. 

Kersey  H.  Fell  was  born  May  1,  1815,  on  a  farm  in  Chester 
County,  Pennsylvania.  His  ancestors  were  of  old  English 
Quaker  stock,  and  Mr.  Fell  is  himself  a  Quaker.  All  of  the 
Fells  in  the  United  States  are  descended  from  Judge  Fell,  who 
came  to  this  country  from  England  in  the  year  1705. 

About  forty  years  ago  the  Society  of  Friends  was  divided 
into  two  sects  by  the  question  of  slavery.  A  man  named  Elias 
Hicks,  a  Unitarian  Quaker  preacher,  agitated  for  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  and  was  in  favor  of  taking  all  legal  and  moral  measures 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  a'oout  this  result.  Those  who  be- 
lieved in  this  doctrine  formed  themselves  into  a  separate  organ- 
ization, and  were  called  "Hieksites,"  and  it  was  to  this 
denomination  that  the  Fell  family  belonged.  The  other  division, 
called  "Orthodox"  Friends,  also  wished  for  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  but  did  not  think  it  right  to  iuterfere  in  the  matter. 
They  believed  that  the  Lord  would  in  his  own  good  time  bring  the 
wicked  system  to  an  end,  bu*  they  did  not  wish  to  hasten  the 
decrees  of  Providence.  Although  slavery  has  been  abolished 
the  division  among  the  Friends  still  continues.  A  small  organ- 
ization of  Orthodox  Friends  exists  at  Normal  and  one  of  the 
Hicksite  or  Liberal  order  at  Benjaminville,  but  their  numbers 
are  few.  Mr.  Fell  thinks  their  numbers  are  decreasing.  Mr. 
Fell's  father  was  a  Friend,  and  was  known  as  "Honest  Jesse 
Fell,"  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Rebecca  Roman, 


m'lean  county.  331 

was  known  as  a  ministering  angel,  not  only  in  her  own  society 
but  among  all  with  whom  she  became  acquainted. 

There  were  nine  children  in  the  Fell  family,  seven  boys  and 
two  girls,  and  it  may  well  be  supposed  that  great  exertion  was 
required  to  provide  for  them  and  educate  them  properly.  Mr. 
Fell  attended  a  common  school  three  months  iu  the  year  until 
he  was  seventeen.  At  this  time  he  had  the  misfortune  to  dislo- 
cate his  shoulder  which  unfitted  him  for  farm  work,  and  he 
determined  to  obtain  more  schooling.  Jonathan  Gause,  a  noble 
hearted  Friend,  kept  the  West  Bradford  boarding  school  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  to  him  Mr.  Fell  made  application  for  admis- 
sion, but  was  poor  and  could  not  pay  his  tuition.  But  Jonathan 
took  the  poor  student  into  his  establishment  for  six  months, 
though  it  was  contrary  to  his  custom.  Mr.  Fell  promised  to  pay 
some  time  in  the  future,  and  Jonathan  answered  :  "I  will  trust 
thee."  Mr.  Fell  afterwards  taught  school  and  earned  money  to 
pay  this  obligation,  and  also  to  obtain  money  to  come  West. 

He  came  to  Bloomington,  Illinois,  in  the  spring  of  IS-'1)*!. 
about  six  months  before  Judge  David  Davis  came.  It  was  his 
purpose  to  visit  his  brothers  Jesse  and  Thomas,  who  had  arrived 
some  time  previous,  and  then  go  to  a  Manual  Labor  College 
near  Hannibal,  Missouri,  started  by  a  certain  Dr.  Stiles  Ely,  of 
Philadelphia,  Dr.  Stiles  Ely  was  a  Presbyterian  minister  and 
a  great  theorist  and  his  pamphlet,  which  was  widely  circulated, 
caused  a  s^reat  sensation.  But  his  theory  was  better  than  his 
practice.  He  selected  the  location  for  his  college  during  a  dry 
season  and  did  not  guard  against  the  chances  of  rain.  During 
the  following  season  "the  rains  descended  and  the  floods  came" 
and  washed  his  college  away,  and  the  people  who  had  gathered 
there  were  obliged  to  flee  to  save  themselves  from  drowning. 
Dr.  Ely  lost  a  fortune  in  this  undertaking,  which  promised  fair 
had  he  selected  a  better  location. 

Mr.  Fell  learned  while  in  Bloomington  of  the  disaster  which 
overtook  Dr.  Ely,  and,  as  his  plans  were  broken  up,  took  a  situ- 
ation as  clerk  with  Messrs.  0.  Covel  and  A.  Gridley,  merchants. 
But  it  was  Mr.  Fell's  intention  to  study  law  and  he  had  by  no 
means  given  up  his  plan.  He  had  occasion  to  go  to  Springfield 
in  the  interest  of  his  employers  and  while  there  called  at  the 
office  of  the  Hon.  J.  T.  Stuart  who  was  practicing  law.    Here  he 


332  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

ni<  r  Abraham  Lincoln,  a  young  law  student.     After  some  con- 
versation with  young  Abraham,  Mr.  Fell  came  to  the  conclusion 
that,  if  Mr.  Lincoln   could  study  law  with  as  little  education  as 
he  had,  Mr.  Fell  would  do  the  same,  and  he  hesitated  no  longer. 
He  read  law  in  his  leisure  hours.     During  the  following  winter 
he  was   appointed   clerk  with  the  power  to  organize  DeWitt 
County.     His  appointment  was  probably  made  through  the  influ- 
ence of  his  brother  Jesse.     Jesse  W.  Fell  and  James  Miller  had 
previously  laid  out  the  town  of  Clinton,  and  they  wished  it  to  be 
the  county  seat.     The  county  was  formed  from  parts  of  Macon 
and   McLean   counties.     Mr.  Fell  kept  this  position  from  the 
winter    of    1838-39   until  1840.       During    that    year    all    the 
Whig  judges  and  clerks  were  legislated  out  of  office  by  the 
Democrats,  and  Mr.  Fell,  being  a  Whig,  was  obliged  to  lose  his 
position.     He  went  to  Bloomington  and  became  deputy  clerk  of 
the  circuit  court  under  General   Covel,  who,  being  a  Democrat, 
had  been  re-appointed  to  his  office.     While  in  this  position  Mr. 
Fell  studied  law  and  during  the  wiuter  of  1840-41  he  passed 
hie  examination  before  the  nine  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  at 
Springfield  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.     He   speaks  very  feel- 
ingly of  the  terror  he  felt  while   thinking  of  the  ordeal  of  the 
examination  when  nine  pairs   of  spectacles  should  be  leveled  at 
him.  But  they  admitted  him  and  made  the  young  and  deserving 
man  happy.     Before  being  admitted  to  the  bar  he  had  formed  a 
partnership  with  Albert  Dodd,  a  promising  }*oung  lawyer  from 
Connecticut.     He   and  Mr.   Dodd  continued  their  partnership 
until  1844.     During-  that  year  Dodd  was  drowned  in  crossing  the 
Mackinaw  River,  while  returning  from  a  convention   at  Joliet. 
This  was   the  convention   which  nominated  John  Wentworth 
(Long  John)  for  Congress  for  the  first  time.     Dodd  would  prob- 
ably have  been  nominated   himself  had  he  lived  a  little  longer. 
While  he  was  absent  in  attendance  at  the  convention  Dodd  was 
nominated  in  Bloomington  for  the  Legislature.     Mr.  Fell  was  at 
this  time  attending  court  at  Springfield  and  was  there  detained 
by  the  flood  aiid  did  not  learn   of  his  partner's  death  until  ten 
days  after  it  occurred.     The  flood  during  that  year  was  fearful. 
The  Mississippi  River  rose  so  high  that  a  great  part  of  Cairo 
was  swept  away.     After  the  death   of  Dodd,  Mr.  Fell  practiced 
alone  in  his  profession  until  the  year  1856,  when  he  gave  it  up, 
making  room  for  the  generation  of  voung  lawyers. 


m'lean  county.  833 

Mr.  Fell  belonged  to  a  class  of  lawyers  which  it  is  feared 
does  not  include  the  entire  legal  profession.  He  always  tried  to 
settle  a  case  before  taking  it  into  court.  There  is  a  German 
proverb  which  says :  "A  meager  making  up  is  better  than  a  fat 
law  suit."  Whether  Mr.  Fell  ever  heard  of  this  we  do  not 
know ;  but  he  always  did  what  he  could  to  arrange  matters 
fairly  and  impartially  without  taking  the  case  into  court.  He 
thinks  this  should  be  the  lawyer's  course,  and  that  it  really  pays 
better  in  the  end  ;  for  by  settling  cases  fairly  he  sometimes 
gained  his  opponents  for  his  clients.  "Blessed  are  the  peace- 
makers." 

In  the  fall  of  1844,  after  the  death  of  Albert  Dodd,  Mr.  Fell 
took  the  young  man's  books,  papers  and  correspondence  to  his 
father  in  Connecticut.  When  he  arrived  in  Hartford,  the  people 
were  having  a  great  time  with  the  Millerites.  The  day  after  his 
arrival  there  was  the  one  set  by  Miller  for  the  end  of  the  world 
and  was  a  time  of  great  excitement.  Many  of  the  followers  of 
Miller  had  given  away  all  of  their  property,  expecting  to  need 
it  no  longer,  and  were  standing  around  the  streets  in  Ions:  gar- 
ments, expecting  the  call  which  should  translate  them  to  another 
world.  Mr.  Fell  retired  late  that  evening,  as  he  had  watched 
pretty  sharply  for  the  angel  which  was  to  bring  on  the  millennium. 
At  a  late  hour  the  angel  had  not  put  in  an  appearance  and  Mr. 
Fell  went  to  sleep.  The  next  morning  he  was  awakened  by  the 
most  fearful  sound  that  ever  smote  his  ears.  He  sprang  up 
thinking  that  the  millennium  must  certainly  have  come,  but 
found  that  the  noise  proceeded  from  a  hotel  gong,  which  was  the 
first  he  had  ever  heard. 

From  Hartford  Mr.  Fell  went  to  New  York  where  the  Whig 
convention,  which  nominated  Henry  Clay  for  President,  was  in 
session.  At  this  convention  were  some  of  the  great  lights  of 
the  Whig  party.  They  formed  a  procession  through  the  city, 
which  required  two  hours  in  passing  a  single  point.  In  order 
to  obtain  a  good  view  of  it  Mr.  Fell  climbed  up  on  a  corner  of 
the  fence  surrounding  the  square  and,  as  the  weather  was  severe, 
he  was  alternately  frozen  with  cold  and  warmed  with  excite- 
ment. All  of  the  trades  were  represented  in  this  proces- 
sion. The  printers  struck  off  bills  and  dispatches  and  scattered 
them  among  the  crowd,  and  each  of  the  trades  was  distinguished 


334  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

in  an  appropriate  manner.  The  crowd  along  the  line  of  march 
was  partially  composed  of  Democrats,  who  attempted  at  times 
to  hinder  and  annoy  the  procession,  and  occasionally  succeeded  > 
but  when  the  butchers  passed  along  their  brawny  and  muscular 
appearance  made  the  crowd  respectfully  give  way  ! 

In  the  evening  a  grand  meeting  was  held  out  of  doors, 
and  a  large  platform  was  erected  for  the  distinguished  lights  of 
the  party.  When  many  strangers  had  spoken,  a  loud  call  was 
made  for  Horace  Greeley.  Mr.  Greeley  came  forward.  He  was 
then  a  tall,  slender  young  man,  with  light  hair,  a  white  face,  and 
dressed  in  a  plain  suit  of  drab.  His  speech  was  short,  but  it 
went  to  the  root  of  the  matter,  and  touched  the  heart  of  the 
people. 

From  New  York  Mr.  Fell  went  to  Philadelphia,  and  from 
there  to  Chester  County,  where  he  found  the  lady  who  was  to 
be  his  wife.  They  were  married  in  Philadelphia  on  the  first  day 
of  January,  1845.  Her  name  was  Jane  Price.  Her  family  came 
from  old  English  stock.  Mr.  Fell  has  a  happy  family  of  eight 
children,  five  boys  and  three  girls. 

Mr.  Fell's  parents  came  "West  with  the  entire  family  in  1837. 
His  mother  died  in  October,  1846,  and  his  father,  who  was  totally 
blind  during  the  last  twelve  years  of  his  life,  died  in  the  fall  of 
1853.  The  children  took  pride  in  making  the  last  years  of  the 
old  gentleman's  life  pleasant,  and  sustained  him  on  his  down 
hill  journey. 

Mr.  Fell  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  any  public  office,  or 
sought  one.  He  has  great  aversion  to  seeking  office  and  would 
not  work  or  scheme  for  one,  however  lucrative.  He  has  held 
some  offices  but  they  have  involved  much  work  and  no  pay. 

In  1856,  at  the  State  Convention  in  Bloomington,  Mr.  Fell 
nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  as  a  delegate  to  the  National  Con- 
vention at  Philadelphia.  Lincoln  arose  and  declined  on  account 
of  his  poverty  and  business  engagements ;  but  he  consented  to 
go  if  his  business  would  allow  him,  when  Mr.  Fell  promised  that 
his  expenses  should  be  paid.  At  last  it  was  arranged  that  in 
case  Lincoln  could  not  leave,  Mr.  Fell  should  go  in  his  place. 
About  two  hours  before  the  time  to  start  Mr.  Fell  received  a 
dispatch  from  Lincoln,  saying  that  the  latter  was  unable  to  leave, 
and  Mr.  Fell  therefore  went  in  his  place.     At  this  convention 


m'lean  county.  335 

Lincoln  received  one  hundred  and  fifteen  votes  on  the  first  bal- 
lot for  Vice  President.  But  on  the  second  ballot  his  name  was 
withdrawn  by  the  Illinois  delegation,  with  the  intention  of  put- 
ting him  forward  at  some  future  day  for  President. 

Mr.  Kersey  Fell  was  probably   the  first  man  who  thought 
seriously  of  making  Abraham  Lincoln  a  candidate  for  President 
of  the  United  States.     He   mentioned   the  matter   first  to  his 
brother  Jesse,  but  the  latter  did  not  immediately  think  favorably 
of  the  matter.     But  after  a   little  reflection  he  favored  it  and 
spoke  of  it  to  Judge  David  Davis.     Mr.  Davis  did  not  at  first 
think  well  of  it,  but  after  some  steps  were  taken  to  bring  Mr. 
Lincoln's  name  before  the  public,  Mr.  Davis  favored  the  move- 
ment strongly  and  worked  with   all  his   might  to  make  it  suc- 
cessful.    Mr.   K.  H.  Fell   mentioned   the   matter   of  Lincoln's 
proposed  candidacy  to  Judge  Joseph  J.  Lewis  of  West  Chester, 
Pennsylvania,  and  Judge  Lewis  wrote  a  biography  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln which  was  widely  circulated.      The  items  and  information 
for  this  biography  were  furnished  by  Mr.  Jesse  W.  Fell.     Mr. 
Kersey  Fell  did  everything  in  his  power  to  forward  Lincoln's 
chances,  and  called  out  his  name  as  a  candidate  for  president  at 
a  mass  meeting  held  at  "West  Chester,  Pennsylvania.     Mr.  Fell 
spared  no  exertions,  and  in  1860  the   object  was  accomplished 
and  Mr.  Lincoln  was   nominated   by  the   Republican  party  at 
Chicago  and  triumphantly  elected  by  the  nation.     Mr.  Fell  was 
long  and  intimately  acquainted  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  states  what 
is  well  known  to  the  legal  profession,  that  if  Lincoln  thought  he 
was  right  in  any  case  in  which  he  was  engaged  he  was  invin- 
cible; but  if  he  thought  his  cause  unjust  he  was  weak  and  his 
arguments   without   force.     He    was  oue    of  the   most   tender- 
hearted  of  men.     While  on  his  circuit  in  the  village  of  Pontiac, 
the  hotel  where  he  stayed  was  crowded  and  he  slept  in  a  small 
detached  house.     The  night  was  stormy,  and  a  little  cat  outside 
made  a  pitiful  noise  and  wished  to  come  in.     The  thought  of  the 
suffering  cat  troubled  Lincoln  so  much  that  he  could  not  sleep 
until  he  had  opened  the  door  and  let  the  poor  creature  in. 

Mr.  Fell  did  not  take  part  in  the  canvass  of  1860  as  his  health 
was  very  poor.  During  that  year  he  went  to  Europe,  visiting 
Switzerland,  Vienna,  and  many  other  interesting  places,  but 
returned  in  the  fall  to  cast  his  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln. 


336  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Fell  has  filled  many  positions  with  more  benefit  to  the 
community  than  profit  to  himself.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  Bloomington  and  attends  to  the  duties 
of  his  position  with  fidelity.  He  knows  the  value  of  an  educa- 
tion and  struggled  hard  for  it  when  in  youth,  and  he  is  anxious 
that  the  children  of  to-day  shall  all  of  them  have  a  chance  to 
learn. 

Mr.  Fell  is  not  a  large  man  in  appearance  and  is  slenderly 
built,  but  he  is  well  proportioned  and  very  active.  His  hair  is 
gray  and  his  beard  is  almost  white.  His  nose  is  aquiline  and  is 
bridged  with  spectacles  when  he  reads  or  writes.  He  is  a  deep 
thinker  and  forms  his  opinions  with  great  care.  Good  nature 
appears  in  his  countenance  and  there  are  few  men  in  the  com- 
munity so  much  respected  and  honored. 

"William  F.  Flagg. 

William  F.  Flagg  was  born  April  2,  1808,  on  a  farm  in 
Boilston  township,  Worcester  County,  Massachusetts,  about 
forty  miles  from  Boston.  His  ancestors  came  from  English 
stock.  His  grandfathers  were  both  soldiers  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war.  He  had  four  brothers  and  one  sister ;  of  these,  his 
sister  and  two  brothers  are  yet  living.  He  received  his  scanty 
education  in  a  district  school  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 
He  then  went  to  Worcester  to  learn  his  trade  of  architect  and 
builder.  While  there  he  was  employed  by  his  master  on 
churches  and  public  buildings  for  three  years.  This  terminated 
his  apprenticeship.     He  then  went  to  work  on  his  own  account. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Walker  of 
Natick.  This  place  is  twenty  miles  from  Boston,  and  is  the 
home  of  Henry  Wilson,  the  Vice  President  elect.  At  that  time 
Mr.  Wilson  was  working  at  his  trade  as  a  cobbler. 

In  1836  Mr.  Flagg  determined  to  go  West.  Before  going 
he  traded  his  property  in  Worcester  for  some  in  Bloomington, 
and  in  course  of  time  his  trade  turned  out  to  be  very  profitable. 
He  came  to  Bloomington  alone  in  August,  1836,  and  his  family 
followed  in  the  spring  of  1837.  He  immediately  engaged  in 
his  trade  as  a  builder,  and  in  1837  built  a  court  house  for  Putnam 
County.  During  the  following  year  he  built  a  court  house  for 
Tazewell  County,  and  in  1839  and  1840,  he  built  a  court  house 


m'lean  county.  337 

and  jail  at  LaSalle.  During  this  year  he  bought  one  hundred 
and  seventy  acres  of  land  northeast  of  Blooraington  (joining  the 
city  limits)  for  which  he  paid  $4,000.  This  was  considered  an  ex- 
orbitant price,  but  since  then  he  has  received  as  much  as  two 
thousand  dollars  for  a  single  acre  laid  out  in  building  lots. 

Ground  was  first  broken  for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  in 
front  of  Mr.  Flagg's  door  in  June,  1852,  and  cars  were  running 
the  following  year.  He  formerly  owned  a  tract  of  land  em- 
bracing the  present  location  of  the  Lafayette  depot,  and  in  1847 
he  built  on  it  saw  mills  and  machine  shops.  In  1855  he  built 
the  Bloomington  Works,  now  owned  by  K.  II.  Fell  &  Co. 
He  managed  these  works  until  the  year  1865.  From  1865  to 
1870  he  was  engaged  in  laying  out  second  and  third  additions  to 
Bloomington,  and  he  built  and  caused  to  be  built  about  one  hun- 
dred residences.  In  1856  he,  in  connection  with  Judge  Davis 
and  William  II.  Allin,  laid  out  the  so-called   Durley  addition. 

In  1870  Mr.  Flagg  built  the  Empire  Machine  Works,  close 
to  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  They  are  carried  on  under  the 
name  and  style  of  the  company  of  the  Empire  Machine  Works. 
They  keep  one  hundred  men  constantly  engaged  in  manufactur- 
ing agricultural  implements  and  building  materials,  and  are  in- 
deed a  credit  to  the  city. 

Mr.  Flagg  has  been  twice  married  and  has  an  interesting 
family  of  three  sons  and  two  daughters  living. 

He  tells  a  curious  anecdote  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  In  1848  Mr. 
Flagg  commenced  manufacturing  reapers  and  was  sued  for  an 
infringement  of  patent  by  C.  W.  McCormick,  and  damages  were 
laid  at  $20,000.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  employed  as  counsel  for 
the  defendant.  The  suit  was  carried  on  for  two  years  in  the 
United  States  Court  at  Springfield,  and  Mr.  McCormick  was 
finally  beaten.  Shortly  after  this  Mr.  Lincoln  met  Mr.  Flagg 
on  the  street  in  Bloomington  and  sauntered  into  the  latter's  shop. 
Mr.  Flagg  asked  how  mueh  the  attorney's  fee  would  be.  Mr. 
Lincoln  leaned  on  the  counter,  rested  his  head  on  his  arm,  and 
after  a  little  consideration  said  :  "  I  think  ten  dollars  will  pay 
me  for  my  trouble  !"  Mr.  Flagg  says  that  nothing  could  induce 
Mr.  Lincoln  to  take  more  and  adds  :  "  At  the  present  day  our 
lawyers  would  have  demanded  just  about  one  thousand  !" 

22 


338  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

When  Mr.  Flagg  came  to  Illinois  every  event  was  dated  from 
the  Black  Hawk  war.  In  this  war  a  man  named  McCullough 
was  high  private.  Among  the  many  incidents  related  of  this 
war,  it  is  said  that  when  our  soldiers  first  went  out  to  meet  the 
Indians  the  latter  made  so  3trong  an  attack  that  our  men  became 
terrified  and  took  to  their  heels  ;  but  McCullough,  the  high  pri- 
vate, alone  stood  the  fire,  and  was  not  afraid  to  meet  the  enemy. 
This  circumstance  is  a  little  exaggerated,  but  it  will  do  to  tell  as 
a  story. 

Mr.  Flagg  is  rather  above  the  medium  height.  He  is  broad- 
shouldered  and  well  built.  He  has  a  sharply  pointed  nose  and 
a  penetrating  eye.  Business  and  speculation  are  seen  in  his 
countenance.  He  gives  one  the  impression  that  where  many 
will  lose  money  he  will  make  some.  His  beard  and  hair  are 
turning  gray,  but  his  spirit  is  as  strong  as  ever.  The  new  resi- 
dence which  he  is  erecting  shows  him  to  be  as  energetic  and  ac- 
tive as  in  his  youthful  days. 

John  Edward  McClun. 

John  Edward  McClun  was  born  on  the  nineteenth  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1812,  in  Frederick  County,  Virginia.  His  ancestors  on 
his  father's  side  were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  His 
mother's  father,  whose  name  was  Bailey,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  died  in  the  army.  John  Edward  was  the 
youngest  son  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  seven  boys  and  one 
girl ;  the  latter  was  an  adopted  daughter.  The  circumstances 
of  the  family  were  far  from  easy,  and  in  early  life  young  John 
worked  hard.  His  father  died  when  John  was  only  seven  or 
eight  years  of  age,  and  the  family  was  obliged  to  toil  hard  for 
support. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  the 
men  who  are  successful  in  life  have  had  good  mothers,  and  very 
many,  if  not  all,  of  our  old  settlers  speak  of  their  mothers  with 
affection  and  reverence.  Judge  McClun  says :  "  If  I  have 
anything  commendable  in  my  character  I  certainly  owe  it  all 
under  God  to  my  mother ;  she  taught  me  to  be  honest,  and  I 
have  tried  so  to  live ;  she  taught  me  always  to  be  employed  at 
something,  and  I  have  tried  to  be  industrious  ;  she  taught  me  to 
speak  evil  of  no  man  or  woman  so  far  as  I  could  avoid  it,  and 


m'lean  county.  339 

the  observance  of  that  rule  has  wonderfully  smoothed  the  as- 
perities of  my  life  ;  she  taught  me  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  I 
have  always  been  able  to  realize  through  a  long  life  that  God 
was  around  and  about  my  pathway."  She  must  indeed  have 
been  an  excellent  lady  and  a  woman  of  great  moral  elevation, 
for  she  made  an  impression  upon  her  son  in  his  tender  years, 
which  is  deep  and  decided  after  the  lapse  of  half  a  century. 

Young  John  was  a  great  pet  with  his  brothers,  and  when 
they  came  home  from  work  he  was  in  the  habit  of  running  out 
to  meet  them  to  be  carried  back  by  them  in  triumph.  He  re- 
members particularly  his  brother  Jefferson,  whose  death  affected 
him  very  much,  and  he  describes  it  now  as  the  "  most  tender 
event  of  his  whole  life." 

Young  John  wished  an  education,  but  the  way  to  get  it  was 
a  puzzle.  He  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when,  by  the  greatest 
economy  on  his  own  part  and  the  greatest  sacrifice  on  the  part 
of  his  mother,  he  was  sent  to  the  Middletown  common  school. 
The  accommodations  were  none  of  the  best.  The  school-house 
was  made  of  logs  daubed  with  clay,  and  the  benches  had  no 
backs.  The  schoolmaster  is  described  as  a  "  small,  spare,  sharp- 
visaged  young  man,  with  eyes  approaching  in  color  to  green." 
His  new  scholar  did  not  appear  to  much  advantage.  John  was 
but  recently  recovered  from  a  severe  illness  and  his  color  was 
cadaverous.  He  wore  a  long-tailed  drab  overcoat  which  ex- 
tended to  his  feet,  and  had  a  number  of  old-fashioned  capes 
falling  in  succession  about  his  shoulders.  Nevertheless  he  was 
a  good  scholar,  and  made  rapid  headway  with  his  lessons.  When 
spring  came  he  left  school  and  went  to  work,  but  even  then  he 
did  not  neglect  his  books.  He  studied  his  grammar  while  plow- 
ing, and  says  that  "  while  those  fat,  lazy  horses  belonging  to  the 
man  to  whom  I  was  hired  at  seven  dollars  per  month,  were  turn- 
ing at.  the  end  of  the  furrow,  I  was  busy  with  my  grammar,  and 
by  the  end  of  the  season  I  had  committed  the  whole  to  memo- 
ry. *  *  *  Necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention,'  and  the  tail 
of  the  plow  after  all  is  not  a  bad  place  to  study  grammar." 

In  the  fall  he  returned  to  school,  where  he  made  rapid  pro- 
gress, and  the  next  year  obtained  a  situation  as  a  teacher  in  a 
little  log  school-house.  In  a  little  room  about  eighteen  feet 
square  were  forty  scholars  of  all  ages  from  six  to  twenty-one. 


340  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

The  text  books  used  in  the  school  were  written  by  a  great  varie- 
ty of  authors.  Pike,  Jess,  Parke  and  Dabold  had  written  arith- 
metics, and  thev  were  all  used  in  the  school.  The  schoolmaster 
had  to  be  lively  to  do  all  the  "  sums."-  Mr.  McClun  taught 
school  three  years  and  then  determined  to  come  West.  He 
started  on  horseback,  and  after  traveling  through  some  of  the 
Western  States  he  returned  for  his  mother.  Thev  started  in  a 
little  two-horse  wagon  in  October,  1835.  But  winter  set  in  be- 
fore they  could  get  through  to  Illinois,  and  Mr.  McClun  left  his 
mother  at  his  brother  Robert's  residence  in  Indiana,  and  went 
on  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he  arrived  on  the  fourth  of 
December. 

Judge  McClun  describes  Illinois  very  particularly.  He  says 
that  the  population  of  the  State  was  then  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand.  The  improvements  consisted  of  log  cabins 
near  the  groves  while  the  prairies  were  bare.  The  grass  grew 
high,  and  the  deer  and  wolves  roamed  in  droves,  with  little  to 
molest  or  make  them  afraid.  The  streams  were  unbridged, 
crossings  were  difficult,  teams  were  swamped  in  the  sloughs  and 
had  to  be  pulled  out  by  oxen.  The  people  lived  plainly  and 
simply ;  the  men  wore  home-made  clothing,  and  the  garments 
of  the  ladies  were  sometimes  of  the  same  material  and  some- 
times of  the  cheaper  kind  of  store  goods.  The  oxen  that  broke 
the  prairie  were  frequently  used  to  draw  the  people  to  church. 
Preaching  was  held  at  the  private  houses,  for  meeting  houses 
were  not  built  except  in  a  few  of  the  towns. 

In  the  summer  time  the  °rreen-head  flies  made  traveling:  across 
the  prairies  difficult  and  even  dangerous.  Mails  were  seldom, 
and  newspapers  few.  Chicago  was  a  village  of  a  few  shanties 
on  Lake  Michigan.  The  houses  of  the  most  wealthy  consisted 
usuallv  of  one  room.  A  loe;  fire  ten  feet  long;  warmed  the  fami- 
]y,  cooked  the  provisions,  and  rendered  the  bed  room  comforta- 
ble. The  eating,  sleeping  and  cooking  were  all  done  in  one 
room,  and  that  with  the  greatest  propriety.  "  The  family,  the 
workhands  and  the  visitors  all  lodged  in  close  proximity  to  one- 
another,  and  without  much  trouble.  The  men  generally  retired 
first,  and  afterwards  the  ladies.  Everything  was  not  only  done 
decently  and  in  order  but  with  the  utmost  delicacy  and  proprie- 
ty.    This  manner  of  life  in  no  way  contributed  to  indelicacy,  for 


m'lean  county.  341 

nearly  all  men  would  be  gentlemen  under  such  circumstances. 
The  people  were  for  the  most  part  a  moral  and  religious  people, 
and  Christianity  was  universally  respected." 

When  the  stranger  remained  over  night  at  one  of  these  log 
cabins,  he  might  at  first  be  rendered  uneasy  by  the  roughness 
of  the  people,  and  by  the  guns  upon  the  hooks,  but  when  a 
blessing  was  asked  at  supper  he  would  feel  reassured.  Such  was 
Illinois  in  1835,  given  partly  in  Judge  McClun's  own  language. 

Springfield  was  then  a  lively  place,  as  the  capitol  of  the  State 
was  soon  to  be  taken  there  from  Vandalia.  It  was  full  of  ad- 
venturers and  speculators.  John  T.  Stuart  was  then  a  rising 
lawyer  and  politician.  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who  was  then  com- 
mencing the  practice  of  law  in  Jacksonville,  sometimes  made 
his  appearance  in  Springfield.  He  was  described  as  "  a  very 
boyish  looking  little  giant."  Abraham  Lincoln  was  then  living 
at  Salem,  in  Sangamon  County. 

During  Mr.  McClun's  first  winter  in  Illinois  he  could  find 
nothing  to  do,  and  his  money  melted  rapidly  away.  At  last  he 
met  a  young  man  named  Thorp,  who  had  contracted  for  a  stock 
of  goods,  provided  he  could  give  security,  and  asked  Mr.  McClun 
tobecome  his  bail !  The  latter  agreed  to  the  arrangement  and 
the  goods  were  actually  forwarded  on  the  credit  of  these  two  pen- 
niless young  men  !  Young  Thorp  went  East  for  his  wife,  and  Mr. 
McClun  sold  the  goods  at  a  fair  profit  and  paid  the  parties  who 
had  so  strangeh'  trusted  them.  Being  disappointed  in  a  mer- 
cantile partnership  with  a  friend  from  Virginia,  Mr.  McClun 
finally  found  business  in  Waynesville,  McLean  County,  where 
he  entered  the  store  of  David  Duncan  as  a  clerk.  This  was  dur- 
ing the  last  of  June,  1836.  Waynesville,  though  a  new  town, 
did  considerable  business  even  at  that  early  day.  The  town, 
however,  had  no  tavern,  no  church,  no  school  house,  and  no  post 
office.  The  nearest  post  office  was  at  Bloomington.  Dry  goods 
and  groceries  were  sold  in  considerable  quantities,  and  whisky 
and  tobacco  were  in  great  demand.  Saturday  was  the  great  day 
of  trade,  and  then  the  people  came  in  from  all  quarters  to  pur- 
chase the  necessaries  of  life,  discuss  politics,  talk  about  their 
farms,  wrestle,  run  foot  races,  run  horses,  &c,  and  a  Saturday 
that  wound  up  without  a  fight  was  considered  very  dull.  Nev- 
ertheless, even  then  "Waynesville    contained  some  fine  families, 


342  OLD    SETTLERS    OP 

whom  anyone   might  have   been  proud    to  number  among  his 
friends. 

Judge  McClun  first  saw  Bloomington  in  the  fall  of  1836,  but 
did  not  locate  here  until  the  spring  of  1837,  when  he  went  into 
business  on  his  own  account  as  a  merchant.  He  describes  the 
place  at  that  time  as  follows  : 

"It  was  even  then,  young  and  new  as  it  was,  a  beautiful  little 
city  set  upon   a  hill.     It  contained  about  three  hundred  inhabi- 
tants.    The  houses  were  small,  plain  and  cheaply  built,  yet  they 
were  painted  white,  which  gave  to  the  place  an  air  of  neatness 
and  beauty.     The  improvements  were  then  on  Front  street  and 
south  of  that.     There  was  nothing  on  the  public  square  but  the 
old  brick  court  house  then   being  built.     The    slough  north  of 
the  bridge  where  Bridge  Fork  now  is  was  a  wide  marsh.     Pone 
Hollow  was  also  a  marsh,  even  wider  than  the  other.     The  grove 
extended  in  a  scattering  manner  up  to  Grove  street.     The  prai- 
rie came  up  to  the  town  in  a  state  of  nature,  except  a  few  farms. 
The  deer  roamed    at    large     on   the   prairie,    and  the    wolves 
howled  a  chorus  in  what  is  now  the  heart  of  the  town.     Quails 
and  prairie  chickens  were  plenty.  Rattlesnakes  crawled  through 
the  town,  and  now  and  then  the  bull  snake,  that  monster  of  the 
prairie,  would  crawl  into  the  very  heart  of  the  city.     One  single 
buggy,  and  only  one,  was  in  the  county  of  McLean.     We  had 
no  gold  watches  nor  gold  chains.     We   had  no    sidewalks,  and 
when  the  roads  became  muddy  we  put  our  pants  in  the  tops  of 
our  boots  and  launched   fearlessly   forth   into  the   great  deep. 
When  I  came  to  Bloomington  David   Davis  had  just  succeeded 
J.  W.  Fell  in  the  practice  of  the  law.     General  Covel  and  Col- 
onel Gridley  were  prominent  and  leading  citizens.     James  Allin 
was  the  most  prominent  man  of  the  place,  and  the  wealthiest 
citizen.  Dr.  Henry  was  here,  and  Doctors  Anderson  and  Haines 
were  practicing  physicians.     Dr.  Baker  was  clerk  of  the  Circuit 
Court,  and  Welcome  P.  Brown  was    Probate  Judge  and    city 
Postmaster.     Ort,  Covel  was  selling  goods  and  William  H.  Tem- 
ple was  a  young  man  in  a  store.     Rev.  Mr.  Foster  preached  and 
taught  in  the  old  Academy,  and  John  Rockhold  made  shingles 
for  the  newly  made  houses.     Allen  Withers  merchandized,  and 
William  Dimmitt  lived  upon  the  site  he  now  occupies,  which 
was  then  a  great  ways  from  town.     A.  Brokaw  was  working  as 


m'lean  county.  343 

a  journeyman  and  Gaylord  kept  the  old  tavern.  The  old  Meth- 
odist church  was  then  being  built,  and  the  Rev.  Zadoc  Hall  was 
the  circuit  rider.  John  Magoun  had  just  come.  He  laid  the 
brick  for  the  city  and  country,  and  did  the  plastering  with  old 
Mr.  Guthrie,  of  the  same  profession.  William  G.  Thompson 
and  Benjamin  Haines  were  here,  and  Wilson  Allin  had  already 
built  a  mill." 

On  the  last  day  of  January,  1839,  Mr.  McClun  married  Han- 
nah Harkness. 

His  mercantile  adventure  in  Bloomington  had  prospered 
well,  so  far,  but  the  hard  times  came,  the  most  severe  ever 
known  in  the  West.  Judge  McClun  says  that  the  summer  of 
1842  was  "the  bottom  of  the  distress."  It  was  customary  for 
the  merchants  to  receive  pork  in  payment  of  goods,  but  with  the 
fall  prices  the  pork  they  had  accepted  became  almost  worthless. 
Mr.  McClun  went  to  Baltimore,  where  he  had  shipped  his  pork, 
and  found  the  times  there  even  worse.  He  says:  "If  the  West 
was  prostrate,  the  East  was  in  even  a  worse  fix.  Commercial 
distress  was  everywhere  felt  and  everywhere  seen.  Failures 
were  an  hourly  occurrence,  and  there  was  no  reliable  money  but 
gold  and  silver,  and  it  was  locked  up.  Manufactories  had 
stopped  and  their  goods  were  thrown  upon  the  market  at  ruin- 
ous prices.  Everything  was  completely  prostrate.  I  have  never 
seen  the  like  before  nor  since.  My  pork  could  not  be  sold  even 
to  realize  the  cost  of  transportation."  This  condition  of  things 
troubled  the  young  merchant  very  much,  but  he  bore  the  storm 
and  was  successful  in  the  end.  He  understood  his  business  and 
managed  it  well.  He  had  credit  even  in  the  darkest  times.  At 
one  time,  when  he  was  so  closely  pushed  that  he  did  not  himself 
dare  to  ask  for  credit,  and  when  almost  his  only  assets  were 
depreciated  Illinois  money,  he  saw  his  creditors  in  Philadelphia 
and  told  them  his  circumstances.  When  he  had  done  so  a  good 
old  Quaker  merchant  said  to  him  :  "I  believe  thou  art  an  honest ' 
man,  and  we  will  do  the  best  we  can  for  thee."  They  let  him 
have  a  new  stock  of  goods,  and  he  showed  by  his  good  manage- 
ment that  their  confidence  was  well  placed. 

On  the  first  of  June,  1843,  the  mother  of  Judge  McClun, 
who  had  followed  her  son  to  Bloomington,  passed  from  earth  to 
a  happier  world  than   this.     She   had  taken   a  cold   during  the 


344  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

preceding  fall,  which  resulted  in  a  quick  consumption,  and  she 
saw  her  change  approaching  and  was  reconciled  to  death.  Judge 
McClun  says  :  "During  the  month  of  May  when  the  flowers 
were  out  and  the  birds  singing,  she  asked  me  to  take  her  to  the 
door  that  she  might  look  once  more  on  this  beautiful  world,  and 
it  was  her  last  look,  unless  she  has  since  looked  down  from  the 
hills  of  immortality." 

In  1843-44  the  merchants  began  to  recover  from  the  shock 
given  by  the  hard  times.  Confidence  was  restored  and  people 
were  again  prosperous.  During  this  year  political  excitement 
was  very  high,  though  not  so  high  as  during  the  campaign  of 
1840.  The  cock  was  the  emblem  of  the  Democrats  and  the  coon 
that  of  the  Whigs,  and  when  a  Democratic  victory  was  an- 
nounced the  cock  was  crowing  over  the  coon,  and  when  the 
Whigs  were  victorious  the  coon  was  eating  the  cock.  Henry 
Clay  was  the  candidate  of  the  Whigs,  but  he  was  doomed  to 
defeat,  for  James  K.  Polk  was  carried  through  by  the  feeling  in 
favor  of  the  Mexican  war. 

Judge  McClun  has  had  some  experience  with  the  law  and  his 
advice  to  all  persons  is  to  keep  out  of  its  entanglements.  The 
intention  is  to  make  the  law  a  rule  of  right,  but  there  is  a  "glo- 
rious uncertainty"  in  the  practice. 

Mr.  McClun  obtained  the  mail  contracts  from  1842  to  1846, 
of  all  routes  coming  into  Bloomington  or  passing  through  it, 
and  by  careful  management  he  was  enabled  to  do  quite  well  with 
them.  All  these  mails  were  carried  on  horseback,  except  the 
one  from  Peoria  to  Danville,  which  was  taken  in  two-horse  coaches. 
They  were  carried  three  times  a  week,  with  considerable  regu- 
larity. Carrying  the  mail  was  sometimes  attended  with  great 
difficulty.  The  sloughs  were  unbridged  and  the  carriages  were 
sometimes  swamped  in  them  and  had  to  be  pulled  out  by  oxen. 
Sometimes  when  the  roads  were  very  bad  the  drivers  would  put 
the  mail  in  a  queensware  crate  on  the  fore-wheels  of  a  wagon  ; 
to  this  they  would  attach  three  horses,  and  go  through.  The 
lead-horse  was  usually  able  to  reach  solid  ground  and  pull  the 
remainder  of  the  concern  after  him.  The  drivers  were  some- 
times lost  on  dark  nights  and  during  snow  storms.  They  were 
occasionally  stopped  by  swollen  streams,  and  in  cold  weather 
they  often  frosted  their  ears,  noses  and  feet. 


M'LEAN    COUNTY. 


345 


But  Judge  McClun  did  pretty  well  with  his  contracts.  Oats 
cost  only  eight  or  ten  cents  per  bushel  and  hay  three  or  four 
dollars  per  ton,  while  good  horses  could  be  obtained  for  forty  or 
fifty  dollars  a  piece.  All  other  expenses  were  in  this  proportion, 
so  that  the  very  things  which  were  disastrous  to  the  country 
made  his  mail  contracts  profitable. 

In  1849  Mr.  McClun  was  elected  County  Judge.  The  vote 
polled  at  that  election  was  1,365  for  the  whole  county  aud  there 
was  a  full  turn  out.  He  held  the  office  until  the  spring  of  1852 
when  he  found  himself  unable  to  endure  the  confinement,  and 
resigned.  He  attended  faithfully  to  the  duties  of  his  ofiice 
while  he  held  it,  although  it  subjected  him  to  a  great  deal  of 
trouble  and  annoyance. 

In  1852  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  passed  through  Bloom- 
ington,  and  cars  commenced  running.  A  great  change  took 
place  ;  land  became  valuable,  and  real  estate  of  all  kinds  rose  in 
the  market. 

In  1852  Judge  McClun  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  and 
was  re-elected  at  the  end  of  his  term.  He  served  until  the  end 
of  the  session  of  1857.  During  this  term  he  served  four  years 
on  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture.  At  this  time,  too,  he  was 
superintendent  of  a  Sunday.School,  an  active  steward  in  the 
church  and  a  live  member  of  the  McLean  County  Agricultural 
Society.  He  took  a  great  interest  in  the  organization  of  the 
Sons  of  Temperance,  and  in  many  other  matters  of  public  impor- 
tance. It  will  thus  be  seen  that  he  had  enough  to  think  of 
during  his  leisure  hours !  He  was  also  a  trustee  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  University,  and  this  institution  being  still  in  its  infancy 
greatly  taxed  his  time  and  energy.  His  experience  as  an  office- 
holder has  taught  him  not  to  seek  for  promotion  in  official  life, 
for  there  is  very  little  in  it  but  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit.  It 
is  well  known  that  Judge  McClun  has  accepted  the  various  pub- 
lic positions,  which  have  been  offered  him,  simply  as  duties  to 
be  performed,  and  that  when  his  term  of  service  expired,  he 
asked  only  to  be  relieved  of  the  responsibilities  of  public  life. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  first  Board  of  Supervisors  in  1858, 
after  the  county  adopted  township  organization,  and  has  always 
favored  this  system  of  managing  county  business. 


346  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

In  politics  he  was  an  'Old  Line  Whig,  and  afterwards  a 
Republican,  but  during  the  last  campaign  he  acted  with  the 
Democrats  and  Liberals.  In  early  days  he  took  a  particular 
interest  in  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves,  and  when,  during  the 
war,  the  proclamation  was  made  that  freed  the  slaves  no  one  was 
more  gratified  than  he. 

Judge  McClun  takes  the  greatest  interest  in  Bloomington 
and  McLean   County,  and,  indeed,  in  the  whole  State.     Their 
progress  and  their  prospects  are  very  dear  to  him.     He  ha3  seen 
the  city  grow  up  from  an  insignificant  village:  he  has   seen  the 
county  changed  from  a  wilderness  to  one  of  the  leading  counties 
in  the  State,  and  he  has  seen  the  State  increase  from  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  people  to  two  and  a  half  millions.     He  says  : 
"I  have  been  in  Illinois  for  almost  thirty-eight  years.     The  wil- 
derness and  solitary  places  have  been  made  glad,  and  the  desert 
has  blossomed  as  the  rose,  and  yet  the  next  thirty-eight  years 
will  be  just  as  full  of  changes  and  improvements.  Bloomington 
now  has  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  and  then  it  will  have  fifty 
thousand  souls.     Her  manufactories  will  be   sending  up  their 
smoke  from  her  workshops  in  all  parts  of  the  city.     The  spires 
of  her  new  churches  will  be  pointing  towards  heaven,  and  sur- 
rounding lands,  now  cultivated  as  farms,  will  be  covered  with 
houses." 

It  will  be  seen  in  the  foregoing  sketch  that  Judge  McClun  13 
a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  in  his  business,  and  he  is  no  less 
careful  as  a  father  of  a  family.  We  re-produce  here  some  of 
the  advice  given  by  him  to  his  children,  although  it  was  not 
written  for  publication  : 

"Hear,  my  children,  a  few  words  of  advice  from  your  father. 
Be  honest  in  all  the  transactions  of  your  life  to  the  smallest 
fraction.  Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have  them  do  to  you. 
Be  known  as  gentlemen  and  ladies  wherever  you  are  known.  It 
is  a  very  easy  matter  to  point  out  a  well-bred  gentleman  or  lady 
anywhere,  and  I  hope  you  will  always  be  so  distinguished.  Say 
all  the  good  you  can  of  every  person,  and  as  little  harm  as  pos- 
sible ;  and,  especially  of  women-kind,  never  even  listen  to  an 
evil  report.  This  rule,  so  far  as  I  have  kept  it,  has  wonderfully 
smoothed  the  pathway  of  my  life.  Never  be  idle,  pitch  into  any 
kind  of  honorable  employment  rather  than  be  seen  idle.  Idle- 
ness has  been  the  first  cause  of  the  downfall  of  most  of  the  men 


m'lean  county.  347 

and  women  I  have  known  ruined.  Avoid  bad  habits  of  every 
kind,  and  especially  the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks  and  tobacco. 
Endeavor  to  make  everybody  happy.  Courtesy  and  kind  words 
cost  nothing,  and  yet  are  of  great  value.  Make  the  world  a 
little  better  as  you  pass  through  it.  Cultivate  self-government 
and  self-control.  Govern  yourselves  and  then  you  may  influ- 
ence people  around  you.  Let  your  thoughts  be  pure  thoughts, 
and  then  indeed  will  your  lives  be  pure  lives.  Be  modest.  How 
I  love  to  see  modesty.  Do  not  talk  too  much  ;  the  silent  people 
get  through  the  world  best.  Even  a  fool,  Solomon  says,  will  be 
counted  wise  if  he  but  holds  his  tongue.  Don't  seek  office.  If 
positions  be  thrust  upon  you,  fill  them  like  men,  but  do  not  be 
office-seekers.  Say  no,  emphatically,  and  without  hesitation, 
when  you  ought  to  say  it.  Never  read  obscene  books  or  listen 
to  obscene  stories.  Be  saving  in  your  expenses  and  study  econ- 
omy in  your  families.  A  little  saved  in  the  beginning  of  your 
life  will  make  you  rich  in  the  end.  Love  your  homes.  Make 
them  your  delight,  yea,  your  heaven  upon  earth  and  let  thern  be 
models  of  neatness  and  happiness.  Be  kind  to  the  poor,  and 
considerate  to  the  unfortunate,  for  you  know  not  how  soon  you 
may  be  in  their  condition.  Above  all  make  a  public  profession 
of  Christ,  and  serve  God  with  a  perfect  heart  and  a  willing 
mind.  The  Christian's  faith  will  make  you  strong  to  withstand 
the  troubles  and  disappointments  of  life.  It  will  be  your  conso- 
lation in  sorrows,  bereavements  and  death,  and  constantly  point 
you  to  that  bright  and  beautiful  land,  where  your  parents  are 
gone,  and  where,  if  virtuous  and  good,  we  will  again  be 
united  as  a  family.  How  sweet  the  thought  to  meet  again  as 
parents  and  children  in  Heaven's  Eternal  Home." 

As  to  personal  appearance,  Judge  McClunis  about  the  medium 
height;  has  broad  shoulders;  his  forehead  is  broad;  his  nose 
is  aquiline  and  very  prominent;  he  wears  spectacles  when  he 
reads  or  writes  ;  his  hair  and  beard  were  once  dark  but  now  are 
turning  gray.  Good  nature  is  stamped  on  his  face  ;  he  has  a 
hearty,  polite  manner  of  speaking,  and  it  is  very  evident  that 
his  politeness  is  that  of  the  heart.  His  voice  is  melodious  and 
pleasant,  and  gives  confidence  to  the  bashful;  he  loves  mankind 
and  especially  children,  and  wishes  earnestly  to  see  people 
happy  and  made  better.     He  is  straightforward  in  every  trans- 


348  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

action,  and  no  one  stands  higher  throughout  the  country  than 
he.  For  twenty  years  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Methodist 
Sunday-School  in  Blooinington. 

Judge  McClun  has  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  five  are 
living.     They  are  : 

Elisha  EL,  married  and  lives  in  Bloomiugton. 

Isaac  B.,  married  and  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Robert,  lives  at  home. 

Esther  E.,  wife  of  Foreman  Martin,  lives  in  Chicago. 

Edward,  lives  at  home. 


Abraham  Brokav. 

Abraham  Brokaw  was  born  November  6,  1815,  on  a  farm  in 
Somerset  County,  New  Jersey.  His  father  was  of  French  and 
Dutch  descent.  His  great  grandfather  was  a  Huguenot  who 
emigrated  from  France  to  Holland  at  an  early  day  on  account 
of  religious  persecution.  It  is  now  pretty  well  understood 
among  civilized  people  that  each  man  is  to  be  held  accountable 
for  his  opinion  of  the  great  Hereafter,  only  to  the  Supreme 
Being,  who  rules  the  Universe.  But  in  early  days  the  French 
held  the  paternal  theory  that  the  State  should  kindly  relieve  its 
citizens  of  the  trouble  of  thinking  for  themselves  in  religious 
matters.  They  thought  they  would  glorify  God  and  lay  up 
treasure  in  heaven  by  burning  or  banishing  heretics  on  earth. 
The  Huguenots,  who  insisted  on  being  the  guardians  of  their 
own  consciences,  were  the  best  of  French  citizens;  they  were 
the  artizans  whose  skill  made  France  the  "  grand  nation,"  the 
most  eminent  among  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth.  They  man- 
aged the  looms  and  spindles  and  were  engaged  in  various  useful 
trades,  and  in  return  they  asked  only  the  privilege  of  worship- 
ping God  as  they  thought  proper.  But  this  was  not  to  be ;  they 
were  expelled  from  their  country  and  settled  principally  in  Hol- 
land and  in  the  various  German  States.  Mr.  Brokaw's  great 
grandfather  settled  in  Holland  and  the  family  became  identified 
in  all  its  interests  with  the  thrifty  and  enterprising  Hutch.  But 
America  was  at  last  the  resting-place  of  the  persecuted  Hugue- 
not. He  came  here,  and  here  the  family  has  displayed  that  same 
industry  and  real  love  of  work  which  characterized  the  artizans 


m'lean  county.  349 

of  France.  William  Brokaw,  the  father  of  Abraham,  was  of 
French  and  Dutch  descent,  and  his  wife,  the  mother  of  Abra- 
ham, was  descended  from  the  Dutch.  She  was  a  quiet  and  un- 
assuming lady,  but  very  industrious.  She  was  a  very  religious 
woman  and  belonged  to  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church.  All  of 
the  letters  which  she  wrote  to  her  son  gave  evidence  of  her  deep 
religious  convictions,  although  she  never  asked  him  to  join  any 
church,  being  willing  to  rely  on  his  own  judgment  in  that  matter. 
She  died  of  palsy  in  New  Jersey  in  1843,  when  she  was  about 
forty-five  years  of  age.  Mr.  Brokaw  does  not  belong  to  any 
religious  denomination,  but  is  a  supporter  of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Mr.  Brokaw's  early  education  was  not  extended  and  was 
finished  when  he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  He  was  obliged  to 
depend  upon  his  industry  and  his  good  sense  to  make  his  way  in 
the  world.  He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  the  age  of 
eighteen,  when  he  was  apprenticed  as  a  wheelwright  to  Darius 
Gilmore  of  Mechanicsville.  In  1836  Mr.  Gilmore  came  to  the 
West  bringing  Abraham  with  him.  As  the  wagons  were  heavily 
loaded  the  latter  was  obliged  to  walk.  At  that  time  the  Mor- 
mon excitement  was  very  high  and  proselytes  to  the  faith  of 
Joe  Smith  were  coming  from  all  directions.  Mr.  Gilmore  and 
Abraham  were  often  mistaken  for  Mormons.  Mr.  Gilmore  went 
to  Springfield  and  there  Mr.  Brokaw  finished  his  apprenticeship 
under  another  master.  But  the  wages  he  earned  belonged  to 
Mr.  Gilmore.  Mr.  Brokaw  had  then  become  a  workman  of  great 
skill ;  he  earned  the  very  highest  wages,  but  they  were  drawn 
by  his  old  master. 

In  October,  1836,  Mr.  Brokaw's  apprenticeship  came  to  an 
end,  and  he  began  to  calculate  for  himself.  During  the  Novem- 
ber following  he  formed  a  partnership  with  one  Jacob  Leader, 
and  they  came  to  Bloomington  on  foot  to  try  their  fortunes.  Mr. 
Brokaw  carried  with  him  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Lewis  Bunn 
and  found  the  latter  out  in  the  woods  making  charcoal.  The 
exercise  of  walking  had  flushed  Abraham's  cheeks,  and  when  he 
presented  the  letter,  was  directed  to  read  it.  When  it  was 
finished  Mr.  Bunn  looked  at  the  flushed  cheeks  of  young  Abra- 
ham and  said  :  "  I  do  not  thank  my  friend  for  sending  me  a 
drinking  man  !"  but  was    satisfied   when   he    learned    that  the 


350  OLD   SETTLERS    OF 

flush  was  not  produced  by  wine  or  rye  whisky,  but  by  youth  and 
health  and  exercise.  The  young  wheelwrights,  Brokaw  and 
Leader,  employed  Lewis  Bunn  to  build  them  a  shop,  and  de- 
posited fifty  dollars  with  him  to  buy  lumber  for  them  to  com- 
mence their  business.  But  shortly  afterwards  they  returned  to 
Springfield  and  while  there  Mr.  Leader  became  afraid  of  their 
contract  with  Bunn,  and  as  the  hard  times  were  coming  on  and 
banks  were  breaking  he  backed  out.  Mr.  Brokaw  also  wished 
to  withdraw  from  the  contract  and  offered  Mr.  Bunn  the  fifty 
dollars  which  had  been  deposited  with  him,  but  the  latter  refused 
to  accept  it.  Mr.  Bunn  built  the  shop  on  his  own  land  and 
leased  it  to  Mr.  Brokaw  who  had  returned  to  Bloomington.  Mr. 
Brokaw  opened  business.  He  made  the  first  wagon  manufac- 
tured in  McLean  County,  for  Elijah  Hedrick  of  Randolph  Grove, 
but  it  was  sold  to  Dr.  Thomas  Karr.  During  the  next  six  years 
Mr.  Brokaw  worked  very  hard,  but  it  seemed  almost  impossible 
to  accumulate  anything  or  even  pay  running  expenses,  on  ac- 
count of  the  hard  times.  In  1843  Mr.  Brokaw  bought  two  lots, 
where  the  People's  Bank  now  stands,  of  James  Miller,  for 
seventy  dollars  in  cash  and  fifty-five  dollars  in  work.  They  were 
each  sixty-six  feet  by  one  hundred  and  fifteen.  Here  Mr.  Bro- 
kaw kept  his  shops  for  twenty-five  years.  In  1869  he  sold  eighty- 
two  by  ninety-three  feet  of  these  lots  to  the  People's  Bank  Com- 
pany for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  In  1839  or  '40  he  bought 
ten  acres  of  fine  timber  land  near  Bloomington  for  ten  dollars  an 
acre,  and  after  hauling  from  it  a  large  quantity  of  lumber  sold 
it  for  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  He  bought  a  one-third  interest  in 
the  shops,  where  he  is  now  located,  of  Lewis  Bunn,  for  six  thous- 
and dollars. 

On  the  twentieth  of  October,  1847,  Mr.  Brokaw  was  married 
in  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  to  Miss  Eunice  Ellsworth,  the  sister  of 
his  partner,  Ellsworth,  who  died  rather  more  than  a  year  ago. 
She  has  been  his  pleasant  and  loving  companion  ever  since. 

Mr.  Brokaw  has  had  very  little  to  do  with  politics  and  has 
held  only  one  office  of  any  note.  He  was  trustee  of  Blooming- 
ton in  1845  and  '46  under  the  old  organization  of  the  town.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  of  the  strictest  kind.  He  voted  for 
Horace  Greeley  during  the  last  campaign,  because  Greeley  was 
nominated  at  Baltimore. 


m'lean  county.  851 

Mr.  Brokaw  leads  a  very  even  life  and  one  day  is  very  much 
like  another.  He  is  a  man  of  medium  height,  well  set  and 
muscular.  He  is  very  quiet  in  his  manners,  is  strictly  honest  in 
his  dealings,  is  rather  bald,  wears  glasses  in  the  evening,  works 
as  hard  as  ever,  and  indeed  he  could  never  be  content  without 
work.  He  is  the  oldest  mechanic  in  the  county,  and  by  his  skill, 
industry  and  patience  he  has  acquired  a  fortune  and  has  fairly 
earned  the  wealth  he  enjoys. 

•  Andrew  W.  Scogin. 

One  of  the  earliest  and  best  known  settlers  of  McLean 
County  was  Andrew  W.  Scogin.  He  was  born  in  1823  in  Crosby 
Township,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  about  thirteen  miles  from 
Cincinnati.  Like  many  of  the  early  settlers  he  was  a  farmer's 
boy.  His  grandfather  and  his  father,  Joel  Scogin,  had  been 
farmers,  and  young  Andrew  was  early  taught  to  follow  the  plow. 
His  paternal  grandfather  was  a  Welchrnan,  while  his  mother's 
father  was  Irish.  The  family  of  which  Andrew  was  a  member 
was  large,  there  being  fifteen  children,  eight  sons  and  seven 
daughters  ;  he  was  therefore  not  obliged  in  his  youth  to  pine  in 
solitude  like  the  good  little  boy  of  a  Sunday  school  book.  He 
received  a  common  school  education  up  to  his  fourteenth  year. 
"We  are  not  told  whether  or  not  Andrew  was  attentive  to  his 
books  ;  probably  he  had  the  alphabet,  the  primer  and  the  spell- 
ing book  cuffed  into  his  head  in  the  usual  style,  for  Mark  Twain, 
who  is  good  authority  on  this  subject,  intimates  that  the  useful, 
enterprising  men  are  those  who  have  been  well  threshed  in  early 
youth.  "When  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  he  came  with  his 
uncle,  Joseph  Wakefield,  to  McLean  County,  Illinois.  Mr. 
Wakefield  bought  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  at  Ran- 
dolph's Grove,  built  a  log  house  on  it  and  allowed  young  Andrew 
to  work  to  his  heart's  content.  Young  Andrew,  being  very 
independent,  soon  became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account.  Part 
of  his  land  he  obtained  by  purchase,  and  part  he  obtained  by 
his  wife,  and  has  in  all  about  six  hundred  acres.  Farming  in 
those  days  was  not  very  profitable  business,  as  the  price  of  wheat 
varied  from  forty  to  seventy-five  cents  per  bushel.  The  only 
markets  were  Chicago,  Peoria  and  Pekin.  Chicago  was  the 
usual  market,  and  the  settlers,  while  going,  clubbed  together  and 


352  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

made  a  caravan  of  ten  or  twenty  teams.  They  did  this  for  com- 
mon protection  and  in  order  to  help  each  other  through  the 
sloughs.  The  round  trip  to  Chicago  and  return  was  usually 
made  in  about  two  weeks.  During  their  journey  they  did  not 
enjoy  the  luxury  of  a  public  house  on  the  road,  for  none  was 
kept,  and  if  any  had  existed  it  would  not  have  been  patronized, 
for  the  settlers  had  no  money  to  pay  hotel  bills.  They  took  their 
pots  and  frying  pans  and  camped  out.  At  night  they  made  fires 
to  keep  off  the  wolves,  that  sometimes  came  smelling  around 
their  camp,  and  in  the  day-time  the  settlers  followed  the  trail, 
careless,  happy  and  free.  There  were  then  plenty  of  deer,  and 
the  camp  was  usually  supplied  with  venison  steak.  There  were 
plenty  of  prairie  rattle-snakes  too,  which  were  killed  by  dozens. 
The  early  settlers  were  free  from  a  great  many  things  which  dis- 
turb more  settled  and  civilized  life.  The  State  of  Illinois  was 
in  early  days  undisturbed  by  discussion  upon  temperance  laws 
and  Sunday  liquor  laws.  People  had  no  beer  to  drink  and 
whisky  was  a  rare  article.  Mr.  Scogin  became  possessed  of  the 
title  of  Captain,  which  of  course  confers  great  honor  upon  the 
lucky  possessor.  Shortly  after  the  Mexican  war  the  military 
fever  ran  high,  and  it  was  thought  best  by  some  to  revive  the 
militia.  A  company  was  organized  in  McLean  County,  and  Mr. 
Scogin  was  chosen  captain  ;  but  the  experiment  was  a  failure. 
People  do  not  like  to  "play  soldier."  The  Captain  has  an  in- 
teresting family  of  six  children,  and  lives  at  the  west  end  of 
Blooming  Grove,  where  he  has  resided  since  1847. 

As  the  old  settlers  are  all  pleasant  and  social  in  their  dispo- 
sition, we  should  think  they  might  have  a  reunion,  an  old  settlers' 
meeting.  We  are  sure  Captain  Scogin  would  shine  in  such  an 
assembly,  and  perhaps  he  might  give  the  company  a  speech  and 
tell  the  condition  of  things  forty  years  ago.  We  can  imagine 
his  genial  countenance  as  he  would  rise  and  say  : 

"  Gentleman — For  nearly  forty  years  have  I  sojourned  in 
this  magnificent  prairie  State.  Forty  years  ago  the  deer  roamed 
over  these  western  wilds  seldom  disturbed  by  the  crack  of  the 
huntsman's  rifle,  and  the  mink  and  the  otter  reveled  at  their  own 
sweet  will  amid  the  primeval  frog-ponds.  Forty  years  ago  was 
heard  the  music  of  the  goose  and  the  sandhill  crane.  Forty 
years  ago  the  coon  and  the  opossum  curled  their  tails  in  peace 


m'lban  county.  353 

and  harmony  amid  these  western  wilds.  Forty  years  ago  the 
bear  and  the  panther  reared  their  hopeful  cubs  where  now  the 
seat  of  justice  stands.  Forty  years  ago  the  musical  howl  of  the 
prairie-wolf  arose  on  the  stilly  night  where  now  the  chords  of 
the  pianos  trill  sweeter  than  the  harp  of  a  thousand  strings. 
Forty  years  ago  the  rattlesnake  and  the  copperhead,  the  blue- 
racer  and  the  massasauger  wound  their  sinuous,  tortuous  coils 
among  the  reeds  and  grass  and  rashes.  Forty  eventful  years 
have  passed  since  then,  and  here  we  stand,  my  friends,  amid  the 
crash  of  bottles  and  the  wreck  of  breaking  glass.  I  see  you, 
gentlemen,  before  me  who  have  witnessed  these  changes.  I  see 
you,  my  friends,  all  lit  up  with  Rhine  and  Sherry  wine,  and 
though  the  sun  should  be  darkened  and  the  moon  refuse  to  give 
her  light,  we  should  be  enlivened  by  the  beverage  within." 

Though  planet  worlds  around  us  whirl 

And  solar  systems  crash, 
We  still  will  punish  sherry  wine 

And  drink  the  brandy  smash! 

The  Captain  might  not  feel  like  expressing  all  of  these  senti- 
ments, but  if  he  chose  he  would  probably  say  something  pretty 
good.  He  has  a  poetic  turn  of  mind  and  is  particularly  fond  of 
a  piece  of  poetry  which  was  written  by  a  Yankee  who  visited 
Illinois,  while  it  was  still  a  territory.  The  lines  were  written  in 
answer  to  a  letter  received  from  his  eastern  friends,  who  wished 
to  know  about  the  Western  World.  As  they  are  pretty  good 
we  give  them  here. 

"  Great  western  waste  of  bottom  land, 
Flat  as  a  pancake,  rich  as  grease  ; 
Where  mosquitoes  are  as  big  as  toads 
And  toads  are  full  as  big  as  geese. 

"  Beautiful  prairie,  rich  with  grass, 

Where  buffaloes  and  snakes  prevail ; 
The  first  with  dreadful  looking  face, 
The  last  with  dreadful  sounding  tail. 

"  I'd  rather  live  on  camel's  rump 
And  be  a  Yankee  Doodle  beggar, 
Than  where  they  never  see  a  stump 
And  shake  to  death  with  fever  ager." 
23 


354  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Captain  Scogin  is  a  man  of  medium  size,  well  built  and  well 
.proportioned,  of  a  lively,  active  and  wide-awake  nature,  with 
eyes  always  on  the  alert,  noticing  everything  and  everybody 
around  him.  His  countenance  shows  his  pleasant  and  jovial 
disposition.  His  conversation  is  very  entertaining,  particularly 
when  he  talks  of  the  old  pioneers.  His  hospitality  is  unbounded 
and  is  extended  alike  to  the  poor  and  the  rich.  These  pleasant 
and  engaging  qualities  have  made  him  the  most  popular  man  in 
the  section  of  country  where  he  resides. 

Captain  Scogin  was  married  December  26, 1844,  to  Elizabeth 
Karr,  daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas  Karr  of  Randolph's  Grove.  She 
died  October  13,  1845,  leaving  no  children.  He  married,  Jan- 
uary 19,  1847,  Eliza  Low,  daughter  of  Nathan  Low.  She  died 
November  15,  1863.     The  children  of  this  marriage  are  : 

Lee  Scogin,  who  was  born  April  22,  1849,  is  married  and 
lives  on  the  old  Nathan  Low  place. 

Jay  Scogin  was  born  April  29,  1851,  is  unmarried. 

John  Scogin  was  born  June  22,  1853,  is  married  and  lives 
in  Bloomington. 

The  following  children  live  at  home  : 

Frank,  born  December  20,  1855. 

Hester,  born  April  9,  1858. 

Joseph  W.,  born  August  14, 1860. 

William  Scogin,  who  was  born  July  13,  1863,  is  dead. 

Doctor  C.  Wakefield. 

Dr.  Cyrenius  Wakefield  was  born  July  12,  1815,  at  Water- 
town,  New  York.  He  is  a  direct  descendant  from  Thomas 
Wakefield,  who  emigrated  from  the  town  of  Wakefield  in  York- 
shire, England,  to  Reading,  Massachusetts,  about  the  year  1680. 
Wakefield  is  the  same  town  which  gave  the  name  to  Goldsmith's 
beautiful  story,  "The  Vicar  of  Wakefield."  Joseph  Wakefield, 
the  father  of  Cyrenius,  was  one  of  the  first  party  of  emigrants 
to  Jefferson  County,  New  York,  in  the  year  1800,  when  that 
part  of  the  country  was  a  densely  timbered  wilderness.  He 
came  there  from  Vermont  with  his  employer  to  cut  away  the 
timber  and  open  up  a  farm.  He  became  so  expert  in  chopping 
that  he  cut  regularly  an  acre  a  week  of  the  heavy  hard-wood 
timber,  and  made  it  ready  for  logging.     He  thus  cleared  several 


m'lean  county.  855 

hundred  acres.  A  few  years  after  emigrating  to  New  York  he 
married  Susan  Sawyer,  daughter  of  Deacon  Thomas  Sawyer, 
who  emigrated  from  New  Hampshire  the  year  previous.  They 
were  afterwards  blessed  with  a  family  of  six  children,  one  girl 
and  five  boys ;  of  these,  three  were  older  than  Cyrenius. 

After  Cyrenius  had  served  out  his  minority  faithfully  and  had 
earned  a  little  money  by  teaching  school,  he  started  for  the  West 
to  try  his  fortnne  in  a  new  country. 

In  May,  1837,  he  came  over  the  lakes  to  Chicago,  thence  by 
stage  to  LaSalle,  and  from  there  by  boat  to  Pekin.  As  there 
was  no  stage  to  Bloomington  he  had  his  trunk  placed  on  an  ox 
team  load  of  goods  going  to  that  place,  and  worked  his  passage 
by  footing  it. 

He  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Bloomington  for  two  years  and 
taught  school  in  the  Orendorfl"  district  fifteen  months  of  the 
time.  From  this  time  until  June,  1843,  he  taught  school  and 
worked  his  farm  in  DeWitt  County.  He  built  a  house  on  his 
farm,  and 

"One  early  day  in  leafy  June, 
When  birds  and  bees  were  all  in  tune" 

he  went  to  Watertown,  New  York,  and  married  Miss  Harriet 
Richardson,  an  old  schoolmate.  With  her  he  again  came  over 
the  lakes  to  Chicago.  Here  he.  had  left  a  horse,  and  having 
brought  with  him  a  buggy  and  harness,  he  hitched  up,  and  the 
happy  young  couple  completed  their  bridal  tour  with  afourdays 
ride  over  the  prairie.  Probably  Dr.  Wakefield  has  never  before 
or  since  been  happier  than  during  this  period  of  his  life. 

A  short  time  before  his  marriage  his  father  died,  leaving  him 
a  few  hundred  dollars,  which  greatly  aided  him  in  opening  out 
a  large  farm  and  furnishing  it  with  young  stock.  His  plan  then 
was  to  have  a  large  stock  farm,  but  other  events  changed  his 
course. 

In  1845  an  elder  brother,  Dr.  T.  Wakefield,  came  to  visit 
him  from  southwestern  Arkansas.  Dr.  T.  Wakefield  had  prac- 
ticed medicine  there  for  ten  years,  but  was  so  well  pleased  with 
Illinois  and  the  people  here  that  he  determined  to  settle  up  his 
business  in  Arkansas  and  make  his  home  in  Illinois.  This  he 
did,  and  by  July,  1846,  he  was  ready  for  business  in  Illinois. 
The  two  brothers  now  entered  into  partnership  in  a  farmers' 


356  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

store.  They  opened  up  a  stock  of  goods  and  conducted  their 
business  quite  successfully.  But  circumstances  changed  their 
plans  entirely.  Dr.  T.  Wakefield  had  gained  great  skill  in  the 
South  in  treating  malignant  congestive  fevers,  and  he  began  here 
the  same  treatment  which  he  found  so  successful.  His  first  sea- 
son was  a  famous  one  for  fever  and  chills,  and  with  his  medi- 
cines and  cold  water  applications  he  succeeded  in  breaking  up 
the  worst  attacks  in  a  few  hours.  His  fame  spread  with  amaz- 
ing rapidity,  and  to  satisfy  the  pressing  demand  for  his  services, 
he  kept  a  change  of  horses  and  a  driver,  and  improved  his  time 
to  the  best  advantage.  His  practice  soon  extended  over  a  por- 
tion of  country  of  fifty  miles  radius,  and  he  was  obliged  to  do 
much  of  his  sleeping  while  riding  from  one  distant  patient  to 
another.  When  the  people  could  not  get  him  they  wanted  his 
medicine,  and  the  brothers  Wakefield  were  induced  to  prepare 
them  in  advance  of  orders.  The  demand  continued  to  increase 
and  they  were  obliged  to  change  their  store  into  a  medicine  fac- 
tory. Their  medicines  were  introduced  into  several  counties  ; 
when  Dr.  T.  Wakefield,  after  much  exposure,  took  a  violent 
congestion  of  the  lungs  and  died  within  thirty-six  hours.  This 
left  Dr.  C.  Wakefield  in  a  very  embarrassing  position,  but,  hav- 
ing had  two  years  experience  with  his  brother,  and  having  done 
all  of  the  work  of  manufacturing  the  medicines,  he  wisely  con- 
cluded to  go  on  and  extend  the  business.  He  bought  his  brother's 
iuterest  from  his  young  widow  (as  they  had  married  but 
two  months  previous  to  his  death)  and  prepared  to  push  the 
business  extensively.  He  sold  his  property  in  DeWitt  County 
and  in  February,  1850,  removed  to  Bloomington,  as  this  was  a 
good  central  point.  He  has  ever  since  driven  his  business  with 
wonderful  energy,  and  now  his  remedies  are  sold  in  nearly  every 
town  in  five  entire  states.  The  doctor  has  made  quite  a  fortune 
by  the  sale  of  his  remedies,  but  aside  from  any  pecuniary  con- 
sideration he  is  glad  to  know  that  he  is  doing  a  useful  work. 
When  he  came  to  Bloomington  he  built  a  factory,  and  in  con- 
nection with  it  a  drug  store,  which  he  carried  on  with  Robert 
Thompson.  They  built  the  first  three  story  brick  builing  in 
town,  But  this  and  another  brick  building  adjoining,  which 
was  erected  by  the  Doctor  during  the  following  year,  were 
burned  to  the  ground  in  the  great  fire  of  October  16,  1855.     In 


m'lean  county.  357 

this  fire  the  losses  of  Wakefield  &  Thompson  were  very  heavy 
as  their  insurance  was  light.  But  they  rebuilt  their  drug  store 
and  the  doctor  rebuilt  his  factory  near  his  residence,  on  its  pres- 
ent location.  Since  then  he  has  made  additions  to  it  as  his 
business  required. 

In  February,  1854,  his  fine  residence  was  burned,  but  these 
losses  and  disappointments  only  caused  him  to  double  his  exer- 
tions. In  1857  he  sold  out  his  drug  interest,  and  gave  his  whole 
time  and  attention  to  his  medicine  business,  and  now  he  reaps 
the  reward  of  foresight,  of  care  and  hard  labor.  He  gives  em- 
ployment to  forty  persons  in  his  medicine  business  (one-half  of 
whom  are  females)  and  his  annual  sales  amount  to  $100,000. 
He  converts  twenty-five  tons  of  paper  into  almanacs  every  year 
for  free  distribution,  for  the  purpose  of  advertising  his  reme- 
dies. His  largest  sales  are  made  where  fevers  are  most  danger- 
ous and  most  common,  particularly  in  new  countries  where  he 
is  glad  to  know  that  his  remedies  are  the  means  of  doing  great 
good.  It  seems  now  well  recognized  among  advertisers  that  ad- 
vertising is  of  only  temporary  benefit  unless  the  article  pre- 
sented to  the  public  has  intrinsic  merit.  The  Doctor  has  made 
himself  quite  independent  by  the  judicious  advertising  of  good 
and  reliable  remedies. 

The  Doctor  has  four  children  to  rejoice  with  him  in  his  pros- 
perity;  two  of  these  are  married  and  enjoying  comfortable 
homes.  He  has  contributed  a  great  deal  to  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  Bloomington,  and  takes  pride  in  the  fact  that  his 
efforts  in  that  direction  have  been  successful.  He  is  a  man  of 
sterling  integrity  and  substantial  credit.  He  performs  well  and 
carefully  whatever  belongs  to  him  to  do.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education  in  Bloomington,  and  active  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties.  Although  he  is  a  Republican,  he  is 
not  ultra  in  politics,  and  has  never  accepted  an  office  of  profit. 
He  is  conscientious,  and  believes  it  to  be  the  duty  of  every  one 
to  work  out  practically  his  own  spiritual  elevation. 

The  Doctor  is  a  lover  of  the  beautiful  as  well  as  the  useful. 
His  present  residence  is  a  very  fine  illustration  of  his  ability  to 
combine  good  taste  with  great  convenience  and  usefulness.  It 
was  built  in  1871,  at  a  cost  of  about  thirty  thousand  dollars. 

The  Doctor  relates  a  funny  incident  in  the  early  history  of 
Bloomington.     He  says  that  the  first  year  he  lived  in  the  place, 


358  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

1837,  the  county  had  a  a  hewed  log  or  block  house  jail  standing 
near  the  site  of  the  present  fruit  house  grocery.  It  had  no  win- 
dow in  it,  but  on  the  north  side  was  a  peek-hole  five  or  six  feet 
from  the  ground,  large  enough  for  a  man  to  look  through,  but 
supposed  to  be  too  small  for  any  one  to  make  an  egress.  This 
was  the  only  jail  in  the  county,  and  owing  to  the  good  morals 
of  the  citizens  it  was  seldom  occupied.  But  there  was  in  Bloom- 
ington  a  notorious  character  known  as  Len  Marrow,  who  was 
much  addicted  to  drinking,  and  when  he  was  under  the  influ- 
ence of  spirits  he  was  very  noisy.  He  was  often  put  in  this  old 
jail  to  sober  off.  "While  in  there  he  would  stand  at  the  peek- 
hole  and  halloo  and  give  a  long  exhortation  to  every  one  who 
came  in  sight  and  tease  them  for  a  treat.  Finally  William  Mc- 
Cullough  agreed  to  treat  him  if  he  would  get  out  of  the  jail. 
In  less  than  half  an  hour  he  had  squeezed  himself  through  the 
peek-hole  and  was  hunting  for  McCul lough  to  get  the  treat ! 

Dr.  Wakefield  is  about  five  feet  and  nine  inches  in  height, 
is  well  proportioned,  and  has  a  wiry,  good  constitution.  His 
features  are  regular,  and  his  eyes  are  small  but  sharp  and  pene- 
trating. His  hair  and  beard  are  dark  and  full,  but  now  are 
turning  gray.  His  whole  appearance  is  that  of  a  careful,  calcu- 
lating, straightforward,  energetic  business  man. 

William  Osborne  Viney. 

William  Osborne  Viney  was  born  May  15,  1806,  in  Fleming 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  John  Viney  and  the 
name  of  his  mother,  before  her  marriage,  was  Elizabeth  Martin. 
His  mother  was  born  in  Culpepper  County,  Virginia,  and  his 
father  in  Greenbrier  County,  same  State.  His  father  was  of 
mixed  Welch  and  German  descent,  and  his  mother  was  of 
English. 

John  Viney  came  to  Kentucky  from  Virginia  in  1803  or  '04, 
and  in  about  the  year  1810  he  moved  to  Champaign  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1813. 
William  0.  Viney  went  to  school  in  Ohio,  but  it  grieves  the  author 
to  learn  that  young  William  was  up  to  his  pranks.  He  assisted 
the  boys  once  on  Christmas  day  in  barring  out  a  school  teacher, 
named  Lafferty  ;  but  Lafferty  came  through  the  roof  and  made 
the  children  scamper.  Er.  Viney  also  helped  to  bar  out  a  man 
named  McLean,  and  tied  him  and  made  him  give  a  holiday. 


M  LEAN    COUNTY. 


359 


In  those  early  days  the  Indians  were  plenty.  Mr.  Viney  has 
often  seen  Tecnmseh,  and  although  the  former  was  very 'young, 
he  remembers  Tecumseh  clearly.  Mr.  Viney  remembers  seeing 
Simon  Kenton,  the  great  Indian  fighter  of  Kentucky.  The  latter 
wore  a  hunting  shirt,  and  sometimes  one  of  leather.  He  was 
about  six  feet  in  height,  and  his  features  showed  resolution  and 
determination. 

Mr.  Viney  was  not  celebrated  as  a  sportsman,  but  he  fre- 
quently hunted  coons  and  foxes  with  hounds  ancl  had  some  very 
exciting  chases.  At  one  time  he  went  on  a  fox  hunt  with  hounds, 
but  one  of  the  dogs  was  crippled  and  could  not  run  fast.  The 
fox  ran  in  a  circle  and  the  crippled  dog,  being  unable  to  run  fast, 
cut  across  and  caught  it. 

Mr.  A'iney  loved  his  practical  jokes  and  was  up  to  a  great 
many  of  them.  He  had  a  friend,  named  Phillips,  who  was  large 
and  awkward,  and  a  fine  "subject"  to  work  upon.  Phillips  was 
a  bashful  youth  and  much  afraid  of  the  girls.  At  one  time,  in 
the  dusk  of  the  evening,  while  the  two  young  men  were^passiug 
a  place  where  some  girls  were  milking,  Viney  gave  Phillips  a 
push  and  sent  him  over  on  a  steer  that  was  lying  down.  Phillips 
thought  it  was  a  log  and  awkwardly  fell  astride  of  it  with  his 
face  towards  the  tail.  The  "log"  jumped  up  and  began  running 
and  kicking,  and  poor  Phillips  was  lifted  into  the  air  so  that 
blue  sky  could  be  seen  between  him  and  the  steer  at  every  jump. 
He  finally  took  a  seat  on  the  'ground,  and  from  the  expressions 
used  would  not  have  been  considered  a  pious  young  man. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  Mr.  Viney  set  out  with  his  friend 
Phillips  on  foot  for  Indianapolis.  There  Viney  worked  in  a 
brickyard  during  the  summer  and  in  a  shoeshop  during  winter. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  married  to  Miss  Dorinda 
Bay,  the  daughter  of  Squire  "William  Bay,  of  Indianapolis. 
Squire  Bay  had  come  from  Champaign  County,  Ohio.  He  had 
served  in  the  war  of  1812  as  a  spy.  At  one  time  during  the 
war  of  1812  Squire  Bay  was  sent  out  with  a  squad  of  men  under 
the  command  of  a  certain  Captain  Wood  to  watch  the  move- 
ments of  the  British  and  Indians  near  the  Maumee  Eiver. 
During  one  night  they  saw  what  they  thought  was  a  body  of 
Indians,  but  it  proved  to  be  a  drove  of  cattle.  They  were  ob- 
liged to  travel  during  the  night  and  remain  hidden  during  the 


360  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

day,  but  were  passed  by  Indians  who  came  uncomfortably  close 
to  them.  While  they  remained  hid  a  snow  fell  about  two  inches 
deep,  so  that  they  could  be  tracked.  Then  they  knew  that  they 
must  return  to  the  army  with  all  speed,  which  they  did,  a  dis- 
tance of  thirty-five  miles.  The  Indians,  who  were  following  up 
the  spies,  came  up  about  the  time  the  latter  reached  the  army. 
Bay  said,  that  on  one  of  his  expeditions  he  became  very  sick, 
so  sick  that  he  was  crazy,  and  was  left  to  die,  but  was  found  and 
brought  into  camp  on  a  sled. 

Mr.  Viney  remained  at  Indianapolis  nine  years.  Game  was 
plenty  there.  He  remembers  seeing  forty  wild  turkeys  on  a  four 
acre  block.  He  says  that  when  turkeys  are  chased  a  long  dis- 
tance, they  hide  their  heads  as  ostriches  are  said  to  do  in  the 
desert. 

In  March,  1837,  he  made  a  visit  to  McIIenry  County  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Simpson  Bay,  and  in  August  following  he 
came  to  McLean  County  to  make  it  his  home.  Deer  were  then 
exceedingly  plenty.  At  one  time,  while  marking  out  a  claim 
with  his  brother-in-law,  Simpson  Bay,  they  started  a  drove  of 
thirty  deer,  which  ran  past  Bay  and  he  fired  at  the  herd,  not  at 
any  particular  deer,  and  succeeded  in  killing  one. 

Mr.  Viney  came  to  Bloomiugton,  where  he  lived  one  year, 
then  went  to  Monmouth,  in  Warren  County,  where  he  lived  five 
years,  then  he  returned  to  Bloomington,  where  he  lived  until 
about  five  years  ago,  when  he  moved  to  the  place  where  he 
now  resides,  on  the  east  side  of  Blooming  Grove. 

Mr.  Viney  tells  of  a  change  in  the  weather  which  took  place 
in  1840  or  1842,  which  reminded  him  of  the  celebrated  sudden 
change  of  December,  1836.  One  morning,  when  the  snow  was 
on  the  ground  and  the  weather  was  cloudy  and  warm  for  winter, 
he  went  to  mill  six  miles  north  of  Monmouth.  He  stayed  at  the 
mill  over  night,  and  in  the  morning  he  found  that  it  had  rained 
and  the  snow  was  gone.  He  started  home  with  the  flour  and 
bran  of  six  bushels  of  wheat.  When  he  arrived  at  Monmouth 
it  snowed  and  turned  very  cold.  There  he  caught  sight  of  one 
of  his  neighbors  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  starting  for 
home,  and  tried  to  catch  up  with  him.  Viney  kept  within  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  his  neighbor,  all  the  time  they  were  going 
home,  but  could  not  gain  on  him.     When  the  neighbor  crossed 


m'lean  county.  361 

the  first  creek  and  went  through  with  his  horse,  he  left  a  mark 
which  Yiney  could  watch,  and  Viney  says  that  by  the  time  he 
could  travel  a  quarter  of  a  mile  and  reach  the  place,  the  ice 
would  almost  bear  his  weight.  The  cold  was  most  intense,  and 
though  he  was  wrapped  up  in  bed-clothes  and  had  the  wind  to 
his  back,  it  sometimes  seemed  that  he  must  freeze. 

Mr.  Viney's  amiable  wife  died  October  21,  1871,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three.  He  has  had  a  family  of  twelve  children,  of  whom 
six  are  living.  All  the  living  are  in  Illinois,  except  one  who 
went  to  California.     They  are  : 

William  M.  Viney,  who  lives  in  California. 
David  Viney  lives  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  his  father's. 
Mrs.  Lucinda  M.  Cox,  wife  of  Rev.  Amos  Cox,  lives  in  Vir- 
ginia,  Cass  County,  Illinois. 

Mrs.  Martha  J.  Clary,  wife  of  James  Clary,  lives  with  her 
father,  or  rather  her  father  lives  with  her. 
Alvin  L.  Viney  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Edwin  Kay  Viney  lives  at  his  father's  house,  and   makes  his 
home  there. 

Mr.  Viney  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  weighs 
a  hundred  and  thirty  or  forty  pounds,  is  muscular  and  never  was  ' 
afraid  of  work.  He  made  great  exertions  to  support  his  family, 
in  the  days  when  it  seemed  hard  to  do  so.  He  is  full  of  fun, 
loves  a  joke,  particularly  a  practical  joke.  His  head  is  bald, 
and  his  eyes  have  a  pleasant,  practical-joking  smile.  He  is  a 
man  of  the  best  of  sense,  and  what  his  hands  find  to  do  he  does 
with  his  might,  industriously  and  perseveringly.  He  is  a  good 
sharp  judge  of  character  and  sees  through  men  easily. 

John  T.  Gunnell. 

John  T.  Gunnell  was  born  in  Fairfax  County,  Virginia,  ten 
miles  from  Washington,  on  the  first  of  May,  1796.  His  father, 
Allen  Gunnell,  was  descended  from  Welch  and  English  stock 
and  was  quite  wealthy.  He  was  blind  from  his  birth,  but  his 
blindness  was  not  noticed  until  he  attempted  to  walk.  He  had 
a  plantation  and  about  forty  slaves.  Some  of  these  he  liberated 
and  would  have  done  so  with  all,  but  was  prevented  by  the  pass- 
age of  a  law  by  Virginia  prohibiting  the  liberation  of  slaves. 
This  kind  gentleman  died  in  1822  at  the  ripe  age  of  seventy-two. 


362  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

His  death  was  occasioned  by  eating  too  many  cherries,  of  which 
fruit  he  was  very  fond.  John  received  his  early  education  at  a 
district  school,  and  later,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  finished  at 
Alexandria,  which  was  about  ten  miles  from  his  father's  home. 
He  was  not  specially  educated  for  any  profession  or  trade,  but 
was  trained  to  attend  to  his  father's  affairs.  His  father  was  so 
strongly  opposed  to  slavery  that  in  the  year  1814  he  sold  out  and 
removed  to  Nashville,  Tennessee.  After  remaining  there  two 
years  his  father  moved  to  Christian  County,  Kentucky,  where  he 
bought  one  thousand  acres  of  land  and  commenced  raising  pro- 
duce, particularly  tobacco.  In  May,  1820,  John  T.  Gunnell 
married  Elizabeth  Major,  a  double  cousin  of  William  T.  Major? 
of  whose  life  we  have  made  a  sketch.  She  was  an  only  daugh- 
ter and  was  usually  called  Queen.  This  was  near  Frankfort, 
Kentucky.  By  this  marriage  he  had  one  son,  Thomas  Allen 
Gunnell.  Two  years  after  the  marriage  of  John  T.  Gunnell,  his 
wife  died,  and  his  son  Thomas  was  brought  up  by  his  grand- 
mother near  Frankfort,  and  now  lives  in  Saline  County,  Missouri. 
Thomas  was  for  some  time  a  slaveholder,  as  he  obtained  a  great 
many  by  marriage,  and  was  obliged  to  take  care  of  them,  and 
when  they  were  liberated  by  the  war  of  the  rebellion  he  was 
glad  to  be  relieved  of  the  responsibilities  of  their  charge.  Mr. 
John  T.  Gunnell  was  for  a  while  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  and 
held  his  office  at  Hopkinsville,  while  his  mother  and  sisters  re- 
mained to  oversee  the  farm ;  but  when  his  sisters  went  the 
way  of  the  world  and  were  married,  his  mother  came  to  town 
and  kept  house  for  him.  On  the  first  of  November,  1827,  he 
married  Catharine  Athelia  McKenzie,  near  Hopkinsville,  and 
moved  to  his  farm.  They  have  had  a  family  of  nine  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  living,  four  boys  and  three  girls. 

In  1833  Mr.  Gunnell  sold  out  with  the  intention  of  moving 
to  Texas  ;  but  this  country  was  then  under  the  government  of 
Mexico,  which  had  passed  a  law  requiring  all  marriages  to  be 
performed  after  the  ritual  of  the  Catholic  Church,  or  they  would 
not  be  recognized  as  legal  and  binding.  But  Mr.  Gunnell  was 
a  Protestant,  and  as  this  little  matter  could  not  be  arranged  satis- 
factorily the  plan  of  going  to  Texas  was  given  up,  and  the  family 
came  to  Tazewell  County,  Illinois,  in  the  year  1834.  During 
the  fall  previous  to  his  removal  he  entered  a  quarter  section  of 


m'lean  county.  863 

land  in  Tazewell  County,  Illinois,  had  a  house  built  on  it  and 
made  arrangements  to  have  ten  acres  planted  in  corn.  His 
goods  were  sent  by  water  and  the  family  started  in  carriages 
with  two  other  families.  The  party  consisted  of  Mr.  Gunnell, 
his  wife  and  three  children  ;  William  Davenport,  his  wife  and 
two  children,  and  Mordecai  Bullock,  his  wife  and  two  children. 
The  party  was  two  weeks  on  the  road,  but  at  last  arrived  safely 
on  the  twenty-fifth  of  April,  1834.  No  accidents  or  adventures 
occurred  on  the  journey  except  that  at  one  time  Mr.  Bullock 
came  very  near  being  drowned.  Davenport  and  Bullock  settled 
in  Walnut  Grove,  now  called  Eureka,  Woodford  County.  Mr. 
Davenport  was  intended  for  the  profession  of  the  law,  but  he 
became  a  preacher  and  was  the  principal  mover  in  building  up 
Eureka  College. 

After  living  in  Tazewell  County  for  three  years  (until  1837) 
Mr.  Gunnell  sold  his  land  there  for  ten  dollars  an  acre  and 
moved  to  Stout's  Grove,  now  called  Danvers  Township,  where 
he  bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land  at  seven  dollars  an  acre. 
Here  he  lived  for  thirty  years  until  the  day  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  April  28,  1867,  after  two  weeks  severe  illness.  The 
farm  still  belongs  to  the  farnity  and  is  managed  by  the  eldest 
son. 

Mr.  Gunnell  was  not  an  active  politician  and  held  but  one 
office  of  profit,  which  was  that  of  circuit  clerk  in  Hopkinsville, 
Kentucky.  For  twenty-one  years  preceding  his  death  he  was 
treasurer  of  Danvers  township,  which  shows  very  clearly  the 
confidence  reposed  in  him  by  his  neighbors.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Whig  and  afterwards  a  Republican.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church  and  for  many  years  was  a  deacon  in  that  or- 
ganization. 

Mr.  Gunnell  was  commanding  in  stature,  being  nearly  six 
feet  in  height.  His  hair  was  dark  and  curly,  his  whiskers  had  a 
reddish  cast,  but  late  in  life  were  gray.  His  forehead  was  high 
and  full,  and  the  expression  of  his  countenance  was  intellectual. 
His  ej-es  were  large,  the  color  of  hazel,  and  had  an  intelligent, 
penetrating  expression,  and  when  pleased  had  a  very  kind,  pleas- 
ant look.  He  was  an  excellent  business  man  and  very  careful 
with  all  of  his  accounts.  He  thought  a  great  deal  of  his  family 
and  was  always  anxious  for  their  welfare.  He  was  buried  at 
Stout's  Grove. 


364  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

The  following  are  Mr.  Gumiell's  children  born  during  his 
marriage  with  his  wife  Catherine  : 

John  T.  Gunnel!,  jr.,  lives  at  home;  Dr.  James  Lincoln  Gun- 
nell  lives  in  Mackinawtown ;  Mrs.  Lizzie  Vaughan,  wife  of  Mr. 
Vaughan,  General  Manager  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad; 
Joseph  Manson  Gunnell  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  at  Minier  on  the 
Little  Mackinaw;  "Washington  McKenzie,  Margaret  Ann  and 
Mary  Belle,  live  at  home.  The  latter  is  the  pet,  of  course,  keeps 
the  house  lively  and  makes  the  mischief. 

John  Willard  Billings. 

John  W.  Billings  was  born  August  25,  1810,  in  Charlton, 
Worcester  County,  Massachusetts.  His  father's  name  was  Wil- 
liam Billings  and  his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was 
Lucretia  Parker.  The  Billings  family  is  an  old  one,  and  its 
origin  is  given  by  Mr.  Billings,  as  follows  :  "  I  have  learned 
from  the  history  of  the  Plymouth  colony  that  the  name  of  Bill- 
ings in  America  is  derived  from  two  brothers  who  came  over 
from  England,  not  in  the  Mayflower,  but  a  few  years  after  the 
voyage  of  this  celebrated  vessel.  One  of  the  brothers  settled  iu 
the  New  England  colony  and  the  other  in  the  colony  at  James- 
town, Virginia.  I  am  a  descendant  of  the  Plymouth  stock  and 
am  branded  a  full-blooded  Yankee,  dyed  in  the  wool,  which  I 
never  wish  to  deny."  On  the  other  hand,  those  members  of  the 
Billings  family  who  were  descended  from  the  brother  who  set- 
tled in  Virginia,  no  doubt  prided  themselves  on  being  good 
southerners  and  good  rebels  during  the  war.  Their  names  ap- 
peared very  often  in  that  connection,  but  their  northern  name- 
sakes probably  sent  enough  soldiers  to  the  Union  army  to  attend 
to  them. 

William  Billings,  the  father  of  John,  was  a  shoe  manufac- 
turer. He  manufactured  shoes  from  what  were  called  Calcutta 
hides,  though  they  probably  came  from  cattle  in  Spanish  South 
America.  These  shoes  were  sold  principally  in  the  Southern 
States  to  be  worn  by  negroes.  He  took  a  great  interest  in  his 
trade.  When  one  of  his  sons,  Parker  Billings,  died,  the  old 
gentleman  said  sadly:  "  I  intended  to  make  a  fine  workman  of 
Parker."  William  Billings  died  in  the  year  1817  when  John 
was  only  seven  years  of  age.     The  family,  owing  to  some  mis- 


m'lean  county.  365 

fortunes,  was  left  in  rather  straightened  circumstances.  There 
were  five  children  in  the  family  and  the  death  of  the  father  scat- 
tered them.  John  was  sent  from  one  relative  to  another  for  a  while, 
but  at  last  was  taken  by  Major  D.  Williams,  an  old  soldier  of 
the  Revolution,  and  by  him  raised  until  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
Major  Williams  was  in  many  battles.  He  was  at  Saratoga  and 
in  all  of  the  contests  of  that  memorable  campaign,  which  ended 
in  the  surrender  of  General  Burgoyne.  Mr.  Billings  says  of  the 
Major  :  "  Many  a  time  did  he  thrill  my  boyish  heart  with  the 
account  of  that  campaign,  how  the  bullets  whizzed,  the  artillery 
thundered  and  the  red-coats  ran  !  He  was  present  when  Gene- 
ral Burgoyne  surrendered  his  sword  to  General  Gates,  saying, 
with  a  low  bow,  '  The  fortunes  of  war,  General  Gates,  have 
made  me  your  prisoner.'  The  victorious  General  returned  the 
sword  with  a  courtly  salute,  saying,  'I  shall  always  be  ready  to 
bear  testimony  that  it  was  not  through  any  fault  of  your  Excel- 
lency.' When  the  old  gentleman  would  tell  of  this  circumstance, 
he  would  spring  to  his  feet  and  march  across  the  floor  with  his 
military  tread,  and  his  cheeks  all  aglow  with  the  thought  that 
Burgoyne  had  surrendered  !  He  was  a  good  old  man  ;  his  latch- 
string  wa8  out ;  his  house  and  barn  were  open  to  man  and  beast, 
and  his  purse-strings  were  loose,  when  benevolence  or  charity 
required.  Mrs.  Williams,  his  wife,  was  a  patriotic  and  Chris- 
tian lady  and  not  a  whit  behind  her  husband  in  everything  good 
and  merciful.  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  many  moral  lessons  and 
to  her  for  many  prayers.  If  there  is  auy  good  in  me,  they,  under 
the  Most  High,  are  the  bestowers  of  it.  The  master  has  long 
since  said  unto  them :  '  Come  up  higher.'  " 

Mr.  Billings,  in  his  younger  days,  heard  a  great  deal  of  the 
West ;  he  heard  from  a  nephew  of  Major  Williams  that  the 
West  was  a  place  where  fifty  acres  of  wheat  could  grow  in  one 
patch !  and  when  young  John  grew  up,  this  had  a  great  influ- 
ence in  deciding  him  to  go  West.  He  went  to  school  in  the 
meantime  and  had  good  books  to  read,  black  birds  to  shoot  and 
fish  to  catch.     What  more  could  a  young  man  wish  ? 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  Mr.|Billings  was  indentured  to  an 
architect  and  builder,  as  an  apprentice  for  three  years.  He 
served  his  time  faithfully,  and  then  began  work  on  his  own 
account.     He  worked  one  year  for  William  Howe,  the  inventor 


366  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

of  the  Howe  Truss  Bridge,  one  of  which  spans  the  Illinois  River 
at  Peoria.  He  is  a  brother  of  the  Howe  who  invented  the  sew- 
ing machine  of  that  name.  The  whole  family  of  Howes  were 
remarkable  for  their  mechanical  genius. 

In  1837  Mr.  Billings  decided  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  West, 
as  the  times  were  very  hard.  His  friends  attempted  to  dissuade 
him  from  his  course,  but  without  avail.  He  says  :  "I  took 
counsel  only  of  myself :  my  faith  was  fixed ;  my  face  was  set, 
and  my  loins  were  girded  for  a  race  toward  sundown."  He  and 
a  fellow-shopmate  started  August  20,  1837,  from  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames  River,  on  board  of 
the  boat  Aurora,  for  the  great  West.  He  says  :  "The  reader  will 
not  imagine  a  faint  heart,  when  I  say  that  my  visage  lengthened 
and  my  eyes  misted  over  as  the  Aurora  bore  me  away  from  my 
native  soil,  bound  for  Bloomington,  McLean  County,  Illinois." 

He  went  to  New  York  and  there  took  passage  up  the  Hudson 
River.  He  was  shown  the  places  on  this  great  river  which 
have  become  famous  in  history.  He  saw  the  national  school 
at  West  Point ;  he  saw  the  place,  where  the  great  chain 
was  stretched  across  the  river  during  the  Revolutionary  War; 
he  saw  where  the  sloop  Vulture,  of  Arnold  and  Andre  notoriety, 
was  moored,  while  the  traitor  was  negotiating  his  treason,  and 
upon  which  he  finally  fled.  At  Albany  he  went  on  board  of  a 
canal-boat  for  Buffalo.  Not  a  great  while  before  they  reached 
the  latter  place,  a  stranger,  who  came  on  board,  had  an  altercation 
with  the  captain,  who  was  a  short,  fat  man  and  wore  a  ruffled 
shirt,  The  captain  intimated,  that  the  stranger  was  a  fool,  and 
the  latter  responded,  that  the  captain  was  a  "hog,  wearing  a 
ruffled  shirt."  The  result  was  a  tussle,  in  which  the  rufHes  be- 
came ruffled  still  more  and  somewhat  bloodied  from  the  injured 
nose  above,  while  the  stranger  found  himself  crawling  out  of  the 
canal. 

When  he  arrived  at  Buffalo,  the  houses  for  entertainment 
were  all  full,  but  he  managed  to  get  quarters  next  to  a  good  old 
couple,  who  belonged  to  the  Society  of  Friends.  At  Buffalo  he 
took  a  boat  for  Chicago.  On  board  of  the  boat  was  a  widow 
and  her  children.  They  were  Catholics,  and  every  morning 
they  knelt  in  a  group,  with  their  crosses  about  their  necks  and 
their  beads  in  their  hands,  and  remained  motionless  for  half  an 


m'lean  county.  367 

hour  or  more.  At  Mackinaw  Straits  he  saw  many  Indians.  He 
says  :  "Their  wigwams  circled  around  the  water's  edge  for  a 
mile  or  two.  The  lake  was  in  a  measure  covered  with  bark 
canoes,  the  Indians  showing  much  skill  in  their  management. 
Some  were  fishing,  others  lazily  loitering  upon  the  smooth 
waters,  entirely  listless  and  careless  of  their  appearance."  Some 
were  anxious  to  trade.  The  squaws  offered  bright  pebbles,  curi- 
ous shells  and  bead-work  of  many  fanciful  patterns,  and  the  men 
offered  fish,  venison  and  the  furs  of  small  animals.  When  the 
boat  was  about  to  start,  the  captain  gave  warning,  but  one  canoe, 
containing  an  Indian,  a  squaw  and  two  papooses,  was  late  in 
leaving,  and  when  the  wheel  revolved,  this  canoe  was  turned 
keel  up.  Mr.  Billings  says  the  little  papooses  floated  as  natur- 
ally as  balls  of  cotton  or  life-preservers.  While  between 
Mackinaw  Straits  and  Chicago,  they  saw  a  deer  swimming  in  the 
water  and  took  it  on  board  and  brought  it  to  Chicago.  It  was 
a  fine  five-pronged  buck.  Mr.  Billings  says,  this  was  the  only 
steamboat  deer-hunt  he  ever  heard  of. 

At  Chicago,  Mr.  Billings  and  his  companion  made  arrange- 
ments to  have  their  baggage  taken  to  Tremont,  in  Tazewell 
County,  by  a  "brawny,  long-legged,  long-armed  six-footer,  who 
had  come  to  Chicago  with  four  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  load  of 
bacon."  This  was  their  only  opportunity,  as  they  could  find  no 
teams  going  to  Bloomington.  They  then  set  out  for  the  latter 
place  on  foot,  and  for  the  first  time  saw  the  broad  prairie.  Mr. 
Billings  says :  "Never  had  we  seen  such  an  ocean-land ;  for  the 
first  time  I  realized  the  iclea  of  a  fifty-acre  wheat  field  !  The 
wonders  of  the  Great  West  were  unfolding  before  us.  I  had 
seen  the  mountains  of  New  England,  but  their  sublime  heights 
were  eclipsed  by  the  broad  expanse  of  level  land  now  before 
us."  They  diverged  from  their  course  to  look  at  some  lands  on 
the  Kankakee  River,  and  there  saw  hunters  killirfg  chickens 
with  double-barreled  shot  guns.  It  was  a  novelty  indeed.  They 
proceeded  on  to  Bloomington  through  the  prairie  grass,  which 
grew  from  one  to  three  feet  high.  At  one  time  they  thought 
they  saw  their  fifty-acre  cornfield  in  the  distance,  but  found  it 
to  be  grass  growing  seven  or  eight  feet  high  on  wet  land.  It  was 
a  miniature  cane-brake.  They  came  on  to  Eppard's  Point  on 
Rook  Creek  (Little  Vermilion),  and  here  Mr.  Billings  bought  a 


368  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

claim  for  one  hundred  dollars,  giving  the  occupant  a  year  to 
remain.  He  proceeded  to  Bloomington  after  a  few  days  delay. 
Here  be  saw  the  militia  out  and  training.  General  Covel  and 
Colonel  Gridle3r,  afterwards  General,  were  in  high  feathers. 

Mr.  Billings  speaks  of  Bloomington  curiously  and  beauti- 
fully, and  gives  some  reminiscences  of  the  prominent  men  of 
the  place.  "James  Allin,  merchant,  was  one  of  the  main  pro- 
prietors of  the  town,  and  State  Senator  from  this  district.  I 
heard  him  speak  of  one  of  his  trips  to  Vandalia,  when  that  city 
was  the  capital  of  the  State.  He  and  some  others  went  part  of 
the  way  there  and  found  the  roads  so  nearly  impassable  that 
horse  teams  could  not  travel,  and  they  were  compelled  to  take 
an  ox-team,  and  he  whom  the  nation  now  honors  and  mourns 
more  than  any  other  man,  our  martyred  President,  Abraham 
Lincoln,  with  his  long  legs  and  longer  ox-whip,  drove  them  tri- 
umphantly into  the  State  capital."  The  Circuit  Court  was  in 
session  in  Bloomington  when  Mr.  Billings  arrived,  but  closed 
about  a  week  afterwards,  and  the  judge  and  lawyers  prepared  to 
go  to  Tremont,  Tazewell  County,  to  the  session  of  court  there. 
Among  them  was  His  Honor,  Judge  David  Davis,  who  rode  a 
spirited  horse  ;  but  as  he  wished  to  ride  in  a  carriage  with  some 
of  his  legal  friends,  and  as  Mr.  Billings  wished  to  go  to  Tremont 
for  his  goods,  the  latter  rode  the  Judge's  horse.  Mr.  Billings 
was  not  accustomed  to  horseback  riding,  though  he  did  pretty 
well  with  the  fiery  Bucephalus.  After  riding  eight  or  ten  miles 
the  company  stopped  for  water  and  when  they  started  on,  Mr. 
Billings  fell  behind.  When  he  attempted  to  re-mount  he  became 
rather  eager  and  pitched  clear  over  the  horse,  and  in  so  doing 
lost  his  hold  of  the  rein.  The  animal  bounded  away  and  left 
poor  Billings  meditating  upon  the  expression  of  Solomon: 
"Verily,  a  horse  is  a  vain  thing  for  safety."  He  went  forward 
and  explained  matters  to  Judge  Davis,  feeling  much  confused 
and  anxious  about  the  animal.  It  was  afterwards  found  at  Funk's 
Grove,  where  it  had  been  bred.  As  Mr.  Billings'  baggage  had 
not  arrived  at  Tremont  when  he  came  there,  and  as  the  landlady 
of  the  tavern  was  sick,  he  assisted  in  the  culinary  department, 
and  for  a  week  was  chief  cook  and  dishwasher  for  twenty  or 
thirty  lawyers  and  clients.  Mr.  Billings'  baggage  had  by  this 
time  arrived,  and  he  took  it  to  Bloomington. 


m'lean  county.  .  369 

In  the  fall  of  1830  Mr.  Billings  was  taken  sick  with  the  bil- 
lions fever,  which  was  a  disease  very  common  in  the  West.  He 
was  nursed  for  several  weeks  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Wallace, 
and  wishes  his  obligations  for  their  kindness  to  be  expressed  in 
this  sketch. 

Mr.  Billings  is  about  live  feet  and  six  inches  in  height.  His 
eyes  are,  one  of  them  gray  and  the' other  a  light  brown.  His 
head  is  rather  bald,  owing  to  sickness  in  his  youth.  His  nose 
is  aquiline  and  his  features  delicate.  His  age  begins  to  appear, 
as  his  hair  is  turning  gray  ;  he  uses  spectacles  to  read  and  write, 
and  he  has  been  somewhat  deaf  during  the  last  fifteen  years. 
His  countenance  is  expressive  of  kindness  of  heart,  and  his  ap- 
pearance is  quiet  and  unassuming.  He  is  a  great  worker  and  is 
constantly  on  the  move,  but  has  retired  from  business.  He  pos- 
sesses great  mechanical  skill.  He  is  much  interested  in  science 
and  art  and  is  well  informed  with  regard  to  matters  that  are 
transpiring.  From  the  quotations  made  in  this  sketch  it  has  no 
doubt  appeared  to  the  reader  that  Mr.  Billings  has  many  of  the 
qualifications  of  an  interesting  writer.  It  seems  natural  for  him 
to  bring  out  his  ideas  clearly  by  contrasts,  and  he  is  helped  by  a 
sense  of  humor  and  a  lively  imagination. 

Mr.  Billings  married,  March  26,  1840,  Miss  Rebecca  Ann 
Hatfield,  who  came  from  Hopkinsville,  Christian  County,  Ken- 
tucky, in  October,  1836,  with  the  family  of  her  stepfather,  James 
C.  Haden.  They  have  one  daughter,  Eliza  L.  Billings,  who 
lives  with  her  parents.  Mrs.  Haden,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Bill- 
ings, resides  with  her  daughter. 

Henry  Richardson. 

Henry  Richardson  was  born  October  26,  1807,  in  Sudbury, 
Massachusetts.  He  was  of  purely  English  descent.  When  he 
was  ten  years  of  age  his  father  died.  Henry  Richardson  was 
then  thrown  in  a  great  measure  on  his  own  resources,  and  he 
went  into  a  factory  for  making  cloth,  in  the  city  of  Lowell.  He 
worked  in  it  for  eleven  years,  going  through  all  of  the  depart- 
ments and  becoming  at  last  superintendent.  In  1835  he  went  to 
Lexington,  Kentucky,  to  take  charge  of  a  factory,  which  had 
been  superintended  by  his  brother.  But  he  could  not  endure 
24 


370  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

the  system  of  slavery,  and  in  September,  1837,  he  left  Ken- 
tucky and  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois.  Here  he  entered 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  included  the  little 
grove  about  half  a  mile  west  of  Old  Town  timber.  He  was 
active  and  industrious.  He  hauled  goods  from  St.  Louis,  Peoria 
and  Pekin  for  Judge  McClun  and  others.  He  camped  out  at 
night  making  fires  to  keep  off  the  wolves. 

He  sold  his  entered  land  for  seven  dollars  per  acre,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1845  bought  the  Michael  place  near  the  south  end 
of  Blooming  Grove.  Here  he  lived  until  the  spring  of  1851. 
He  raised  stock,  and  during  the  celebrated  "  hard  times"  of 
1837_46  he  sold  it  cheap.  But  it  cost  him  little,  as  he  could  buy 
corn  for  five  cents  per  bushel  to  feed  to  it.  In  the  spring  of 
1851  he  sold  the  Michael  place  for  fifteen  dollars  per  acre.  Then 
he  took  his  family  to  visit  his  grandfather  Fisher's  people  in 
Francestown,  jSTew  Hampshire.  This  was  indeed  a  visit,  for  it 
lasted  nearly  a  year.  He  returned  to  Bloomington  and  went 
into  the  grocery  business,  in  which  he  remained  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  December  17,  1872.  Mr.  Richard- 
son was  for  many  years  superintendent  of  a  Sunday  school  and 
deacon  in  the  Congregational  Church.  During  the  latter  part 
of  his  life  he  was  an  elder  in  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church. 
During  all  of  his  life  he  was  a  zealous,  working  Christian  and 
died  in  full  faith  in  his  Saviour. 

In  September,  1827,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  Mr.  Richardson 
married  Miss  Lucy  Fisher.  By  this  marriage  he  had  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  four  are  living. 

Henry  W.  Richardson  died  in  1853. 

Justin  W.  Richardson  lives  at  Millington,  Kendall  County, 
Illinois.  He  was  for  a  while  editor  of  the  Bloomington  Panto- 
graph, afterwards  of  the  Qwncy  Whig  and  Republican,  and  now 
owns  and  edits  the  Millington  Enterprise. 

Lunsford  P.  Richardson  was  a  soldier  during  the  rebellion  in 
the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois  Volunteers,  Company  A.  He  is  now 
connected  with  the  house  of  Culver,  Page,  Hoyue  &  Co.,  Chi- 
cago. 

John  C.  Richardson  died  in  1857. 

AVilliam  F.  Richardson  was,  during  the  rebellion,  a  soldier 
in  the  Mercantile  Battery  from  Chicago.  He  is  now  in  the 
grocery  business  on  Main  street,  Bloomiugton. 


m'lean  county.  371 

George  II.  Richardson  was  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
fifth  Illinois  Volunteers.  He  is  now  with  his  brother  William  in 
the  grocery  business. 

Mrs.  Richardson  died  March  30,  1859.  In  December,  1864, 
Mr.  Richardson  married  Miss  Caroline  Robinson.  ISTo  children 
were  born  of  this  marriage.     This  lady  is  still  living. 

Henry  Richardson  was  about  five  feet  and  eight  inches  in 
height,  had  rather  a  light  complexion  and  was  rather  bald-head- 
ed. His  son  Lunsford  very  much  resembles  him.  He  was  a 
very  good  man  and  very  kind  to  his  family.  He  was  very  quiet 
in  his  disposition  and  his  health  was  usually  good.  He  died  of 
heart-disease  and  was  sick  only  a  few  minutes. 

Joshua  R.  Fell. 

Joshua  R.  Fell,  eldest  son  of  Jesse  and  Rebecca  R.  Fell,  was 
born  January  21,  1804,  in  East  Cain  township,  Chester  County, 
Pennsylvania.  The  Fell  family  lived  in  various  places  in  that 
vicinity.  About  the  first  of  January,  ,1821,  Mr.  Fell  was  ap- 
prenticed to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  Downingtown,  Ches- 
ter County,  Pa.,  where  the  family  then  lived.  While  Mr.  Fell 
lived  in  Downingtown,  the  first  survey  was  made  for  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Centrail  Railroad,  running  from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburg. 
But  it  was  not  until  the  year  1834  that  locomotives  commenced 
running,  some  ten  years  after  its  actual  construction  was  com- 
menced. It  does  not  now  require  so  much  time  to  build  a  rail- 
road. Joshua  Fell  lived  in  many  places  in  Pennsylvania.  In 
the  year  1831  he  moved  to  Salisbury  in  Pequay  Valley,  where 
he  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account.  During  this  year 
he  married  Sarah  Harlin,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
Harlin.  The  ceremony  was  performed  after  the  manner  of  the 
Friends,  in  Old  Kennett  Meeting  House,  on  the  16th  of  June, 
1831.  Joshua  Fell  lived  in  Pequay  Valley  about  six  years  after 
his  marriage. 

In  the  middle  of  May,  1837,  they  commenced  their  move  to 
Bloomington,  Illinois.  Their  journey  lasted  forty  days  and  was 
remarkable  for  a  freak  of  the  weather  never  heard  of  before  nor 
since.  On  the  twenty-third  of  June  they  arrived  at  Hickory 
Grove,  between  Paris  and  Urbana,  Illinois.  During  that  night 
a  rain  began  to  fall,  but  it  was  afterwards  changed  to  snow.  The 


372  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

snow  storm  was  so  heavy  that  it  bent  down  bushes  and  trees,  for 
the  snow  lodged  in  the  foliage  which  was  full  and  perfect,  as 
would  be  expected  in  the  month  of  June.  Mr.  Fell  says : 
"  As  this  was  my  first  experience  with  the  State  of  Illinois,  the 
prospect  was  by  no  means  encouraging ;  but  having  lived  for 
thirty-six  years  in  Bloomington  and  never  having  experienced 
such  peculiar  phenomena  since,  I  have  become  reconciled  to  the 
climate  of  the  West." 

On  Christmas  day,  1837,  Mr.  Fell  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
the  sight  of  his  left  eye.  He  was  killing  pigs  for  his  winter 
supply  of  meat,  and  during  a  scuffle  with  a  lively  pig,  which  had 
some  objections  to  being  turned  into  pork,  Mr.  Fell  was  drawn 
against  the  end  of  a  fence  rail,  which  was  pressed  against  his 
eye.  He  was  confined  in  a  dark  room  until  the  following  April, 
and  the  sight  of  his  left  eye  was  destroyed. 

Mr.  Fell  has,  since  1837,  lived  a  quiet  life  in  Bloomington  ; 
has  been  one  of  the  most  honest  and  fair-minded  of  American 
citizens.  He  has  one  fault,  which  the  author  takes  liberty  to 
criticise.  It  is  one  which  is  far  from  common — it  is  his  exceed- 
ing modesty.  He  always  underrates  himself  and  his  influence, 
and  seems  always  anxious  that  others  shall  receive  the  credit  of 
that  which  impartial  observers  would  award  to  him.  This  old 
gentleman  is  as  worthy  and  fair-minded  as  he  is  modest.  He 
has  the  spirit  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  of  which  his  father  was 
a  member,  and  his  feeling  towards  others  is  that  of  peace  and 
good  will. 

Mr.  Fell  had  three  children  born  to  him  in  Pennsylvania. 
They  are  Charles  E.,  Mary  E.,  and  Thomas  H.  Fell.  He  had 
three  children  born  in  Illinois  :  Lucretia  M.,  Sarah  Ellen  and 
Rebecca.  Three  of  his  children  are  dead.  They  are  Thomas 
H.,  Lucretia  M.,  and  Rebecca. 

Mr.  Fell  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height.  His 
features  are  somewhat  prominent,  but  while  looking  at  him  one 
does  not  think  of  his  features,  but  rather  of  the  man's  simplicity 
and  worth,  of  his  modesty  and  kindness  of  heart.  He  thinks  a 
great  deal  of  his  brothers,  Thomas,  Kersey  and  Jesse,  and  seems 
more  anxious  for  them  than  for  himself. 


m'lean  county.  373 

Jonathan  Glimpse. 

Jonathan  Glimpse  was  born  August  4, 1811,  in  Preble  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  on  a  farm,  nine  miles  from  Eaton,  the  county  seat.  His 
father's  name  was  Emmanuel  Glimpse,  and  his  mother's,  before 
her  marriage,  was  Lydia  Sulgrave.  Both  were  of  English  and 
German  descent.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and  Jonathan  was 
also  brought  up  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  Jonathan  belonged  to  a 
family  of  nine  children,  having  five  brothers  and  three  sisters. 
Of  these,  seven  are  still  living.  Jonathan  received  only  a  limited 
education,  the  opportunities  for  education  being  rare  in  those 
days.  The  parents  of  Jonathan  were  religious  people,  who  early 
taught  their  children  to  fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments. 
They  belonged  to  the  Dunkard  Church. 

In  order  to  improve  their  circumstances,  and  being  opposed 
to  slavery,  the  Glimpse  family  moved  from  North  Carolina  in 
1808  to  Preble  County,  Ohio.  Here  they  lived  until  1818,  when 
they  moved  to  Wayne  County,  Indiana.  After  a  two-years'  resi- 
dence there,  they  moved  in  the  year  1820  to  Indianapolis.  In- 
dianapolis was  then  a  very  small  place,  containing  only  two 
business  houses.  A  man  called  John  Givans  kept  a  small  stock 
of  groceries  there,  and  another  family  named  Walpools  kept  dry 
goods  and  groceries  together.  But  it  was  a  lively  place,  and 
even  at  that  time  gave  signs  of  its  future  greatness.  The  first 
court  house  in  this  little  town  was  then  in  the  course  of  erection. 
Mr.  Jonathan  Glimpse's  father  settled  with  his  family  six  miles 
south  of  the  city  of  Indianapolis,  on  the  east  side  of  the  White 
River,  where  they  lived  for  about  ten  years.  It  was  here  that 
Jonathan  attended  school  for  about  six  months,  when  his  educa- 
tion was  finished.  This  was  in  the  year  1830.  In  the  month  of 
March  of  that  year  his  mother  and  an  elder  sister  died.  In 
consequence  of  this  great  loss  he  left  home  on  the  Fourth  of 
July  following,  and  went  to  Indianapolis,  where  he  worked  for 
some  time  in  a  brick-yard.  In  June,  1832,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war.  Their  war  commissary  was  General  Hanna, 
who  was  the  father  of  the  late  William  H.  Hanna  of  our  city. 
Mr.  Glimpse  states  that  General  Hanna  was  a  very  prominent 
man  in  Indianapolis  at  that  time,  and  adds  that  his  son  resembled 
him  in  personal  appearance.  Mr.  Glimpse  served  about  sixty 
days  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  when  it  terminated  in  the  capture 


374  OLD   SETTLEKS   OF 

of  Black  Hawk  himself.  Mr.  Glimpse  was  in  Chicago  when 
peace  was  proclaimed,  and  he  says  that  "  Chicago  was  likely  to 
become  a  lively  place."  He  there  discovered  only  two  small 
grocery  stores,  the  joint  capital  of  which  did  not  amount  to 
more  than  §1,000,  in  his  estimation.  The  lots  on  Lake  street 
were  then  sold  at  $35  each.  From  Chicago  he  returned  again 
to  Indianapolis,  where  he  worked  for  a  short  time  on  a  farm  west 
of  town,  belonging  to  Nicholas  McCarty. 

On  the  first  of  January,  1835,  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Bay.      Mr.  Henry  Brenton,  who  had  been  his   captain  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war,  performed  the   marriage  ceremony.     In  Feb- 
ruary of  the  same  year  he   moved   to  Laporte,  in  the  northern 
part  of  Indiana,  where  he  lived  until  January,  1837,  when  he 
emigrated   to    McIIenry    County,  Illinois,  accompanied  by  his 
mother-in-law,  sister-in-law,  and  two  brothers-in-law.     On    his 
journey    to   Illinois,    which    lasted    four    days,    he    again    saw 
Chicago,    and  was  quite   astonished    at   the  change   the   place 
had    undergone.     He  joined   the  Virginia   settlement   in   Mc- 
Henry  County.     After    having    selected   a   location,    he    com- 
menced  building   a   log   cabin.     Three  of  their  party  went  to 
work  hauling  logs  for  the  palace,  and  by  sunset  of  the  second 
day  after  their  arrival  they  had  all  the  logs  for  building  a  cabin, 
16  by  18.     In  three  days  the  mansion  was  finished  and  ready  for 
occupancy,  when  Jonathan  felt  rich.     In  May  of  that  year  he 
was  out  of  provisions,  and  went  down  the  Fox  River  for  a  fresh 
supply.     He  took  his  team  and  traveled  about  fifty  miles,  when 
he  arrived  at  a  settlement,  where  he  bought  ten  bushels  of  corn 
and  ten  bushels  of  potatoes,  for  which   he   paid    one  dollar  a 
bushel.     The  corn  was  the  little  "eight-row"  corn,  which  is  now 
quite  out  of  use.     On   his  return  home    he    called    at  the  mill, 
about  five  miles  from  his  house,  which  had  been  built  the  sum- 
mer previous  to  his  arrival.    It  was  a  horse-mill.    The  customers 
had  to  find  their  own  team,  and  pay  twelve  and  a  half  cents  a 
bushel  for  grinding.     Mr.  Glimpse  says,  to  grind  three  or  four 
bushels  a  day  was  as  much  as  one  man  could  do,  and  he  had  to 
be  very  lively  to  get  so  much  done,  and  then  it  was  a  meal  that 
now  our  cows  wouldn't  eat.  He  did  not  raise  a  crop  in  the  Virginia 
settlement,  but  loaded   his    things   and  went  to  Bloomington, 


m'lean  county.  375 

where  he  arrived  on  the  20th  of  November,  1837.  On  the  day 
of  his  arrival  he  and  his  brother-in-law  each  lost  a  horse  by  the 
colic. 

The  first  acquaintance  which  Mr.  Glimpse  made  in  McLean 
County  was  John  Magoun,  who  was  plastering  at  the  house  of 
David  Trimmer,  in  Hudson  township.  During  the  winter  of 
1837-8  he  lived  in  Bloomington,  and  in  the  spring  of  1838  he 
moved  into  a  house  belonging  to  Dr.  Henry,  which  was  then 
standing  where  Durley  Hall  now  is.  His  barn  was  on  the  lot 
now  occupied  by  Evans  Brothers,  grocers.  The  north  slough 
was  then  about  a  hundred  yards  wide,  and  the  people  often  had 
to  pull  the  cows  out  of  it  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  Mr.  Glimpse 
often  heard  the  howl  of  wolves  when  he  was  at  his  barn.  In 
1839  he  raised  corn  in  Durley  field,  which  extended  from  Mul- 
berry to  Walnut  and  then  east  to  Evans  street.  It  was  during 
this  year  that  Mr.  Glimpse  was  introduced  to  Abraham  Lincoln, 
as  he  attended  court  in  company  with  John  T.  Stuart ;  and  he 
states  that  he  often  heard  the  pleadings  in  the  court  house  while 
he  was  plowing  corn. 

In  1842  Mr.  Glimpse  built  a  house  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  town,  which  cost  him  $600,  but  as  nearly  as  he  can  remem- 
ber it  cost  him  only  fifty  cents  in  money  in  building  it.  He  states 
that  such  a  thing  as  money  was  not  in  the  country.  Their  prin- 
cipal stock  in  trade  in  those  days  was  lumber.  If  any  one 
desired  to  buy  a  horse,  or  cow,  or  wagon,  he  paid  for  it  in  lum- 
ber or  other  merchandise.  He  says  he  took  dry  cows  for  lumber 
at  $5  and  $6  a  head,  and  wintered  them  and  sold  them  to  Dr. 
Painter  for  $7  a  head.  In  payment,  Mr.  Glimpse  took  from  Dr. 
Painter  a  horse,  valued  at  $50,  and  a  young  dog  at  the  same 
price  as  a  cow.  After  various  other  small  and  profitable  specu- 
lations, Mr.  Glimpse  engaged  in  1845-6  in  the  butcher  business, 
in  which  he  succeeded  very  well.  In  1847  he  was  elected  con- 
stable, served  two  vears,  and  was  afterwards  re-elected  for  four 
years.  During  his  second  term  of  office  he  served  only  one 
year,  when  he  was  nominated  by  the  Democratic  party  for 
sheriff,  and  was  elected.  His  majority  was  138.  In  the  fall  of 
1852,  after  his  term  in  the  sheriffalty  had  expired,  he  went  to 
the  land  sale  with  the  intention  of  buying  land,  taking  with  him 
about  $1,000  in  gold.     The  land  was  sold  at  from  $1.25  to  $2.50 


376  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

an  acre,  but  as  he  considered  the  price  too  high,  he  came  home 
without  buying  any.  The  same  land  is  now  worth  from  $30  to 
$100  an  acre. 

In  1857  he  entered  into  the  grocery  business,  in  which  he 
lost  all  he  had  saved.  His  good  nature  induced  him  to  give  too 
much  credit,  and  when  hard  times  came  on  shortly  afterwards 
he  could  not  collect  any  of  his  debts.  He  was  obliged  to  discon- 
tinue business  on  this  account,  and  he  says:  "I  had  numerous 
friends  in  the  days  of  prosperity,  but  when  adversity  overtook 
me  I  had  no  friend  to  help  me."  He,  however,  still  possessed 
two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  the  Mackinaw,  and  to 
this  land  he  moved  an  old  frame  house,  the  upper  part  of  which 
was  burnt  off.  This  building,  which  still  stands  on  the  Mack- 
inaw, was  the  first  court  house  in  McLean  County,  and  Mr. 
Glimpse  thinks  it  would  do  Young  America  good  to  go  down 
and  look  at  it. 

In  1862  he  was  elected  Supervisor  of  Hudson  township, 
which  position  he  filled  with  entire  satisfaction  to  the  people  who 
elected  him. 

Mr.  Glimpse  is  not  a  rich  man,  but  he  is  happy  and  con- 
tented. He  does  not  ask  for  riches,  but  believes  in  the  prayer, 
"Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread."  He  has  had  a  family  of 
nine  children,  of  whom  three  are  living,  namely: 

Susanna,  wife  of  C.  R.  Curtis,  who  lives  in  Farmer  City. 

Lydia,  wife  of  Joseph  M.  Dalton,  who  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Hattie  E.  Glimpse,  who  lives  with  her  father. 

In  personal  appearance,  Mr.  Glimpse  is  about  six  feet  in 
height;  appears  to  be  very  muscular ;  is  broad  shouldered  ;  has 
hazel  eyes.  His  hair  is  turning  gray,  but  he  still  has  plenty  of 
it.  He  is  a  man  of  cpuiet  manners,  and  does  not  believe  in  much 
talk. 

Dr.  Henry  Conkling. 

Doctor  Henry  Conkling  was  born  in  April,  1814,  at  Morris- 
town,  New  Jersey.  He  lived  in  New  York  city  with  his  parents 
until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  A  queer  little  incident 
occurred  when  Henry  was  six  or  seven  years  old.  He  had  heard 
a  great  deal  of  Lafayette,  and  when  the  old  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier  made  his   last   visit   to   America,    it    was    one    morning 


m'lean  county.  377 

announced  that  he  was  in  the  City  Hall  receiving  visitors.  Little 
Henry  was  wild  with  excitement,  and  ran  at  once  to  the  City 
Hall  with  his  hat  off,  worked  his  way  through  the  crowd  and 
grasped  the  hand  of  Lafayette.  Of  course  the  little  fellow  was 
delighted,  as  it  was  quite  an  event  in  his  young  existence.  Dr. 
Conkling  received  a  very  fair  common  education.  He  attended 
the  high  school  in  New  York,  and  went  to  the  academy  at  Mor- 
ristown,  New  Jersey.  At  the  latter  place  he  studied  French, 
Latin  and  Greek. 

In  1831  the  Conkling  family  moved  to  Ohio.  In  the  spring 
of  1837  Dr.  Conkling  was  married  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  and 
in  October,  1838,  he  came  West.'  He  traveled  on  horseback,  but 
the  journey  was  a  hard  one.  The  roads  were  in  a  very  bad  con- 
dition, and  the  country  seemed  almost  a  wilderness.  He  came 
to  Leroy,  where  he  had  a  brother  living,  who  laid  out  the  most 
of  that  town.  He  remained  there  a  few  months  and  returned  to 
Ohio.  In  the  following  fall  he  came  West  with  his  wife  and 
child.  They  traveled  in  a  two-horse  wagon  and  camped  out  on  the 
road.  Their  goods  were  sent  by  water  by  way  of  Pekin.  Some  of 
them  came  within  six  months  and  some  not  for  a  year  after  they 
were  shipped.  At  that  time  the  deer  and  wolves  were  very 
plenty,  and  almost  every  evening  the  wolves  made  music  around 
his  dwelling.  Dr.  Conkling  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Edwards 
at  Leroy,  and  taught  school  there  and  at  Old  Town  timber. 

The  political  campaign  of  1840  was  the  log-cabin,  hard-cider 
and  coon-skin  campaign.  Such  political  excitement  was  proba- 
bly never  known  before.  General  Harrison's  name,  his  acts  and 
everything  connected  with  his  life  created  the  greatest  enthu- 
siasm. The  cry  of  "Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too"  raised  the 
wildest  excitement.  People  built  log-cabins  and  covered  them 
with  coon-skins  and  dealt  out  hard-cider ;  and  in  order  to  rep- 
resent "Tippecanoe"  they  sometimes  made  a  canoe !  During 
this  campaign  a  large  meeting  was  held  at  Springfield.  Dele- 
gations came  in  from  all  over  the  country.  Large  parties  went 
to  Springfield,  camping  out  on  the  way,  with  their  various  de- 
vices. A  number  of  citizens  from  Bloomington  and  adjoining 
towns  built  a  canoe  and  took  it  with  them  to  the  ffreat  meetine;. 
Among  them  was  Dr.  Conkling.  They  camped  out  on  the  road 
at  Waynesville  and  Elkhart  Grove.     When  they  came  to  the 


378 


OLD  SETTLERS  OF 


Sangamon  River  they  found  it  very  high,  and  were  obliged  to 
swim  their  horses  and  wagons  over.  Those  who  could  swim 
did  so,  while  those  who  could  not,  crossed  in  a  flat-boat.  They 
stayed  several  days  at  Springfield  and  had  an  enthusiastic  time. 
The  State  capital  was  then  a  muddy  little  village,  and  the  party 
were  obliged  to  camp  out,  for  the  little  place  could  not  furnish 
any  accommodation  for  so  large  a  crowd.  The  party  returned 
home  with  enough  campaign  thunder  to  last  them  during  the 
summer  and  fall. 

In  1843  Dr.  Conkling  moved  to  Sugar  Creek,  near  Mount 
Hope  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county,  and  practiced 
medicine  there  one  year.  He  then  moved  to  Washington,  Taze- 
well County,  but  here  his  health  failed  him  and  he  returned  to 
Ohio.  While  there  he  read  and  practiced  medicine  five  years 
and  received  his  diploma  in  the  term  of  1849-50  from  the  Ster- 
ling Medical  College,  located  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  His  wife  died 
in  Ohio,  and  in  the  spring  of  1850  he  came  back  to  McLean 
County,  Illinois,  and  settled  at  Hudson,  nine  miles  north  of 
Bloomington.  While  there  he  practiced  medicine  fourteen  or 
fifteen  years.  On  his  return  from  Ohio,  he  married  the  widow 
of  Lucian  A.  Sampson,  who  had  died  of  the  cholera  in  1848. 
This  very  amiable  lady  died  October  19,  1873.  When  Dr. 
Conkling  first  practiced  medicine  in  Hudson  the  country  was 
wild.  He  was  accustomed  to  ride  around  Money  Creek,  Lex- 
ington, Panther  Creek,  Mackinaw,  and  White  Oak,  and  some- 
times as  far  as  Mount  Pleasant.  He  had  many  rough  adventures 
while  riding  his  rounds,  and  sometimes  broke  through  the  ice 
while  crossing  the  Mackinaw.  Sometimes  he  was  obliged  to 
swim  the  river  as  there  were  no  bridges  across  it  then.  Often- 
times, for  amusement,  he  chased  the  deer  and  wolves  while 
riding  to  see  his  patients.  He  rode  over  that  region  of  country 
for  a  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty  miles  around. 

In  1856  or  1858  Dr.  Conkling  had  a  very  lively  adventure 
with  a  horse-thief,  and  as  a  description  of  it  will  show  much  of 
the  condition  of  the  country  at  that  time,  it  is  given  here. 

The  doctor  had  been  on  the  north  side  of  the  Mackinaw 
where  he  had  been  unexpectedly  detained,  and  while  coming 
home  late  on  Saturday  night,  he  passed  a  man  on  horseback  this 
side  of  Kappa,  bareheaded,  going  north  on  the  highway.     The 


m'lean  county.  379 

night  was  pretty  dark,  and  the  doctor  could  not  recognize  man 
or  beast.  When  he  arrived  home,  he  found  his  stable  door  open 
and  his  horse,  saddle  and  bridle  gone.  The  doctor  aroused  two 
of  his  neighbors  and  obtained  the  assistance  of  two  young  men, 
one  of  whom  carried  a  rifle.  The  party  of  three  then  started, 
the  doctor  in  his  buggy  and  the  two  young  men  on  horseback. 
They  crossed  the  Mackinaw  where  Kappa  now  stands  and  crossed 
the  prairie  north  to  Panola  and  up  through  it  two  miles  to  a 
point  of  timber  called  Brewer's  Point.  There  the  party  learned 
by  waking  up  a  family  that  the  dogs  had  barked  loudly  some 
time  before,  and  by  this  they  knew  they  were  on  the  track  of 
their  man.  The  prairie  was  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  across  and 
when  they  were  in  the  midst  of  it,  they  saw  a  man  walking  and 
leading  a  horse,  about  three  miles  distant  and  about  four  miles 
from  the  timber.  When  the  stranger  saw  the  party  he  mounted 
his  horse  and  started  for  the  timber,  and  the  two  young  men 
started  for  him,  while  the  doctor  followed  in  his  buggy.  The 
chase  was  intensely  exciting,  one  of  the  young  men  had  a  racing 
mare,  and  all  parties  seem  to  shoot  across  the  prairie.  Some- 
times they  were  in  sight,  and  sometimes  they  went  down  out  of 
view,  and  before  long  they  all  disappeared  in  the  timber.  Short- 
ly afterwards  the  doctor  came  into  the  grove  and  found  his 
horse,  for  the  thief  had  been  hard  pressed  and  let  it  go.  But 
the  thief  was  considered  bigger  game  than  the  horse,  and  some 
of  the  citizens  of  the  grove  turned  out  to  assist  in  the  chase. 
After  hunting  around  for  some  time  the  doctor  peeped  into  a 
hazel  thicket  and  there  found  a  stalwart  man  lying  on  his  back, 
with  his  eyes  shut,  pretending  to  be  asleep.  They  immediately 
took  charge  of  the  gentleman  and  carried  him  to  Bloomington, 
thirty  miles  distant,  where  they  arrived  a  little  after  dark.  When 
they  came  to  the  jail  the  doctor  went  in  and  brought  out  the 
deputy  sheriff,  and  the  young  men  said  that  while  he  was  gone 
the  thief  had  tried  to  get  away ;  but  he  protested  "by  shures, 
shentlemens,  I  wouldn't  try  to  get  away  from  a  child  ten  years 
old."  Suddenly,  in  a  moment  of  inattention,  the  thief  sprang 
out  into  the  street,  and  his  quick  movement  scared  the  horses, 
which  were  not  tied,  and  they  began  to  run.  The  thief  and  the 
horses  both  went  down  Centre  street,  and  the  former  sprang 
into  an  alley  by  a  blacksmith  shop  (near  Kadgihn's).  The  doctor 


380  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

went  for  the  thief,  the  others  attended  to  the  team.  But  the 
thief  hid  himself  so  successfully  that  all  parties  gave  him  up, 
except  the  doctor,  who  would  never  give  anything  up.  He 
hunted  the  town  over,  and  at  last  discovered  his  man  starting 
out  of  the  alley  he  had  first  entered.  The  thief  ran  down 
Washington  street,  at  first  keeping  the  sidewalk  and  afterwards 
the  road.  When  near  the  end  of  the  street  he  fell,  and  the  doc- 
tor grabbed  him  before  he  could  rise.  The  excitement  of  the 
chase  brought  mam*  citizens,  who  immediately  secured  the  thief 
(who  wouldn't  run  away  from  a  child!)  and  took  him  to  jail. 
He  was  put  into  a  cell  with  four  or  five  other  candidates  for  the 
penitentiary.  Within  about  six  weeks  these  industrious  gentle- 
men had  cut  a  hole  through  the  floor  of  their  cell,  and  with  a 
case-knife  had  dug  a  hole  under  the  foundation  of  the  building 
and  up  to  the  open  air.  They  left  without  any  formality.  They 
"stood  not  upon  the  order  of  their  going  but  went  at  once,"  and 
were  never  recaptured. 

At  that  time  people  were  all  anxious  to  catch  the  thieves, 
which  infested  the  country,  and  the  whole  neighborhood  was 
willing  to  turn  out,  if  need  be,  but  Jhe  insufficient  jails  allowed 
prisoners  to  escape. 

Durin°;  the  late  war  Doctor  Conkling  was  sent  to  the  South 
by  Governor  Yates  as  an  additional  surgeon,  to  look  after  the 
sanitary  condition  of  the  soldiers.  He  went  to  Fort  Donelson, 
to  Shiloh  and  other  places.  While  at  home  he  looked  after  the 
sick  and  wounded  soldiers  on  furlough,  and  extended  their  period 
of  absence  when  they  were  unfit  for  duty.  He  was  govern- 
ment pension  surgeon  for  about  three  years  after  the  close  of 
the  war. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  Dr.  Conkling  moved  to  Bloomington. 
During  this  year  he  wrote  a  campaign  document  entitled,  "The 
Inside  View  of  the  Rebellion  and  the  American  Citizens'  Text 
Book."  A  great  many  thousand  copies  of  this  document  were 
circulated.  Illinois  took  the  first  ten  thousand,  which  were 
printed  by  the  Chicago  Tribune.  The  document  was  also  pub- 
lished in  Cincinnati,  and  many  thousands  of  copies  were 
circulated  in  Ohio,  Indiana  and  other  States.  It  was  a  remark- 
ably effective  campaign  document  and  greatly  helped  to  roll  up 
the  large  majority  which  was  given  to  re-elect  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. 


m'lean  county.  381 

We  now  come  to  that  part  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Conkling  which 
is  considered  the  most  important  by  the  people  in  this  vicinity, 
and  that  is  his  connection  with  the  Indianapolis,  Bloomington 
and  Western  Railroad.  This  road  was  first  called  the  Danville, 
Urbana,  Bloomington  and  Pekin  Railroad.  The  first  meeting 
called  for  the  purpose  of  taking  steps  to  build  it  was  held  at 
Urbana.  After  some  consultation  it  adjourned  to  meet  at  Leroy, 
McLean  County,  on  the  seventh  of  August,  1866.  At  the  latter 
meeting  delegates  were  present  from  the  points  on  the  proposed 
line  and  the  best  of  feeling  prevailed ;  everyone  was  hope- 
ful. Still  another  meeting  was  held  on  the  twenty-seventh  and 
was  still  more  largely  attended  and  confidence  in  the  enterprise 
began  to  grow.  But  in  the  meantime  some  opposition  was  mani- 
fested ;  nevertheless  the  friends  of  the  road  effected  an  organi- 
zation and  elected  C.  R.  Griggs  as  President,  William  T.  Mc- 
Cord  as  Vice  President,  and  Dr.  Henry  Conkling  as  Secretary. 
In  the  building  of  a  railroad  many  interests  are  effected,  favor- 
ably and  otherwise,  and  it  so  happened  that  this  proposed  rail- 
road interfered  with  other  railway  projects  and  the  opposition 
to  it  in  some  places  became  so  strong  that  its  friends  despaired 
of  success.  Nevertheless,  Dr.  Conkling  clung  to  the  project  and 
worked  for  it  through  good  and  evil  report.  Many  citizens 
thought  the  enterprise  chimerical,  and  when  the  question  came 
up  as  to  whether  Bloomington  would  lend  assistance  the  matter 
seemed  hopeless  enough.  But  the  Doctor  had  "  kept  his  powder 
dry,"  and  when  the  day  of  election  came  for  the  citizens  to  de- 
cide by  their  ballots  whether  they  would  help  the  enterprise,  the 
Doctor  worked  night  and  day.  He  spared  no  exertions  and  was 
a  host  in  himself.  He  carried  the  day  and  saw  the  project  at- 
tended with  the  most  complete  success.  He  went  to  Springfield 
and  obtained  the  charter  for  the  road  and  never  rested  until  the 
work  was  complete.  The  road  was  consolidated  with  the  Indi- 
anapolis, Crawfordsville  and  Danville  road,  and  was  called  the 
Indianapolis,  Bloomington  and  Western,  which  is  its  title  now. 

Dr.  Conkling  held  the  position  of  secretary  of  the  road  for 
eighteen  months,  and  then,  as  the  offices  of  the  company  were 
removed  from  Bloomington,  he  resigned.  He  has  ever  since 
been  a  director  of  the  road  or  special  agent.  The  Doctor  has 
made  no  money  out  of  this  road.     This  may  well  seem  a  matter 


382  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

of  astonishment.  How  is  it  possible  for  a  man  to  work  night 
and  clay  for  the  success  of  his  enterprise,  without  hesitating  or 
relaxing  his  efforts,  and  finally  bring  it  to  a  glorious  conclusion, 
and  not  make  any  money  ?  But  so  it  is.  The  Doctor  was 
anxious  for  the  development  of  the  country  and  for  the  public 
welfare,  and,  having  once  undertaken  the  work,  he  never  allowed 
it  to  flag.  On  the  first  of  May,  1870,  he  drove  the  last  bolt 
which  tied  it  together  from  Pekin  to  Indianapolis.  On  the 
second  of  May  the  citizens  of  Bloomington  presented  him  with 
a  fine  gold  watch  as  some  slight  testimonial  of  their  appreciation 
of  his  efforts  to  build  the  road  and  develop  the  interests  of  the 
city.  The  watch  has  in  it  a  pretty  design  of  a  locomotive  and 
tender,  with  the  letters  I.,  B.  and  "W.  Above  this  design  is  an 
inscription,  "  Presented  to  Dr.  H.  Conkling  by  the  citizens  of 
Bloomington,  May  2,  1870." 

Dr.  Conkling  has  been  connected  with  the  Methodist  Church 
for  the  last  thirtv-three  or  four  vears.  He  has  taken  an  interest 
in  the  growth  of  the  church  as  well  as  in  the  development  of  the 
material  interests  of  the  country.  From  the  nature  of  his  busi- 
ness he  became  well  acquainted  with  the  country  and  watched 
its  development.  He  saw  the  farms  opening  out,  the  houses 
springing  up,  and  later  he  saw  the  old  buildings  give  place  to 
the  new.  Very  few  men  are  held  in  such  high  esteem,  and  it 
would  be  well  if  all  would  act  from  motives  as  pure  and  honor- 
able. 

Dr.  Conkling  is  a  tall  man  and  rather  slim.  His  hair  and 
whiskers  are  becoming  gray  as  age  creeps  on.  His  eyes  are 
gray,  but  they  have  a  very  clear  expression.  He  would  never 
be  taken  for  a  railroad  man ;  he  does  not  seem  to  possess  a 
material  nature.  He  does  not  have  the  appearance  and  expres- 
sion of  a  man  who  works  for  money;  but  seems  one  who  would 
rather  have  a  clear  conscience  than  any  amount  of  wealth.  But, 
in  looking  over  this  sketch,  we  can  see  pretty  clearly  that  his 
will-power,  his  disposition  to  hold  on  and  never  relax  his  grip, 
is  very  large.  He  hunted  down  the  thief  who  stole  his  horse, 
and  he  carried  through,  to  final  success,  the  project  of  building 
the  I.,  B.  &  W.  Railroad,  when  it  would  most  certainly  have 
failed  had  it  not  have  been  for  his  efforts. 


m'lean  county.  383 

CHENEY'S  GROVE. 

Jonathan  Cheney. 

Jonathan  Chenejr  was  born  September  13,  1785,  in  Free- 
man's Fort,  on  Booth's  Creek,  in  Virginia,  in  what  was  then 
called  New  Virginia.  His  parents  were  born  in  New  York, 
and  were  Americans  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained. 

Jonathan  Cheney  married,  March  22,  1805,  Catherine  Owen. 
They  were  raised  together.  She  was  born  October  16,  1787,  in 
Edward's  Fort,  (she  thinks).  She  is  of  Welch  descent.  The 
people  in  those  days,  (1787)  were  obliged  to  live  in  forts  nearly 
all  the  time,  and  go  out  to  work  protected  by  a  company  of  men 
as  a  guard.  They  were  oftentimes  short  of  provisions,  and  Mrs. 
Chenev,  who  gives  these  items,  remembers  when  thev  were 
obliged  to  live  two  weeks  on  boiled  nettles,  as  no  bread  could 
be  obtained.  The  Indians  were  a  constant  source  of  annoyance 
and  trouble,  and  oftentimes  lay  in  wait  for  the  settlers,  as  they 
left  the  forts  in  the  morning  and  went  to  work.  Mrs.  Cheney's 
great  uncle  was  killed  by  Indians  while  on  his  way  to  work. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cheney,  after  their  marriage,  moved  about  fif- 
teen miles  away  to  some  land,  which  they  owned,  and  remained 
there  eighteen  months,  when  they  moved  (in  the  fall  of  1806)  on 
horseback  to  Champaign  County,  about  ten  miles  from  where 
Urbana  now  stands,  and  thirty  miles  from  Columbus.  Ohio. 
Mary  Cheney,  afterwards  Mrs.  Stansberry,  was  born  two  days 
after  their  arrival.  They  lived  there  until  the  fall  of  1817,  when 
Mr.  Cheney  moved  to  Southern  Illinois.  He  crossed  the  Wa- 
bash and  went  out  on  the  main  road  from  Vincennes  to  St. 
Louis.  When  they  came  out  on  the  prairie,  where  nothing 
could  be  seen  but  the  level  earth  and  the  blue  sky,  Mary 
Cheney  remarked  that  she  had  "  never  been  so  far  from  land 
before."  The  country  was  soft  and  quicksandy,  and  sometimes 
the  horses  would  sink  in  up  to.  their  fetlocks.  The  Cheney  fam- 
ily was  obliged  to  get  provisions  some  miles  away  across  a 
swamp  called  Purgatory.  This  swamp  was  impassable  except 
by  a  bridge.  But  a  high  water  came  and  washed  the  bridge 
away,  and  they  were  left  for  three  weeks  with  very  little  to  eat, 
as  it  was  impossible  during  that  time  to  get  provisions.  They 
then  started  back  to  Ohio.     There  were  at  that  time  f»*"e  chil- 


384  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

dren  in  the  family.  They  crossed  the  Wabash  River  when  it 
was  very  dangerous,  and  the  water  plashed  in.  The  weather 
was  then  very  cold,  so  cold  that  the  horses  were  whitened  with 
the  frost  of  their  own  breath.  Mr.  Cheney  walked  and  drove 
the  horses  while  the  family  rode  in  the  wagon  on  a  feather  bed 
with  a  feather  tick  over  them  as  a  cover.  One  child,  Keturah, 
was  very  troublesome,  and  had  to  be  tied  down.  They  made 
good  time  in  traveling,  and  returned  to  their  old  place  in  Ohio. 
There  Mr.  Cheney  bought  seven  hundred  acres  of  land  of  Gen- 
eral McArthur,  and  put  up  a  saw  mill  and  grist  mill,  and  seemed 
to  be  in  a  flourishing  condition,  so  far  as  his  worldly  prospects 
were  concerned.  But  he  was  unsatisfied,  and  he  determined  to 
come  to  Illinois.  The  family  started  September  21,  1825,  and 
arrived  October  16,  at  Blooming  Grove,  at  John  W.  Dawson's 
place.  The  family  had  by  this  time  grown  to  eight  children. 
They  lived  two  weeks  with  Mr.  Dawson.  On  the  fourth  of  No- 
vember they  came  to  Cheney's  Grove.  Their  cattle  were  grazed 
for  a  while  at  the  head  of  Old  Town  timber  upon  blue  grass, 
but  soon  a  fire  came  and  burned  it  off,  and  the  cattle  were 
brought  to  Cheney's  Grove. 

During  that  winter  Mr.  Cheney  went  back  to  Ohio  to  settle 
up  his  business  and  sell  that  part  of  his  land  which  he  had  not 
previously  disposed  of.  While  there  he  suddenly  changed  his 
mind  and  determined  to  bring  his  family  back  to  Ohio.  He 
wrote  to  them  to  come  back;  but  fortunately  his  letter  never 
reached  them.  During  that  winter  Mrs.  Cheney  remained  alone 
with  her  family,  and  saw,  during  the  whole  time,  four  white 
people,  two  men  and  two  women.  This  was  from  January  1 
until  April.  The  family  lived  in  a  cabin,  which  Mr.  Cheney 
had  put  up  before  he  left,  and  their  cattle  lived  on  the  twigs  of 
trees,  principally  Linn  brush  ;  but  the  milch  cows  received  a 
little  corn  in  addition.  Tne  stock  went  through  the  winter  and 
came  out  in  good  condition  in  the  spring,  without  the  loss  of  a 
single  animal.  The  family  ground  their  wheat  in  a  coffee-mill 
and  their  corn  at  a  horse-mill,  twenty-five  miles  distant.  AVhen 
the  boys  made  arrangements  to  go  to  mill,  they  calculated  how 
much  provision  would  be  necessary  to  support  the  family  until 
their  return,  and  they  usually  started  in  time  to  prevent  the  sup- 
ply from  being  exhausted.     But  at  one  time  they  met  with  delay 


m'lean  county.  385 

and  Mrs.  Cheney  had  to  bring  down  her  coffee-mill  and  grind 
wheat  to  support  the  family  until  the  boys  returned.  .  She  first 
ground  the  wheat  with  the  coffee-mill  set  coarse,  and  then  ground 
it  again  with  the  mill  set  fine.  The  flour  made  the  best  of  bread. 
The  family  raised  their  first  corn  on  the  south  side  of  the  timber 
without  any  fence,  while  the  stock  was  kept  with  the  family  on 
the  north  side.  On  the  south  side  of  the  grove  some  Indians 
were  camped  with  a  hundred  head  of  horses,  and  they  ran  and 
capered  over  the  ground,  which  Mr.  Cheney  had  plowed  and 
planted.  He  ordered  them  to  leave,  and  at  last  told  them  that 
if  they  did  not  make  themselves  scarce  by  a  certain  time,  he 
would  bring  the  white  men  down  on  them.  Then  he  pointed 
a  fire-brand  at  their  wigwams  in  a  significant  manner,  and  they 
left  in  haste. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  the  Cheney  family  num- 
bered seventeen  persons  in  all,  and  they  were  obliged  to  be  lively 
in  pounding  corn  in  order  to  have  something  to  eat.  Mr.  Cheney 
picked  the  corn  from  the  crib  and  prepared  it  for  pounding. 
Ebenezer  Cheney,  Jonathan's  nephew,  who  had  been  a  black- 
smith, pounded  corn  ;  Thomas  Cheney,  (Jonathan's  son,)  Elijah 
Britton  and  George  Spore,  cut  and  drew  the  wood  and  fed  the 
cattle  shocked  corn ;  Henry  Ball  fed  the  horses  and  calves ; 
Owen  Cheney  went  to  school  at  Blooming  Grove,  and  Mrs. 
Cheney,  Mary,  Keturah  and  Emilia  did  the  housework  and  spun 
the  tow.  Everyone  had  plenty  of  work.  The  snow  came  and 
covered  up  the  pigs,  and  they  had  to  be  spaded  out.  They  could 
be  found  by  little  holes  in  the  snow,  where  their  breath  had 
thawed  up  through.  The  family  all  had  good  health  and  were 
not  made  sick  by  rich  fare  or  over-eating. 

Jonathan  and  Catharine  Cheney's  children  and  children's 
children  to  the  third  generation  have  grown  to  be  legion.  They 
are  : 

Mary  Cheney,  who  was  born  September  13,  1806,  in  Ohio, 
was  married  to  Abraham  Stansberry,  and  died  in  1867.  She 
had  five  children  (two  of  whom  lived  to  be  grown)  and  five  grand 
children. 

Thomas  Cheney,  born  October  6,  1808,  in  Ohio,  married 
Susan  Maxwell,  and  lives  in  Sonoma  County,  California.  He 
25 


386  OLD    SETTLERS    OP 

has  six  children,  all  of  whom  are   living,  and   all   but  one  have 
families.     He  has  thirty-one  grand-children. 

Owen  Cheney,  born  September  2,  1810,  in  Ohio,  married 
Maria  Dawson,  and  had  five  children,  three  of  whom  lived  to  be 
grown  and  have  families.  He  has  four  grand-children.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  thirty-eight. 

Rebecca  and  Elizabeth  Cheney  were  twins,  were  born  in  Ohio 
January  6,  1813,  and  died  in  infancy. 

Keturah  Cheney  was  born  February  16,  1815,  and  died  Jan- 
uary 14,  1834. 

Emilia  Cheney  was  born  January  29,  1817,  in  Ohio,  was  mar- 
ried to  Ashley  D.  Horr  and  had  five  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living.  She  has  had  seven  grand-children.  She  died  June 
12,  1862. 

George  Cheney  was  born  February  18, 1819,  and  died  August 
17,  1866.  He  married  Cynthia  Ann  Hall,  had  eight  children 
and  four  grand-children. 

One  unnamed  child  died  in  infancy. 

William  Haines  Cheney  was  born  February  18, 1822,  married 
Marv  Jane  OrendorfF  and  had  nine  children  and  one  grand- 
child. 

Catherine  Cheney  was  born  May  30,  1825,  in  Ohio,  was  mar- 
ried to  John  Prothero.     She  has  had  five  children. 

Return  Jonathan  Cheney  was  born  August  24,  1828,  at  Che- 
ney's Grove.  He  married  Margaret  Green  and  had  four  chil- 
dren. She  died,  and  he  afterwards  married  Maria  Rice  and  had 
three  chilldren. 

Rebecca  Cheney  was  born  December  7,  1831,  was  married  to 
Benjamin  Prothero  in  May,  1848,  and  has  had  several  children, 
four  of  whom  are  living. 

It  will  be  seen  then  that  Jonathan  and  Catharine  Cheney 
have  had  thirteen  children,  of  whom  four  are  living.  Their 
grand-children  are  fifty-nine,  and  great  grand-children  are  fifty. 

Jonathan  Cheney  died  March  21,  1862.  He  was  about  five 
feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  was  straight  and  muscular,  had  a 
large  forehead,  was  a  very  determined  man,  and  his  appearance 
would  show  that  when  he  undertook  anything  he  tried  very  hard 
to  carry  it  through.  He  was  a  pleasant,  cheerful  man,  and  loved 
practical  jokes.  He  was  the  first  settler  at  Cheney's  Grove, 
which  took  its  name  from  him. 


m'lean  county.  387 

The  information  necessary  for  this  sketch  of  Jonathan  Che- 
ney has  been  furnished  by  his  widow,  Catherine  Cheney,  who 
lives  at  the  house  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Benjamin  Prothero. 
The  old  lady  is  now  in  the  eighty-seventh  year  of  her  age.  She 
complained  that  her  faculties  had  failed  her,  but  from  the  infor- 
mation furnished,  she  will  be  seen  to  have  remembered  the  inci- 
dents of  her  husband's  eventful  life  remarkably  well.  She  was 
quietly  attending  to  her  knitting  as  she  talked,  for  her  old  habits 
of  industry  clung  to  her.  She  is  a  very  kind  old  lady  and  re- 
ceives all  the  care  and  attention  possible  to  make  her  life 
pleasant. 

Hon.  William  Haines  Cheney. 

William  Haines  Cheney  was  born  February  18,  1822,  in 
Champaign  Count}',  Ohio.  In  1825  the  family  came  to  Cheney's 
Grove,  in  what  is  now  McLean  County,  Illinois,  as  is  seen  by 
the  sketch  of  his  father,  Jonathan  Cheney.  Here  Haines  Cheney 
received  his  limited  education.  He  attended  school  for  some 
time  under  the  instruction  of  his  sister,  afterwards  Mrs.  Stans- 
berry.  She  kept  her  school  at  Cheney's  Grove  during  the  winter 
of  the  deep  snow.  He  attended  school  during  the  winter  sea- 
sons until  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  studied  the  old  Dillingworth 
spelling-book.  It  was  the  custom  in  the  early  schools  to  study 
aloud,  so  that  the  master  could  be  certain  that  the  scholars  were 
really  at  their  lessons.  The  result  was  a  noisy,  distracting  hub- 
bub of  voices.  But  it  is  pretty  clear  that  such  scholars  could 
never  be  sick  with  the  consumption.  This  noisy  system  was 
broken  up  at  Cheney's  Grove  by  a  certain  Mr.  Ilarberson,  who 
introduced  the  quiet  system.  He  was  a  very  fine  teacher  and 
would  be  so  considered  even  at  the  present  time.  He  kept  a 
subscription  school. 

The  little  Indian  boys  often  came  to  see  young  Haines  and 
taught  him  to  use  the  bow  and  arrow,  and  he  became  quite 
skillful  and  could  bring  down  the  little  birds  out  of  the  trees. 

Mr.  Cheney  acquired  a  taste  for  hunting  and  killed  deer, 
wolves  and  turkeys.  The  deer  are  by  far  the  gamiest  animals 
to  be  hunted,  particularly  when  hunted  with  dogs  and  horses. 
When  they  are  caught,  they  never  give  up  and  put  their  heads  on 
the  ground,  as  the  wolves  do,  but  fight  to  the  last.     Mr.  Cheney 


388  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

speaks  of  a  buck,  which  was  wounded  and  brought  down  by  the 
dogs,  but  which  would,  nevertheless,  have  whipped  the  dogs  and 
escaped,  had  it  not  been  shot  again. 

Mr.  Cheney  was  obliged  in  early  days  to  go  a  long  distance 
to  mill ;  was  at  first  compelled  to  go  to  the  Big  Wabash  and 
afterwards  to  Green's  mill  near  Ottawa,  seventy-five  miles  dis- 
tant. When  Jonathan  Cheney  broke  the  first  prairie  he  was 
obliged  to  go  to  Eugene  on  horseback  with  his  plough-irons  to 
get  them  sharpened.     This  was  about  eighty  miles  distant. 

In  early  days  the  doctors  were  scarce,  from  which  it  might  be 
inferred,  that  the  health  of  the  people  was  good  and  the  number 
of  deaths  few ;  but  the  hardships  of  the  settlers,  the  turning  up 
of  much  raw  prairie  soil,  and  various  other  things,  were  the 
causes  of  much  sickness,  even  in  the  absence  of  doctors. 

In  the  early  days  boys  were  obliged  to  work.  Haines  Cheney 
plowed  corn,  when  he  was  seven  years  old,  and  it  did  not  hurt 
his  constitution  at  all.  He  wore  the  simplest  clothing,  for  the 
old  settlers  made  all  of  their  articles  of  wear.  He  never  wore 
anything  but  home-spun,  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  In 
1840  he  won  a  suit  of  clothes  on  a  wager  that  General  Harrison 
would  be  elected  president.  The  wager  was  paid  and  the  suit 
was  cut  by  the  tailor  in  the  latest  fashion  of  that  day.  The  ma- 
terial was  mixed  jeans,  Mrs.  Cheney's  own  make.  After  he  had 
this  suit,  Haines  Cheney  was  for  some  time  a  popular  man  among 
the  ladies. 

Haines  Cheney  was  married  November  10, 1842,  to  Miss  Mary 
Jane  Orendorff,  daughter  of  William  and  Lavina  Orendorff,  by 
B.  H.  Coffey,  the  Clerk  of  the  County  Court  and  ex-ofiicio  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace.  Mrs.  Cheney  was  a  lady  very  much  respected 
and  admired  by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Mr.  ancl  Mrs.  Cheney 
have  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living. 
The  children  are  : 

Lavina,  born  March  19,  1844,  wife  of  William  Henry  Beck- 
with,  lives  at  Saybrook. 

Jay  Cheney,  born    September   18,    1846,   died    January  11  r 

1847. 

Miss  Kate  Cheney  lives  at  home. 

Charlie  Cheney,  born  May  2,  1851,  is  married  and  lives  in 
Jasper  County,  Indiana. 


m'lean  county.  389 

Miss  Emma  Cheney  lives  at  home. 

Wiley  Cheney,  born  August  8,  1857,  died  August  1,  1860. 
Harry  Chenej-,  born  December  13,  1858,  Mary  Belle  Cheney, 
born  February  1,  1862,  and  Minnie  Estelle   Cheney,  born  De- 
cember 30,  1865,  all  live  at  home. 

Mrs.  Cheney  died  August  7,  1868,  and  was  buried  in  the  old 
cemetery,  and  afterwards  removed  to  the  new  cemetery. 

In  1867  Haines  Cheney  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  to 
succeed  Hon.  Isaac  Funk.  The  session  was  noted  for  the  pas- 
sage of  the  State  House  appropriation,  the  location  of  the  Indus- 
trial College  at  Champaign,  and  for  improving  the  Illinois  canal 
and  the  building  of  the  southern  prison. 

Haines  Cheney  married,  May  28,  1873,  Miss  Caroline  Brown, 
daughter  of  Demas  and  Mary  Brown  of  Medina,  Ohio.  She  is 
a  very  amiable  and  pleasant  lady  and  possesses  much  tact  and 
judgment. 

Mr.  Cheney  is  of  medium  height,  is  rather  slim,  though  a 
man  of  good  development  of  muscle.  He  has  dark  hair  and 
gray  eyes.  He  seems  a  gentleman  of  good  taste  and  correct 
judgment,  and  is  very  much  respected,  not  only  in  the  commu- 
nity where  he  resides,  but  wherever  he  is  known  and  his  influ- 
ence is  felt. 

George  Cheney. 

George  Cheney,  son  of  Jonathan  and  Catherine  Cheney,  was 
born  February  18,  1819,  in  Champaign  County,  Ohio.  When 
in  the  sixth  year  of  his  age  his  parents  came  to  Illinois.  He 
received  his  common  school  education  at  Cheney's  Grove.  He 
was  very  little  of  a  hunter,  but  could  chase  wolves,  as  this  was 
really  part  of  the  business  of  the  settlers.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  he  married  Miss  Cynthia  Ann  Hall,  daughter  of  Prior  and 
Mary  Hall,  of  Old  Town  timber.  Prior  Hall  was  an  old  set- 
tler, but  in  1850  he  went  to  Sacramento,  California,  where  he 
died  in  the  fall.  When  George  Cheney  was  married  he  settled 
on  a  farm,  now  known  as  the  Harpster  farm  and  occupied  at 
present  by  Amos  Bay.  But  George  Cheney's  family  afterwards 
went  to  live  on  the  Cheney  homestead,  which  was  afterwards 
divided,  William  Haines  Cheney  taking  one-half  and  George 
Cheney  the    other.     In  the   spring  of  1866,   George   Cheney's 


390  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

house  was  burned,  and  he  immediately  began  to  build  anew ; 
but  when  he  had  only  commenced  the  work,  he  died.  His  death 
occurred  August  17,1866,  after  a  three  weeks  illness  with  typhoid 
fever.  He  had  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  living.  They 
are  : 

Mary  Eliza,  born  January  28,  1842,  died  July  19,  1845. 

Almira,  born  September  21,  1844,  wife  of  J.  W.  Lowry,  lives 
at  Saybrook. 

Owen  Cheney,  born  November  2,  1848,  is  married  and  lives 
at  Saybrook. 

Orval  Cheney,  born  December  8,  1852,  lives  at  home  and 
works  the  farm. 

Thomas  Cheney,  born  February  5, 1856,  Hellen  Cheney,  born 
May  31,  1858,  and  Lincoln  Cheney,  born  December  24,  1860, 
live  at  home. 

William  Cheney,  born  July  18,  1864,  died  July  28,  1866. 

George  Cheney  was  of  medium  stature  and  rather  slim,  but 
was  rather  fleshy  a  few  years  previous  to  his  death.  His  eyes 
were  dark  brown  and  expressive.  He  was  very  quick  in  his 
movements,  but  was  quickly  exhausted.  His  constitution  was 
never  rugged,  as  he  had  the  typhoid  fever,  when  fourteen  years 
of  age  and  never  fully  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  disease. 
He  was  a  very  kind  husband  and  a  very  indulgent  father.  He 
believed  in  universal  salvation,  but  did  not  belong  to  any  par- 
ticular church.  He  was  buried  in  the  old  cemetery,  but  re- 
moved to  the  new  cemetery,  which  forms  a  part  of  his  farm. 

James  Vanscoyoc. 

James  Vanscoyoc  was  born  February  20,  1798,  in  Mononge- 
hela  County,  Pennsylvania.  His  father's  name  was  Jonathan 
Vanscoyoc  and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Hannah  "Wall ; 
but  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Vanscoyoc  she  was  a 
widow,  and  her  name  was  Mrs.  Ketchum.  When  James  Van- 
scoyoc was  five  or  six  years  old,  his  parents  moved  to  Colum- 
biana County,  Ohio,  where  they  remained  seven  or  eight  years, 
and  there  James  received  such  education  as  could  be  had  in  those 
early  days.  The  family  then  went  to  the  Mad  River  country, 
but  it  was  so  sickly  that  after  one  year's  time  they  returned  to 
Columbiana  County.     Shortly  afterwards  they  went  to  Wayne 


m'lean  county.  391 

County,  where  the  family  lived  until  they  were  grown  up  and 
scattered.  There  James  Vanscoyoc  married  in  April,  1819, 
Drusilla  Lewis.  During  the  following  year  he  moved  to  Foun- 
tain County,  Indiana,  where  he  experienced  hard  work  and  very 
little  else.  In  1829  he  moved  to  Old  Town  timber  in  McLean 
County,  Illinois.  There  he  went  to  farming,  which  has  been  his 
occupation  ever  since.  He  lived  there  about  twenty  years  and 
then  moved  to  the  old  Means  place  at  Cheney's  Grove,  where  he 
has  resided  ever  since. 

Mr.  Vanscoyoc  has  been  something  of  a  traveler  in  the  West. 
He  first  made  a  trip  to  the  Red  Banks  in  Illinois  on  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  six  or  seven  years  after  he  came  to  the  country,  but 
had  no  particular  adventure.  His  next  trip  was  to  Texas  in 
about  the  year  1853.  He  went  with  a  party  of  men  first  to  St. 
Louis,  and  from  there  to  the  little  town  of  Napoleon  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Arkansas  River.  This  little  place  looked  as  if  it 
were  always  in  danger  of  being  overflowed.  They  went  by  water 
up  the  Arkansas  River  about  seven  hundred  miles  to  Fort  Smith. 
This  was  then  an  enterprising  little  town  of  whites,  Indians  and 
half-breeds,  the  latter  predominating.  The  Indians  were  the 
Cherokees,  a  very  smart  tribe.  In  conversation  he  found  many 
Cherokees  as  smart  as  any  white  men  he  ever  saw.  He  found  a 
white  man  named  Geary,  who  had  married  a  squaw.  She  was 
pretty  dark  colored,  but  was  dressed  in  silks  that  rattled  and 
shone.  Many  of  the  Cherokees  were  farmers  and  seemed  half 
like  Indians  and  half  like  white  men.  The  most  of  the  Chero- 
kees, wrho  were  in  business,  owned  slaves.  They  held  court  and 
tried  cases  as  white  men  do.  Many  of  them  were  rich  and  owned 
large  herds  of  cattle.  Mr.  Vanscoyoc  went  from  Fort  Smith  to 
the  Red  River  couutry,  where  he  visited  the  Chickasaws  on  the 
north  bank.  He  thought  them  more  civilized  than  the  Chero- 
kees. When  they  first  went  to  the  Indian  Territory,  they  had 
large  cotton  plantations,  which  had  been  cultivated  by  negroes. 
He  saw  there  the  finest  field  of  corn  he  ever  beheld.  It  covered 
about  one  hundred  acres,  was  dark  green  in  color  and  rank  in 
growth,  and  the  blades  were  long  and  wide.  He  crossed  the 
Red  River  and  went  on  to  Texas,  but  saw  nothing  of  much  im- 
portance except  some  very  fine  wheat.  On  the  return  of  his 
party  they  crossed  the  Arkansas  River  a  little  below  Fort  Gibson. 


392  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

The  White  River  empties  into  the  Arkansas  a  few  miles  above, 
and  its  waters,  which  are  very  pure,  run  for  a  long  distance  be- 
fore they  mingle  with  those  of  the  larger  stream.  After  cross- 
ing the  Arkansas  River  the  party  were  obliged  to  send  over  to 
the  White  River  side  for  pure  water.  Nothing  else  of  import- 
ance occurred  on  the  way  home.  In  May,  1873,  Mr.  Vanscoyoc 
took  a  trip  to  Colorado.  He  went  to  Kansas  city  and  there  saw 
buffalo  hides  by  acres  hanging  on  poles,  and  large  squares  of 
them  were  piled  up  ten  feet  high.  He  went  up  the  Kansas 
River  and  says  the  land  there  was  the  prettiest  he  ever  beheld. 
The  bottom  lands  were  from  a  half  a  mile  to  six  or  seven  miles 
wide,  but  very  little  timber  grew  on  them.  He  says  that  Rus- 
sell County  was  a  particularly  fine  country.  The  buffaloes  were 
plenty  there  and  the  buffalo  "wallows"  were  plentier.  The 
latter  were  places  where  the  buffaloes  rooted  in  the  ground  and 
wallowed  as  the  pigs  do.  He  went  to  Denver,  Colorado,  and  to 
Cheyenne,  and  from  there  started  home.  On  his  return  he  stop- 
ped on  Grand  Island,  Nebraska,  and  was  most  favorably  im- 
pressed with  the  appearance  of  the  land,  as  it  was  very  level. 
But  after  all  his  travels,  Mr.  Vanscoyoc  still  clings  to  old  Mc- 
Lean County. 

Mr.  Vanscoyoc  has  had  seven  children.     They  are  : 

Perry  Vanscoyoc,  who  was  born  April  17,  1820,  and  now 
lives  in  Arrowsmith  township. 

Isaac  Vanscoyoc,  the  next  son,  died  when  quite  young. 

Rebecca  Vanscoyoc  was  born  February  7,  1825,  was  married 
to  Marks  Banks,  and  lives  in  Padua  township,  next  to  the 
timber. 

Rachel  Vanscoyoc  was  born  August  29,  1828,  was  married 
to  John  ISTewcom,  and  lives  at  Cheney's  Grove,  a  little  east  of 
her  father's. 

Walter  Vanscoyoc  was  born  September  10,  1831,  and  lives 
in  Arrowsmith  township. 

James  Vanscoyoc  was  born  December  28,  1834,  and  lives  at 
the  homestead  at  Cheney's  Grove. 

Hannah  Vanscoyoc  died  when  very  young. 

Mr.  Vanscoyoc  is  about  five  feet  seven  and  one-half  inches  in 
height,  has  a  fair  development  of  muscle  and  a  sanguine  temper- 
ament.    His  hair  is   only  partly  gray,  notwithstanding  his  ad- 


m'lean  county.  893 

vanced  age.  He  can  work  yet  if  he  chooses.  He  seems  to  be 
a  decided  and  firm  man,  and  must  have  been  a  man  of  good 
abilities  and  very  accurate  perceptions.  He  is  honest,  kind  and 
pleasant,  but  firm  and  resolute. 

Thomas  Cunningham. 

Thomas  Cunningham  was  born  November  18,  1818,  in  Clark 
County,  Indiana.  (For  ancestry  of  the  family  see  sketch  of 
King  S.  Cunningham.)  The  parents  of  Thomas  Cunningham 
were  good  people  and  very  kind  to  their  children,  but  were 
careful  to  enfore  strict  obedience  and  always  set  a  good  example. 
They  are  both  buried  in  Saybrook  Cemetery. 

The  Cunningham  family  settled  at  Cheney's  Grove  in  Octo- 
ber, 1829.  There  Robert  Cunningham  entered  four  hundred 
acres  of  land.  The  old  gentleman  lived  to  see  his  family  of 
fifteen  children  grow  up  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  All  of 
them  were  married  and  settled  in  life;  twelve  of  these  children 
are  yet  living  and  six  are  in  McLean  County.  Thomas  Cun- 
ningham, the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  sixth  child.  His 
education  was  necessarily  limited.  He  attended  school  in  Che- 
ney's Grove  every  winter  after  the  family  moved  there,  until  he 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  During  his  last  year's  schooling 
he  went  to  Old  Town  timber.  This  school  was  conducted  with 
as  much  noise  as  possible.  The  teacher  walked  across  the  floor 
and  whistled  and  sang,  and  the  scholars  exercised  their  vocal 
powers  in  a  similar  way.  The  books  used  were  few.  Mr.  Cun- 
ningham only  remembers  McArthur's  History  of  the  United 
States.     Thomas  only  obtained  the   rudiments  of  an  education. 

Mr.  Cunningham  was  never  much  of  a  hunter,  and  only 
killed  one  deer,  and  that  was  one  which  came  up  near  his  door. 
But  he  often  chased  wolves,  and  when  he  came  near  one  he 
would  jump  from  his  horse,  catch  the  vicious  wolf  by  the  hind- 
quarters and  thrash  it  on  the  ground,  before  it  could  curl  up  to 
bite. 

Thomas  Cunningham  married,  February  21,  1841,  Miss  Mi- 
nerva Ann  Spencer,  daughter  of  James  and  Susannah  Spencer, 
of  Livingston  County,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Cunningham  is  an  exceed- 
ingly kind  lady  and  her  pleasant  manner  makes  the  stranger  feel 
easy  in  her  presence.     She   wears  spectacles  now,  as  women 


394  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

sometimes  must  as  well  as  men.  She  is  a  lady  of  fine  sense  and 
her  husband  always  listens  to  her  with  respect. 

They  have  had  a  family  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living.     They  are  : 

Phoebe  Ann,  born  December  10,  1841,  was  married  to  Henry 
"Warrick  of  Livingston  County,  and  some  time  after  his  death  to 
Granville  Michaels. 

Lucinda  Jane,  born  April  28,  1844,  was  married  to  John 
Armstrong  of  Livingston  County,  and  some  time  after  his  death 
to  William  Vanhorn. 

James  "William  Cunningham,  born  July  6,  1851,  is  married 
and  lives  in  Livingston  County. 

Ellen  Catherine  died  when  nine  months  old. 

Harvey  Johnson  Cunningham,  born  November  26,  1854, 
lives  at  home. 

Lewis  Harrison  Ballard  Cunningham,  born  June  14,  1859, 
lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Cunningham  is  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height, 
weighs  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds  and  is  broad  shouldered. 
His  beard  is  gray  and  his  hair  is  turning,  but  is  heavy,  showing 
ing  great  vitality.  His  eyes  are  hazel,  and  he  seems  to  be  a 
quiet,  good-natured  gentleman,  a  man  who  never  does  things  in 
a  hurrv,  but  always  takes  time  to  think. 

King  Solomon  Cunningham. 

King-  Solomon  Cunningham  was  born  December  26,  1823,  in 
Clark  County,  Indiana.  His  father's  name  was  Robert  Cun- 
ningham, and  his  mother's  name  was  Aphia  Cleveland.  His 
father,  who  was  born  about  the  year  1780,  was  of  Irish  descent, 
and  his  mother  was  a  Yankee.  Robert  Cunningham  was  a  sol- 
dier of  the  war  of  1812,  and  fought  under  Harrison  at  Tippe- 
canoe. 

In  1829  the  Cunningham  family  came  to  Cheney's  Grove 
from  Clark  County,  Indiana,  where  Robert  Cunningham  had 
lived  for  twenty  years.  At  Cheney's  Grove  the  family  went  to 
farming,  and  a  few  years  afterwards  Robert  Cunningham  built  a 
water  mill  on  Sangamon  Creek.  The  stones  for  grinding  were 
the  nigger-heads  from  the  prairie,  but  they  did  very  good  work. 
The  water  at  that  time  was  usually  high  enough  to  run  the  mill 


m'lean  county.  395 

all  summer.  Mr.  Cunningham  was  obliged  to  work,  and  his 
boys  were  obliged  to  do  the  same,  for  the  West  was  no  place 
for  idlers. 

Mr.  King  Solomon  Cunningham  is  particularly  eloquent  con- 
cerning the  sudden  change  in  the  weather,  which  took  place  in 
December,  1836,  and  says  that  as  the  cold  wind  rolled  on,  it 
froze  the  air  so  rapidly  that  the  frost  seemed  a  moving  cloud  of 
smoke.  He  speaks  of  the  two  rainy  seasons,  when  the  water  in 
the  creeks  and  rivers  rose  to  enormous  heights.  In  1844  the 
Mackinaw  was  higher  than  it  had  ever  been  known  before  or  since. 
The  Sangamon  Creek  was  too  high  for  Cunningham's  mill  to 
run.  The  year  1858  was  another  rainy  season,  and  Sangamon 
Creek  was  higher  than  in  1844. 

King  Solomon  Cunningham  married  February  29,  1849, 
Cyrena  J.  Thompson,  who  lived  on  the  Mackinaw,  five  miles 
from  Lexington.  Her  father,  John  B.  Thompson,  was  one  of 
the  oldest  settlers  of  McLean  County.  They  have  had  six  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  living.     They  are  : 

Mrs.  Eliza  Jane  McFarland,  wife  of  J.  B.  McFarland,  lives 
six  miles  north  of  her  father's,  in  Cropsey  township. 

Henry  B.  Cunningham  lives  in  Sonoma  County,  California. 
He  is  an  active,  industrious  young  man,  and  his  father  feels 
justly  proud  of  him. 

John  W.  Cunningham,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  is  the  pet 
and  lives  at  home. 

King  Solomon  Cunningham  is  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height, 
is  rather  slim  in  build,  is  bald-headed,  has  a  bright,  clear  eye 
and  straight  features.  He  is  very  kind  in  his  manner,  has  been 
obliged  to  work  hard,  but  has  been  successful  in  life,  and  is  a 
settler  who  does  credit  to  McLean  County. 

James  Rumsey  Means. 

James  Rumsey  Means  was  born  March  22,  1825,  in  Louis 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  Robert  Means,  and 
his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Rumsey.  His  father  and 
mother  were  both  born  in  Virginia,  and  were  both  of  English 
descent.  The  former  was  born  in  1785  and  the  latter  in  1795. 
Robert  Means  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  after  his 
death  his  family  obtained  a  forty-acre  land  warrant  on  his  ac- 


396  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

count.  In  the  fall  of  1829  the  Means  family  moved  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  Little  Vermilion  River  in  Illinois.  In  the  follow- 
ing spring  they  came  to  Cheney's  Grove,  where  they  arrived 
March  9,  1830,  and  located  on  the  north  side  within  one  mile  of 
the  west  end.  They  went  to  farming,  and  during  the  first 
spring  broke  forty  acres  and  fenced  it,  and  put  up  a  log-cabin. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  the  family  pounded 
their  corn  with  a  wedge.  This  was  attached  to  the  lower  end  of 
a  pole,  which  reached  to  the  roof  of  the  cabin  and  was  fastened 
to  a  spring  and  was  easily  managed.  The  children  pounded  the 
corn  and  were  kept  at  it  for  hours  at  a  time. 

In  the  spring  of  1832  Robert  Means  went  to  the  Black  Hawk 
war,  but  stayed  only  a  few  days.  While  he  was  gone  Mrs. 
Means  made  the  children  plant  corn  between  the  hills  of  the 
preceding  year  without  ploughing.  Mr.  Means  came  back  be- 
fore planting  time  was  over,  and  put  in  his  entire  corn  crop  in 
the  same  way  and  afterwards  ploughed  between  the  rows.  He 
raised  an  excellent  crop. 

Robert  Means  died  August  1,  1835,  and  James  Means,  then 
ten  years  of  age,  was  the  oldest  bo}*,  who  could  work,  in  a  fam- 
ily of  ten  children.  One  feeble  brother,  two  years  older,  died 
shortly  afterwards.  The  following  are  the  children  of  Robert 
Means'  family  : 

Mrs.  America  P.  Ball,  widow  of  Snowden  Ball,  lives  in  the 
west  end  of  Chenev's  Grove. 

mi 

Mrs.  Keturah  McMackin,  wife  of  James  McMackin,  lives  one 
mile  north  of  the  old  homestead. 

Mrs.  Jemima  Stansberry,  wife  of  Andrew  Stansberry,  lives 
in  Allen  County,  Kansas. 

John  Means,  twin  brother  of  Jemima,  died  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years. 

James  R.  Means  lives  at  Saybrook. 

David  Dixon  Means  lives  about  a  mile  north  of  the  old  home- 
stead. 

Joseph  Iveever  Means  died  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  two 
days  before  the  surrender. 

Owen  Amos  Means  lives  three  miles  northeast  of  Saybrook. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Green,  wife  of  John  M.  Green,  a  soldier 
under  Sherman,  lives  on  the  east  side  of  Arrowsmith  township. 


m'lean  county.  397 

Mrs.  Margaret  Vanscoyoc,  wife  of  James  Vanscoyoc,  lives 
on  the  old  homestead. 

James  Means  became  the  man  of  the  family  after  his  father's 
death,  and  they  worked  the  whole  of  the  farm  without  assist- 
ance. Mr.  Means,  sr.,  had  been  a  skillful  hand  to  stack  wheat, 
and  James  learned  to  do  it  when  only  fourteen  years  of  age. 
The  Means  family  made  all  their  own  clothing,  both  linen  and 
woolen,  and  raised  everything  they  wore. 

James  Means  was  raised  a  moral  young  man  and  remembers 
with  what  horror  he  once  saw  one  of  his  companions  steal  three 
nails.  He  was  taught  not  to  swear  or  use  bad  language  ;  but  on 
one  occasion  he  broke  away  from  his  early  training.  He  was 
bitten  by  a  hound  belonging  to  David  Ball,  and  the  latter  beat 
the  hound  and  swore  at  it,  and  James  got  the  idea  that  it  was 
the  swearing  which  effectually  controlled  the  dog.  Some  time 
afterwards,  while  going  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Ball,  the  hounds 
again  came  out,  and  James  thought  they  meant  to  kill  him,  and 
concluded  that  it  was  better  to  swear  than  to  die  ;  so  he  cursed 
them  with  all  his  might,  in  every  shape  and  form.  Two  girls, 
who  belonged  to  the  family,  were  not  far  distant  and  they  heard 
the  fracas  and  called  off  the  hounds. 

Mr.  Means  was  an  expert  swimmer  and  remembers  one  little 
incident,  which  shows  what  men  will  do  in  case  of  necessity. 
John  M.  Stansberry,  who  had  never  learned  to  swim,  was  car- 
ried by  the  current  of  Sangamon  Creek  down  into  a  deep  hole. 
He  hallooed  as  he  went  under,  and  James  Means  went  to  his 
assistance ;  but  Stansberry  rose  and  swam  out  without  help, 
though  Means  followed  behind  ready  to  assist  him  if  necessary. 

James  Means  was  obliged  to  do  a  man's  work  and  attend  to 
a  man's  business  while  he  was  still  quite  young.  He  once  went 
to  Eugene,  near  the  Wabash,  to  mill,  lost  a  horse,  and  was 
obliged  to  travel  a  hundred  miles  to  recover  it. 

Mr.  Means  has  had  his  experience  in  going  to  market  to 
Chicago.  He  went  at  one  time  with  three  yoke  of  oxen  to  his 
wagon,  and  those,  who  accompanied  him  with  horse  teams,  were 
careful  not  to  get  far  ahead,  as  they  might  need  his  oxen  to  pull 
them  out  of  the  sloughs.  But  on  their  return  the  unloaded 
horse  teams  went  more  rapidly,  and  as  they  carried  the  pro- 
visions; Mr.  Means  was  left  for  twenty-five  hours  with  nothing 


398  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

to  eat.     He  afterwards  carried  his  own  provisions  and  allowed 
the  rest  to  go  ahead. 

Mr.  Means  tells  a  good  story  of  Ephraim  Myers.  He  says 
that  on  one  Sunday  Abraham  Stansberry's  house  caught  fire, 
and  the  alarm  was  given  at  the  church.  All  who  had  teams 
brought  them  out,  and  the  wagons  were  immediately  filled  with 
persons  who  wished  to  assist  in  putting  out  the  fire.  Among 
those  who  jumped  into  James  Means'  wagon  were  Ephraim 
Myers  and  a  Methodist  preacher.  Means  drove  so  fast  over  the 
stumps  that  the  preacher  was  frightened  and  jumped  out  at  the 
first  opportunity;  but  Myers  was  cool,  and  gave  directions  quiet- 
ly, saying:  "  Go  steady,  Jimmy,"  "Put  them  through,  Jimmy," 
and  when  they  came  to  a  smooth  road,  Myers  remarked  that 
he  would  tell  the  preacher  that  he  did  not  love  his  Jesus. 

Mr.  Means  has  done  some  hunting  and  enjoyed  the  excite- 
ment of  the  chase,  though  it  has  sometimes  been  attended  with 
danger.  He  once  killed  a  horse  while  chasing  a  wolf.  The 
horse  stepped  into  a  badger's  hole  and  fell  and  broke  its  neck. 
The  last  wolf  chase  in  which  Mr.  Means  took  part  was  very  ex- 
citing. The  wolf  was  a  half-breed  between  the  gray  and  the 
prairie  varieties.  Mr.  Means  broke  down  two  horses  in  chasing 
it,  but  came  up  to  it  on  the  third  horse  and  ran  it  into  a  den. 
But  the  den  was  drifted  partly  full  of  snow,  and  the  wolf  was 
pulled  out  by  the  tail  and  killed. 

Mr.  Means  is  a  man  of  steady  nerve  and  sees  clearly  when 
matters  appear  exciting.  The  following  incident  shows  his 
steady  nerve,  and  also  the  remarkable  coolness  of  one  of  his 
daughters.  Once,  while  coming  home  from  church,  Mr.  Means 
and  two  of  his  children  were  riding  one  horse,  and  one  of  his 
daughters  was  riding  another.  The  latter  horse  became  fright- 
ened and  ran  for  home,  and  Mr.  Means  feared  that  when  it 
would  come  to  the  bars  it  would  stop  suddenly  and  throw  his 
daughter  off  and  perhaps  kill  her.  He  dropped  the  two  children 
who  were  with  him,  and  rode  up  near  his  daughter's  frightened 
horse,  but  could  not  catch  it  or  reach  the  child.  The  girl,  un- 
der his  directions,  slipped  down  on  the  side  of  the  saddle,  hold- 
ing to  the  pommel,  and  when  her  father  gave  the  word,  loosened 
her  hold  and  dropped  to  the  ground  with  very  little  injury. 


m'lean  county.  399 

Mr.  Means  married,  May  7,  1844,  Nancy  M.  G.  Stansberry. 
He  has  had  six  children,  of  whom  four  are  living  and  two  are 
dead  : 

Mary  A.  Means  was  married  to  John  Pitts,  and  lives  in 
Saybrook. 

Sarah  M.  Means  was  married  to  J.  S.  Barwick. 

Owen  Amos  Means  died  in  1865  with  small-pox. 

Lee  and  John  Henry  Means  live  at  home. 

James  Edward  Means  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Means  is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  weighs  over 
two  hundred  pounds,  is  strong  and  heavy  set,  and  has  done  a 
great  deal  of  hard  work.  He  has  brown  hair,  sandy  whiskers 
and  brown  eyes.  He  is  a  strictly  honest  man,  has  the  best  of 
judgment,  seems  to  be  prosperous,  and  is  a  first-class  business 
man.  He  thinks  a  great  deal  of  children,  and  remembers  clearly 
the  incidents  of  his  own  childhood.  During  the  Black  Hawk 
war  his  father  once  went  up  to  the  Mackinaw  to  learn  the  condi- 
tion of  affairs,  and  Mrs.  Means  took  her  children  to  Robert 
Cunningham's  mill  for  protection.  There  the  little  Means  chil- 
dren began  building  a  small  fort,  but  soon  gave  up  their  child- 
ish arrangement,  and  Mrs.  Means  went  back  to  her  home. 

Ephraim   Scodder  Myers. 

Ephraim  S.  Myers  was  born  December  9,  1801,  in  Louis 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  Jacob  Myers,  and 
his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Nancy  Means.  Jacob  Myers  was 
of  German  descent  and  Nancy  Means  was  of  Dutch  and 
Irish  stock.  He  lived  in  Kentucky,  where  he  was  born, 
for  twenty-five  years  and  then  came  to  Illinois.  In  the  fall  of 
1826  he  came  to  the  Little  Vermilion  River,  to  that 
part  of  Edgar  County  which  now  forms  the  county  of 
Vermilion.  Pie  and  his  cousin,  James  Dixon,  came  out  to- 
gether with  a  horse,  which  they  took  turns  in  riding.  Mr. 
Myers  frst  chopped  wood  for  ten  dollars  per  month  for  the  Salt 
Works  at  Danville,  and  afterwards  went  to  breaking  prairie  and 
farming  on  the  Little  Vermilion  River.  He  married,  Decem- 
ber 21,  1828,  Eliza  Childers,  and  in  April,  1830,  he  came  to 
Cheney's    Grove. 

Mr.  Myers  talks  very  eloquently  sometimes  about  the  deep 
snow.     He  says  that  he  left  his  wagon  standing  in  his  }rard  and 


400  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

when  the  deep  snow  fell  no  wagon  was  to  be  seen  ;  it  was  com- 
pletely covered.  A  day  or  two  before  the  heavy  fall  of  snow 
Mr.  Myers  came  from  mill  with  enough  corn  meal  to  last  his 
family  through  the  winter,  but  he  divided  with  his  neighbbors, 
and  before  long  was  obliged  to  pound  corn  as  the  rest  did.  He 
killed  deer  when  the  snow  first  fell,  but  they  soon  became  poor 
and  not  worth  killing.  A  day  or  two  after  the  heavy  fall  of 
snow  he  went  out  hunting  and  followed  a  deer  for  some  distance, 
when  it  went  to  a  place  where  a  dozen  or  more  deer  had  tramped 
a  space  around  them  about  twenty  feet  across  with  the  snow 
drifted  on  all  sides  in  high  walls.  For  once  in  his  life  he  became 
excited  and  fired  three  or  four  times  while  they  were  charging 
around  and  jumping  about,  but  missed  them.  At  last  they  broke 
from  their  pen  and  he  shot  two  of  them  when  they  had  run  a 
short  distance  away.  During  that  terrible  winter  the  deer 
came  up,  after  night-fall,  and  ate  hay  with  his  cattle. 

Mr.  Myers  commenced  hunting  on  the  Vermilion  River, 
when  he  first  came  to  Illinois,  and  was  very  successful.  He  has 
had  many  adventures  after  game,  and  knows  the  country  around 
for  many  miles.  He  has  killed  a  deer  or  a  wolf  in  every  hollow 
and  by  every  creek  or  spring.  The  largest  deer  he  killed  was 
up  on  the  Mackinaw,  and  it  was  indeed  a  most  enormous  buck. 
It  weighed  two  hundred  and  forty  pounds  dressed,  and  the  skin 
weighed  twenty-one  pounds  without  the  ears  or  lower  part  of 
the  legs,  and  twelve  pounds  after  it  was  dried.  After  Mr.  My- 
ers had  killed  his  game,  it  sometimes  required  ingenuity  to 
bring  it  home.  At  one  time,  when  he  killed  two  deer,  he  put 
one  on  his  horse's  back  and  tied  the  other  to  its  tail  and  made 
it  bring  them  both  in.  Mr.  Myers  and  Thomas  Cheney  were 
once  down  to  a  grove  near  Gibson,  about  nine  miles  east  of  Che- 
ney's Grove.  They  had  with  them  a  dog  called  Drummer. 
They  started  a  deer  and  Drummer  drove  it  away,  and  Cheney 
said  that  when  the  dog  came  back  he  would  kill  it.  It  soon  re- 
turned and  Cheney  shot  it.  Mr.  Myers  said  immediately  that 
the  grove  should  be  called  Drummer's  Grove,  and  it  has  borne 
that  name  ever  since. 

Mr.  Myers  has  often  hunted  wolves.  He  used  to  set  pens  for 
them,  and  once  caught  two  wolves  at  one  time.  He  has  often 
chased  wolves  with  horses  and  dogs.     He  says  that  the  wolves 


m'lean  county.  401 

run  a  great  deal  faster  than  they  formerly  did,  and  that  in  early 
days  any  little  cur  could  catch  one.  When  the  settlers  chased 
them  on  horseback,  it  was  very  seldom  that  the  wolves  escaped ; 
but  now  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  catch  a  wolf  with  dogs  or 
horses.  Mr.  Myers  formerly  kept  seven  hounds  to  hunt  wolves 
and  gave  them  plenty  of  business.  But,  notwithstanding  all  of 
the  precautions  of  the  settlers  and  all  of  their  hunting  with  dogs 
and  horses,  the  wolves  continued  thick  and  every  day  some 
farmer's  pigs  or  sheep  would  suffer.  But  in  the  year  1850  the 
people  all  turned  out  for  a  grand  hunt,  and  went  after  the  wolves 
in  their  dens,  before  the  little  wolf  puppies  were  large  enough 
to  come  out,  and  killed  thirty  in  two  days,  and  after  that  they 
were  never  so  troublesome. 

Mr.  Myers  thinks  that  in  all  of  his  experience  with  wild  ani- 
mals the  badger  is  the* worst  to  kill  and  hardest  to  tight.  A 
badger  is  a  bluish  colored  animal  with  whitish  stripes.  It  is 
shaped  much  like  a  woodchuck,  and  is  about  the  size  of  a  rac- 
coon. Its  teeth  and  nails  are  very  long  and  sharp,  the  latter 
measuring  nearly  an  inch.  The  animal  is  exceedingly  strong, 
and  really  loves  to  fight.  Mr.  Myers  says  that  while  his  dogs 
were  once  barking  at  a  badger's  hole  it  came  out  for  fight,  and 
it  required  five  dogs  to  whip  it.  A  badger  will  usually  run 
when  a  strong  force  of  dogs  is  after  it,  and  when  an  attempt  is 
made  to  dig  it  out  of  its  hole  it  will  sometimes  dig  down  nearly 
as  fast  as  it  is  dug  after,  and  the  dirt  Hies  in  all  directions.  Mr. 
Myers  once  dug  out  a  hole  in  which  he  found  two  young  badgers 
and  a  bull  snake.  This  was  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  He 
thinks  they  must  have  passed  the  winter  together. 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war  Mr.  Myers  took  his  wife  down  to 
the  Little  Vermilion  River  for  safety  and  came  back  and  lived  for 
nearly  two  months  alone.  The  people  were  badly  frightened,  but 
not  badly  enough  to  keep  Abraham  Stansberry  and  Mary  Cheney 
from  getting  married.  The  farther  away  the  people  lived,  the 
more  they  became  frightened  at  the  danger,  which  they  could 
not  understand,  or  about  which  they  could  not  obtain  reliable 
information.  Some  soldiers  who  came  up  from  Paris,  in  Edgar 
County,  about  seventy-five  miles  south  of  Cheney's  Grove,  said 
that  the  people  there  were  too  much  frightened  to  raise  a  wed- 
ding. 

26 


402  0LD    SETTLERS    OF 

The  old  settlers  tell  very  few  snake  stories,  but  Mr.  Myers 
tells  one  which  may  be  relied  upon.  In  1871,  in  harvest  time, 
his  sons  killed  thirty-two    rattlesnakes  in  a  meadow  within  one 

hour. 

Mr.  Myers'  first  wife  died,  and  he  married  Mrs.  Louisa  Ann 
Stansberry,  a  widow,  August,  14,  1848.  The  following  are  the 
children  and  members  of  Mr.  Myers'  family  : 

Nancy  Myers  was  born  September  1(3, 1820,  and  died  August, 

2   1810 

Jacob  Myers  was  born  January  12,  1832.  He  enlisted  during 
the  rebellion  in  the  116th  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  died  of  sick- 
ness on  his  way  home  from  Yicksburg  in  May,  1863. 

Thomas  Myers  was  born  January  11,  1834.  He  was  a  soldier 
in  the  army  under  Colonel  McCullough.  He  was  at  the  battle  of 
Shiloh.  He  afterwards  became  sick  and  was  sent  back  to  Quin- 
cy,  Illinois.     He  lives  about  five  miles  east  of  his  father's. 

'  John  Myers  was  born  April  1,1836.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
the  116th  Illinois  Volunteers.  He  was  at  Vicksburg  and  Ar- 
kansas Post,  but  was  sick  during  a  part  of  his  term  of  service. 
He  lives  at  his  father's  home. 

Robert  Myers  was  born  April  27,  1838.  He  was  in  the  lltjrh 
Illinois  Volunteers,  and  died  of  sickness  at  Vicksburg. 

Fielden  Myers  was  born  April  25,  1840.  He  volunteered  to 
o-o  into  the  army,  but  was  taken  sick  and  never  mustered  in.  He 
lives  at  home  with  his  father. 

Elizabeth  Myers  was  born  September  17,  1842.  She  was 
married  to  Henry  Lowry,  and  lives  at  Gibson,    Ford  County, 

Illinois. 

One  child,  Henry  Myers,  died  in  infancy. 

Andrew  H.  Stansberry,  a  son  of  Mrs.  Louisa  Ann  Myers  by 
her  first  marriage,  was  born  February  15,  1842,  was  a  soldier  in 
the  70th  Illinors  Volunteers,  under  Colonel  Reeves.  He  lives 
iu  Howard  County  Kansas. 

Daniel  Ham,  a  boy  who  lived  with  Mr.  Myers,  and  was  for  a 
while  a  member  of  his  family,  enlisted  in  the  4th  Illinois  Cav- 
alry.  Mr.  Myers  wishes  the  boy's  name  put  in  this  record  to 
show  how  many  went  from  his  house  into  the  army. 

Margaret  Myers  was  bom  March  15,  1850,  was  married  to 
Oliver  Roe,  and  lives  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  her  father's. 


m'lean  county.  403 

The  following  live  at  home  : 

Sarah,  born  November  28,  1851. 

Clay,  born  August  30,  1855. 

James,  born  December  2G,  1858. 

Mr.  Myers  has  sixteen  grandchildren  and  thirteen  are  boys. 

Ephraim  S.  Myers  is  about  five  feet  and  eleven  inches  in 
height  and  appears  rugged  and  tough.  He  has  a  sanguine  com- 
plexion, blue  eyes  and  perfectly  white  hair  and  whiskers.  lie 
is  a  man  of  very  independent  character  and  great  courage.  He 
takes  his  own  course,  and,  if  people  do  not  like  it,  they  can  go 
their  own  way.  His  favorite  expression  is  that  he  can  "  hoe  his 
own  row,"  and  lie  has  done  so  very  successfully,  although  it 
seemed  a  rough  one  sometimes.  He  does  not  ask  unnecessary- 
favors.  He  has  a  great  deal  of  humor  about  him  sometimes, 
and  loves  a  good  joke  as  well  as  any  old  settler. 

AVlLLIAM    RlGGS. 

William  Riggs  was  born  [September  7,  1808,  in  Washington 
County,  Maryland.  His  father's  name  was  Samuel  Kiggs,  and 
his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Priseiila  Marshall.  Both  were  of 
English  descent.  Samuel  Riggs  was  a  plain  farmer  and  a  worthy 
man.  When  William  was  only  one  year  old  the  Riggs  family 
came  to  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky,  where  they  remained  about 
three  years  and  then  went  to  Bluebank  Creek,  Fleming  County, 
same  State.  There  he  bought  land  and  was  obliged  to  sacrifice 
his  stock  to  do  so,  but  after  live  years  he  had  the  misfortune  to 
lose  his  land,  as  he  was  obliged  to  pay  a  security  debt. 

In  1824  William  Riggs  made  a  trip  to  South  Carolina  with  a 
drove  of  hogs,  which  he  sold  there.  He  was  delayed  there  for 
some  time,  as  the  weather  continued  warm  in  December,  and  he 
could  not  sell  his  pork  until  the  season  grew  cooler.  While  he 
was  delayed  he  saw  something  of  slavery,  and  it  was  far  from 
pleasant.  The  cotton  planters  there  had  usually  from  one  to 
three  hundred  negroes  on  a  farm.  The  planter  with  whom  they 
stayed,  Mr.  Hyder  Davy,  had  on  his  plantation  a  square  of  ten 
acres,  in  the  center  of  which  was  his  house,  a  little  higher  than 
the  remainder.  Around  this  square  and  facing  inwards  were 
the  negro  quarters.  One  evening  Mr.  Davy  told  Mr.  Riggs  and 
the  drovers,  that  he  would  show  them   a  sight,  and  he  blew  a 


404  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

little  bone  whistle,  giving  various  signals,  and  immediately  about 
one  hundred  little  colored  children,  between  the  ages  of  three 
and  six  years,  as  naked  as  the  day  they  were  born,  came  out  of 
their  quarters  into  the  square  and  began  dancing  and  capering 
about.  After  they  had  danced  and  capered  for  half  an  hour, 
Mr.  Davy  gave  another  signal,  and  they  ran  for  their  quarters 
as  fast  as  squirrels.  The  field-hands  were  treated  by  the  over- 
seers in  the  most  brutal  manner.  The  former  were  allowed  one 
peck  of  meal  to  eat  per  week  and  absolutely  nothing  else.  Every 
Saturday  night  the  field-hands  were  obliged  to  deliver  up  their 
shoes,  which  were  locked  up  carefully  until  Monday  morning. 
At  that  time  the  negroes  came  and  received  their  shoes  and 
their  weekly  ration  of  meal  and  were  set  at  work.  The  shoes 
were  taken  from  them  on  Saturday  to  prevent  them  from  run- 
ning about,  for,  as  the  country  was  flinty,  they  would  cut  their 
feet  if  they  walked  without  shoes.  The  field-hands  were  re- 
quired to  pick  a  certain  quantity  of  cotton  per  day,  and  in  the 
evening  their  pickings  were  separately  weighed,  and  whoever 
failed  to  produce  the  required  amount  was  whipped.  A  woman 
was  whipped  by  being  thrown  on  her  face  and  having  the  lashes 
applied  to  her  bare  back.  When  a  man  was  whipped  he  was 
made  to  grasp  a  post  and  put  his  wrists  through  an  iron  ring, 
which  was  made  to  spring  down  on  them  and  hold  them  fast. 
His  shirt  was  then  drawn  over  his  head  and  the  lashes  were  ap- 
plied to  his  bare  back.  While  the  hands  were  in  the  field,  the 
overseer  was  always  on  horseback  with  his  cat-o'-nine-tails,  and 
some  one  was  whipped  every  day.  The  cotton-field  was  picked 
over  three  times.  At  the  first  two  pickings  the  pods  would  split 
open  and  the  cotton  hang  out  and  be  easily  picked,  but  the  third 
time  the  pods  would  split  only  partially  open  and  the  cotton  was 
then  difficult  to  gather.  The  negroes  would  often  come  in  from 
the  field  with  their  thumbs  and  fingers  bleeding  and  torn  by  the 
cotton-pods.  The  nursing  infants  belonging  to  the  women,  who 
worked  in  the  field,  were  placed  in  charge  of  a  negress  too  old 
to  work.  At  nine  o'clock  every  day  she  placed  these  infants  in 
a  mule  cart  in  which  was  a  bed  of  straw  and  blankets,  and  took 
them  to  their  mothers  in  the  field  to  be  nursed.  This  was  re- 
peated at  twelve  o'clock  and  again  at  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. The  hands  never  left  the  field  until  they  stopped  work 
at  night.     Such  was  slavery. 


m'lean  county.  405 

When  Mr.  Riggs  sold  his  pork  he  came  back  to  Kentucky  on- 
foot.  He  walked  in  fair  weather  one  hundred  miles  in  three 
days,  but  he  was  somewhat  delayed  by  high  water  and  required 
fifteen  days  for  his  journey. 

Mr.  Riggs  married,  December  28,  1826,  Nancy  Pitts,  and 
rented  a  small  place  for  four  years.  In  the  fall  of  1830  he 
moved  to  Illinois  with  his  brother-in-law,  Henry  Pitts.  In  De- 
cember of  that  year  the  heavy  snow  began  falling.  On  the  day 
that  the  heavy  snow  fell,  Henry  Pitts  was  driving  a  lot  of  pigs 
to  Eugene,  Indiana,  on  the  Wabash,  and  was  caught  in  the 
storm.  Mr.  Riggs  went  with  a  horse  to  assist  him,  and  they 
took  their  pigs  through.  On  their  return  they  walked  with  their 
horse  through  the  snow,  which  was  up  to  their  thighs.  First 
one  would  lead  the  horse  and  break  the  way,  while  the  other 
would  whip  the  animal  from  behind.  A  crust  was  beginning  to 
form  on  the  snow  and  traveling  was  exceedingly  hard.  On  the 
last  day  of  their  journey,  they  came  from  Newcom's  Ford  to 
Cheney's  Grove,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  and  took  turns  in 
leading  the  horse.  They  shaped  their  course  by  the  wind,  which 
blew  over  the  prairie  very  cold.  When  they  came  near  Cheney's 
Grove  they  found  that  they  had  missed  the  course  by  two  miles, 
and  they  changed  their  direction  and  tried  again.  After  going 
about  two  miles  Pitts  stopped  and  wanted  to  rest  and  said  he 
would  feel  better  if  he  could  sleep.  Mr.  Riggs  then  whipped 
him  with  the  hickory  gad  until  he  was  ready  to  fight,  and  at  last 
they  started  ahead  with  the  horse  and  arrived  safe.  Mr.  Riggs 
thinks  that  if  Pitts  had  been  left  to  sleep  he  would  have  frozen 
to  death  in  twenty  minutes.  Mr.  Riggs'  feet  were  badly  frozen 
and  the  toe-nails  and  thick  skin  on  the  heels  came  off.  The  toes 
and  heels  were  frozen  so  stiff  that  they  thumped  on  the  floor 
like  potatoes.  Mr.  Pitts  was  frozen  in  the  same  way.  One  of 
Mr.  Riggs'  ears  was  also  frozen.  He  was  unable  to  do  much 
work  for  some  time,  but  could  pound  meal,  as  all  were  obliged 
to  do  during  that  desperate  winter.  He  made  for  himself  a  pair 
of  moccasins  of  deer  hides,  and  turned  the  hair  inward  and  by 
bundling  up  his  feet  he  could  get  out  and  feed  his  stock.  On 
the  tenth  of  the  following  March  he  went  to  Blooming  Grove 
on  horseback,  and  on  his  return  carried  a  spinning-wheel  and 
led  his  horse,  which  carried  two  and  a  half  bushels  of  meal ;  but 


40G  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

the  animal  was  obliged  to  carry  Mr.  Riggs  and  the  meal,  spin- 
ning-wheel and  all  across  the  Kickapoo.  The  slush  from  the 
melting  of  the  deep  snow  was  then  from  ankle  deep  to  three 
feet. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  some  of  the  settlers 
gathered  the  deer  together  in  parks  and  fed  them.  Mr.  Jona- 
than Cheney  collected  about  fifteen  deer  in  a  park  and  kept 
them  six  or  seven  years,  when  a  high  wind  blew  down  a  part  of 
the  fence  and  they  escaped. 

During  the  spring  of  1832,  while  the  Black  Hawk  war  was 
carried  on,  the  women  collected  at  the  house  of  the  widow  Ball 
while  the  men  stood  guard. 

In  the  fall  of  1837  the  Riggs  family  made  a  visit  to  Ken- 
tucky, traveling  on  horseback.  They  traveled  four  hundred 
miles  there  and  four  hundred  miles  to  return.  Mrs.  Riggs  car- 
ried her  one-year  old  child  in  her  arms  during  the  whole  jour- 
ney. She  was  a  fine  horse-woman,  having  been  raised  on  the 
Kentucky  hills  where  it  required  ingenuity  to  manage  an  animal 
and  stick  to  it.  They  traveled  on  an  average  thirty-five  miles 
per  day. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riggs  have  raised  six  children,  four  sons  and 
two  daughters,  and  have  seen  them  all  grow  up  and  become  set- 
tled in  life.  They  have  all  been  converted  and  made  members 
of  the  Methodist  Church.     They  are  : 

George  W.  Riggs,  who  was  born  December  11,  1827.  He 
now  lives  one  mile  north  of  his  father's  homestead. 

Henry  M.  Riggs  was  born  September  6,  1829.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Thirty-seventh  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  on  becom- 
ing a  veteran  was  made  a  captain  in  the  United  States  Colored 
Infantry.  He  was  at  Pea  Ridge,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  in 
many  other  battles.     He  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Priscilla  M.  Riggs  was  born  August  10,  1831,  was  married  to 
J.  D.  Lewis,  and  lives  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  her 
father's. 

"William  H.  Riggs  was  born  February  13,  1834.  He  has  had 
a  wide-awake  life,  has  been  to  California  and  seen  something  of 
the  world.  He  is  now  president  of  the  Saybrook  Bank,  owned 
by  Riggs  and  Brother. 


m'lean  county.  407 

Mary  Jane  Riggs  was  born  September  28,  1835,  was  mar- 
ried to  Moses  T.  Hall  and  lives  in  Saybrook. 

Samuel  R.  Riggs  was  born  February  13,  1838,  was  a  soldier 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Illinois  Infantry,  was  at 
Vicksburg  and  Atlanta,  and  in  many  other  engagements.  He 
was  severely  wounded  at  the  siege  of  Atlanta  while  relieving  a 
picket  guard.  He  was  then  commanding  a  company.  He 
is  now  cashier  of  the  Saybrook  Bank  owned  b};-  Riggs  and 
Brother. 

Mr.  William  Riggs  is  five  feet  and  eleven  inches  in  height, 
has  gray  hair  and  beard,  has  a  Roman  nose  and  bright,  expres- 
sive, humorous  eyes.  He  is  a  man  of  large  mind  and  sound 
judgment,  and  is  very  conscientious.  He  is  a  man  of  clear  ideas 
and  talks  clearly  and  to  the  point  with  very  little  effort.  He  is 
as  modest  as  he  is  worthy.  He  seems  to  be  in  good  health  and 
circumstances,  and  enjoys  a  happy  old  age.  Mrs.  Riggs  still 
lives,  happy  and  contented,  and  it  will  not  be  long  before  she 
and  her  husband  can  celebrate  their  golden  wedding. 

Snowden  Ball. 

Snowden  Ball  was  born  August  4,  1814,  in  Louis  County, 
Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  Richard  C.  Ball,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Catherine  Cleary.  Snowden  Ball 
lived  in  Louis  County,  Kentucky,  where  he  was  raised,  for  sev- 
enteen years.  There  he  went  to  school  and  received  his  limited 
education.  When  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  he  came  to 
Cheney's  Grove  and  went  to  farming,  as  all  the  early  settlers 
did.  He  was  married  October  29,  1835,  to  Miss  America  Pente- 
grass  Means,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah  Means,  of  Cheney's 
Grove.  Their  domestic  life  was  remarkably  happy.  His  con- 
stitution was  never  very  rugged,  but  he  usually  enjoyed  good 
health,  with  the  exception  of  a  sickness  occasioned  by  an  acci- 
dent, which  happened  to  his  knee.  He  died  of  consumption 
March  1,  1873.  He  left  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living.     They  are  : 

Sarah  S.  Coile,  wife  of  John  Coile,  born  August  13,  1836, 
lives  in  Howard  County,  Kansas. 

Catherine  H.  Riggs,  born  August  23,  1838,  wife  of  William 
H.  Riggs,  lives  at  Saybrook. 


408  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Keturah  E.  MeKenney,  born  March  27, 1842,  wife  of  William 
H.  McKenney,  lives  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  her  mother's. 

Richard  C.  Ball,  born  April  9,  1844,  lives  in  Howard  Coun- 
ty, Kansas. 

Mary  Elizabeth  Palmer,  born  April  2,  1846,  wife  of  Charles 
Palmer,  lives  one-half  a  mile  south  of  her  mother's. 

John  H.  Ball,  born  August  7,  1851,  Rhoda  Ann  Ball,  born 
June  8,  1853,  and  Frank  Baker  Ball,  born  November  19,  1860, 
live  at  home. 

Snowden  Ball  was  about  five  feet  and  eleven  inches  in  height 
and  slenderly  built.  His  hair  and  whiskers  at  the  time  of  his 
death  were  nearly  gray.  His  eyes  were  dark  brown.  He  was 
a  very  resolute  man,  but  cautious  in  his  dealings  and  temperate 
in  his  habits.  He  thought  much  of  his  family,  and  worked 
hard  for  them. 

Hilleary  Ball. 

Hilleary  Ball  was  born  March  8,1817,  in  Louis  County,  Ken- 
tucky. His  father's  name  was  Richard  C.  Ball,  and  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Catherine  Cleary.     He  does  not  know  the  de- 
scent of  his  parents,  but  the  name  would  indicate  an  English 
ancestry.     The  father  of  Hilleary  Ball  died  when  the  latter  was 
only  eight  months  old.     Hilleary  Ball  lived  in  Louis    County, 
Kentucky,  where  he  was  born,  for  thirteen  or   fourteen  years. 
There  he  went  to  school  and  received  some  little  education  to 
prepare  him  for  the  work  of  life.     In  the  fall  of  1831,  he  came 
with  his  uncle  Joseph  Cleary  Ball  to  Cheney's  Grove,  where  he 
arrived  November  10.     The  journey  was  very  pleasant,  requir- 
ing one  month,  which,  however,  included  some  delay  in  visiting 
friends  on  the  way.     Previous  to  their  arrival    Henry  Ball  had 
made  arrangements    for  building  a  cabin,  but  when   they  came 
they  found  the  work  scarcely  commenced.     But  all  parties  im- 
mediately began  work,  and  the  log  cabin  went  up  speedily.  The 
puncheon   floor  was  made    of  green   wood,  which  froze  every 
night,  and  the    old   carpet  or  quilt  which  was  laid  on  it,    was 
frozen  fast.     The  family  went  to  farming  on  their  arrival,  and 
experienced  the  usual  vicissitudes  of  a  pioneer   life.     Hilleary 
Ball  went  to  school  for  a  while  at   Cheney's  Grove,  and  remem- 
bers one    curious  incident   of  his  school  days.     The  settlers  at 


m'lean  county.  409 

Cheney's  Grove  turned  out  to  hunt  two  wolves,  one  a  black 
wolf  and  the  other  a  gray.  After  being  chased  all  over  the 
timber,  the  black  wolf  was  caught  and  killed  near  the  school 
house.  Hilleary  Ball  saw  it  coming  with  the  hunters  in  full 
chase,  and  spoke  out  quickly,  and  came  near  getting  punished 
for  his  excitement.  But  the  school  was  in  such  an  uproar  that 
the  master  let  out  the  scholars,  and  they  saw  the  wolf  killed  and 
the  hide  raffled  oft' among  the  hunters. 

Mr.  Ball  never  became  much  of  a  sportsman,  though  he 
often  chased  wolves  and  killed  them  with  a  stirrup.  He  some-  ' 
times  poisoned  them  with  strichnine,  and  sometimes,  when  one 
of  his  domestic  animals  happened  to  die  he  would  set  it  out  as 
a  bait  for  wolves  and  shoot  them  when  they  came  near.  Mr. 
Ball  has  had  the  usual  contests  with  the  fires  which  came  sweep- 
ing over  the  prairie,  and  at  one  time  had  his  farm  burned  up, 
with  the  exception  of  the  house  and  barn. 

Mr.  Ball  married  in  November,  1838,  Calista  Hildreth,  who 
was  born  in  New  York  and  came  to  McLean  County  at  an  early 
day.  He  has  had  six  children,  three  boys  and  three  girls,  five 
of  whom  are  living.     They  are  : 

William  Henry  Ball,  who  lives  in  Cheney's  Grove  township, 
about  three  miles  northeast  of  his  father's,  in  Section  No.  10. 

Elizabeth  Theodosia  Ball  was  married  to  William  Evans, 
and  lives  near  her  brother  William  Henry. 

Julia  Ann  Ball  was  married  to  Samuel  Gallagher,  jr.,  and 
lives  in  Saybrook. 

Amos  Ball  lives  in  the  northwest  part  of  Champaign 
County. 

Alfred  Ball  died  when  very  young. 
Harriet  Ball,  usually  called  Hattie,  is   the  baby,  or  pet,  and 
lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Ball  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  and  is 
what  would  be  called  a  good-looking  man.  His  hair  and  whiskers 
are  beginning  to  turn  a  little  gray.  He  has  a  well  shaped  head 
and  eyes  that  are  expressive  of  fun  and  good  humor.  He  is 
sometimes  a  little  eccentric  in  his  manner,  but  is  a  man  of  good 
feeling.  He  takes  care  of  his  property,  and  is  thrifty  and  pros- 
perous. When  he  was  asked  to  give  some  information  of  his 
early  life  he  was  out  attending  to  his  property,  but  he  sat  down 


410  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

under  the  shade  of  a  tree  and  talked  easily,  cleverly  and  humor- 
ously. He  is  a  kind  and  accommodating  neighbor  and  a  pleas- 
ant gentleman. 

William  Kendrick  Stansberry. 

William  Kendrick  Stansberry  was  born  August  29,  1820,  in 
Washington  County,  East  Tennessee.  His  father's  name  was 
Edward  Stansberry  and  his  mother's  was  Polly  Ann  Graham. 
Edward  Stansberry  and  his  wife  were  both  almost  entirely  of 
English  descent.  Mr.  W.  K.  Stansberry  once  saw  his  great 
grandmother  Graham,  who  lived  to  reach  the  advanced  age  of 
one  hundred  and  ten  years.  Edward  Stansberry  was  born  near 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  He  had  eleven  brothers 
and  four  sisters,  enough  to  keep  him  company  in  his  youth.  He 
moved  to  Tennessee  and  there  was  married,  and  in  Washington 
County  his  son  William  K.  was  born.  In  1833  Edward  Stans- 
berry moved  with  his  family  to  Cheney's  Grove,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1861. 
The  Stansberry  family  was  the  fifth  to  come  to  the  grove. 

The  journey  to  Cheney's  Grove  was  long  and  tedious,  requir- 
ing six  weeks  to  accomplish  it.  They  were  one  week  on  the 
Cumberland  Mountains,  and  while  there,  lived  on  corn-bread 
and  pumpkins.  They  arrived  at  Cheney's  Grove  on  the  last  day 
of  October,  and  when  they  came,  the  neighbors  all  turned  out 
and  helped  them  build  a  cabin,  which  they  succeeded  in  finish- 
ing within  three  days.  It  was  made  of  logs,  of  course,  with  a 
puncheon  floor.  They  made  their  bedsteads  by  inserting  poles 
in  auger  holes  bored  in  the  wall.  The  bedstead  had  only  one 
leg  out  in  the  room.  They  made  a  table  by  splitting  two  broad 
puncheons  and  putting  legs  to  them.  They  had  stools  made  of 
little  puncheons,  and  during  the  following  year  they  indulged  in 
the  luxury  of  a  loft  made  of  Linn  bark. 

During  the  fall  after  they  came  to  Cheney's  Grove,  Edward 
Stansberry  went  with  a  party  of  men  after  wild  hogs,  and  they 
killed  twenty-five  or  thirty,  and  Mr.  Stansberry 's  share  of  the 
pork  amounted  to  five  or  six  hundred  pounds.  They  went  to 
Perrysville,  Indiana,  for  their  grinding.  In  1834  the  family 
suffered  severely  ;  they  all  had  the  ague  except  Kendrick,  and 


m'lean  county.  411 

were  at  one  time  obliged  to  go  eight  weeks  without  corn-meal, 
except  what  they  could  grate  for  themselves. 

When  William  Kendrick  Stansberry  became  sixteen  years 
of  age,  he  was  a  great  hunter,  and  from  that  time  until  the  age 
of  twenty-five  he  scarcely  ever  killed  less  than  fifty  deer  per 
annum,  and  great  numbers  of  turkeys.  He  killed  one  turkey 
which  weighed  twent}^-five  pounds  dressed.  He  once  shot  a  doe 
and  knocked  both  eyes  out,  but  when  he  took  hold  of  her  she 
nearly  kicked  the  clothes  off  of  him.  On  the  day  that  Polk  was 
elected  president  he  went  to  see  the  voting,  and  on  the  way 
killed  two  bucks  at  one  shot.  At  one  time  he  shot  a  buck  sixty 
or  seventy  yards  distant  through  the  heart,  and  it  ran  towards 
him  and  fell  about  ten  feet  awa}?-.  He  also  hunted  wolves  and 
caught  a  great  many  in  traps,  on  horseback  and  by  running 
them  down. 

Mr.  Stansberry  occasionally  did  a  little  trapping.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1842,  he  caught  in  the  Sangamon  River,  in  a  steel-trap, 
the  largest  otter  he  ever  heard  of.  He  discovered  its  track  in 
the  snow  on  the  ice  and  found  its  habitation.  It  had  cut  a  hole 
in  the  ice  between  the  forks  of  a  tree  in  the  water.  Mr.  Stans- 
berry watched  the  hole  and  tried  to  shoot  the  otter,  but  it  was 
too  sharp  for  him.  He  at  last  went  to  Farmer  City  and  bought 
a  steel-trap,  which  he  set  by  its  hole  and  caught  the  animal  by 
the  fore-legs,  and  its  tail  was  frozen  fast  in  the  ice.  It  measured 
nine  feet  from  the  tip  of  its  tail  to  its  nose.  The  skin  was  sold 
for  ten  dollars. 

Mr.  Stansberry  has  some  lively  recollections  of  Ephraim 
Myers,  one  of  the  greatest  hunters  in  the  West.  Mr.  Myers  is 
a  humorous  man  and  has  a  great  many  queer  traits  of  character. 
At  one  time  Ephraim  Myers,  Edward  Stansberry  and  Fielding 
Lloyd  were  taking  up  a  bee  tree  and  the  little  Stansberry  boys 
were  looking  on  and  eating  honey.  Old  Ephraim  thought  the 
little  chaps  should  have  something  to  do,  so  he  pretended  to  be 
afflicted  with  the  colic  and  made  them  rub  him  down.  If  they 
stopped  rubbing  for  a  moment  he  would  groan  and  make  them 
work  ae;ain. 

W.  K.  Stansberry  has  many  recollections  of  old  times  and 
the  fashions  of  early  days.  He  particularly  remembers  the 
Methodist  preacher,  who  could  be  recognised  as  far  as  seen,  by 


412  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

his  horse  and  saddle-bags.  The  preacher's  salary  was  a  hundred 
dollars  a  year.  The  one,  who  had  Cheney's  Grove  in  his  circuit, 
traveled  from  Big  Grove  (Champaign)  to  Middletown,  (now 
called  Mahomet,)  then  to  Cheney's  Grove,  then  to  Indian  Grove 
(near  Fairbury),  then  to  Mackinaw  timber  (where  Lexington 
now  is),  then  to  Blooming  Grove,  Randolph's  Grove  and  Hur- 
ley's Grove  (where  Farmer  City  now  is),  in  succession,  and 
finally  back  to  Big  Grove  the  starting  point.  It  required  four 
weeks  to  make  the  round  trip.  He  wore  a  white  cravat  and  a 
plain,  round-breasted,  jeans  coat.  But  afterwards  the  fashion 
changed,  and  he  wore  his  coat  straight-breasted.  No  person 
was  allowed  in  the  meeting-house,  who  wore  ornaments  of  any 
kind.  Mr.  Stansberry  was  once  careless  enough  to  wear  a  shirt 
which  had  the  pleats  on  the  bosom  running  crosswise  instead  of 
up  and  down,  and  he  was  not  allowed  to  enter  the  meeting-house 
or  attend  divine  service  at  all.  The  meeting  at  Old  Town  tim- 
ber was  held  in  an  old  barn,  which  is  standing  yet.  In  early 
days  people  yoked  up  their  oxen  to  go  to  church,  and  the  smart 
young  men  took  their  sweethearts  on  horseback  behind  them. 
Mr.  Stansberry  sometimes  went  as  far  as  Farmer  City,  a  distance 
of  eighteen  miles,  to  take  his  lady  to  church.  After  church  he 
would  go  back,  stay  all  the  night  with  the  family  and  return 
home  the  next  day.  He  has  frequently  seen  half  a  dozen  young 
men  riding  to  church  with  their  sweethearts  on  behind  them  and 
has  often  seen  a  lady  riding  on  horseback  to  church  and  her 
husband  walking  before. 

Mr.  Stansberry  has  had  the  experience  peculiar  to  the  early 
settlers;  he  has  driven  pigs  to  Chicago  and  sold  them  for  $1.25 
per  hundred  weight,  has  chopped  wood  for  twenty-five  cents  per 
day,  has  harvested  for  fifty  cents  and  hauled  wheat  to  Chicago 
for  thirty  cents  per  bushel. 

Mr.  Stansberry's  hunting  days  came  to  an  end  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  when  he  was  married.  This  important  event  oc- 
curred January  8,  1846.  His  bride  was  Miss  Sarah  Jane  Yazel. 
He  has  had  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.     They  are: 

Mrs.  Harriet  Emeline  Hyre,  wife  of  Jonathan  Hyre,  who 
lives  in  Saybrook. 

Mrs.  Olive  Jane  Simmons,  wife  of  D.  Haldeman  Simmons, 
lives  in  Saybrook. 


m'lean  county.  413 

Edward  Stansberry  lives  at  home. 

Mrs.  Cora  Bell  Smith,  wife  of  Clinton  Smith,  lives  in  Say- 
brook. 

Milton  Stansberry  lives  at  home. 

After  Mr.  W.  K.  Stansberry  was  married  he  stopped  his 
hunting,  except  occasionally  for  bee-trees.  Year  before  last  he 
found  thirty  bee-trees  from  which  he  took  three  hundred  pounds 
of  honey.  Last  year  he  found  twenty-one  bee-trees.  He  has  in 
the  house  honey  which  is  three  years  old.  He  is  about  five  feet 
and  six  inches  in  height,  is  heavy  set,  and  weighs  one  hundred 
and  eighty  pounds.  He  is  a  good-natured  man  and  would  seem 
to  be  on  good  terms  with  all  of  his  neighbors.  He  has  dark 
eyes  and  heavy  black  hair,  which  has  hardly  }^et  begun  to  show 
the  effects  of  time.  He  is  somewhat  stout  in  appearance,  has  a 
clear  and  rather  heavy  voice  and  a  heavy,  black  moustache,  and 
would  be  called  a  good-looking  man  if  he  would  dress  himself 
up.  He  is  now  the  postmaster  at  Saybrook.  He  has  been  a 
very  temperate  man  and  has  never  drank  whisky.  He  says 
that  if  he  had  his  life  to  live  over  he  would  be  a  preacher ! 

Otha  Owen. 

Otha  Owen  was  born  October  5,  1823,  in  Mechanicsburg, 
Champaign  County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  Uriah  Owen, 
and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Kesiah  Jaco.  His  father 
was  partly  of  Welch  descent  and  was  born  in  Virginia.  He  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  died  in  1832  or  '33,  and  his 
wife  followed  him  two  years  afterwards. 

Otha  Owen  lived  in  Champaign  County  until  he  was  ten 
years  of  age,  when  he  was  sent  to  Green  County  to  live  with  his 
uncle  Elias  Owen.  He  came  with  his  uncle  Elias  to  Cheney's 
Grove,  where  he  arrived  September  6,  1834.  The  journey  was 
pleasant  and  uneventful.  They  immediate!}7  went  to  farming. 
Otha  Owen  was  obliged  to  work  hard,  but  found  some  time  for 
school,  though  not  as  much  as  he  would  have  liked.  He  was 
often  sent  with  the  grist  to  mill  in  his  younger  days,  and  some- 
times made  the  grand  journey  to  Chicago,  camping  out  at  night. 
He  speaks  very  warmly  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  early 
days,  when  everybody  was  acquainted  with  everybody,  and  peo- 
ple made  it  their  duty  to  visit  the  sick  and  see  that  they  all 
received  attention. 


414  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  years  1844  and  '45,  Mr.  Owen 
lived  in  Sangamon  County,  where  he  worked  for  eight  and  one- 
third  dollars  per  month. 

Otha  Owen  married,  November  20,  1845,  in  Sangamon 
County,  Susannah  Cline,  and  came  immediately  to  Cheney's 
Grove.  It  was  then  bitterly  cold  weather,  and  their  journey 
was  a  hard  one.  Mr.  Owen  says  it  was  the  coldest  weather  he 
ever  experienced,  and  has  since  often  wondered  why  he  did  not 
freeze  to  death.  The  chickens  fell  from  their  roosts  and  died 
of  cold.  It  did  not  thaw  for  nearly  three  weeks.  During  that 
winter  Mr.  Owen  bought  his  meat  for  five  dollars  per  hundred;  but 
during  the  following  year  he  had  pork  for  sale  and  received  for 
it  only  one  dollar  or  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  hundred.  The 
pigs,  which  the  farmers  raised,  were  little  long-nosed  fellows 
that  could  put  their  snouts  through  a  fence  and  eat  up  a  potato 
hill. 

Mr.  Owen  has  had  his  experience  with  fires  on  the  prairie, 
and  has  had  some  fencing  burned  by  them.  He  says  the  worst 
prairie  fire  he  ever  saw  was  on  the  farm  of  a  certain  Mr.  Went- 
worth,  who  lived  within  eighteen  miles  of  Chicago.  Six  teams, 
including  Mr.  Owen's,  were  passing  at  the  time,  and  the  team- 
sters took  off  their  horses,  put  them  in  the  barn  and  began 
fighting  fire.  They  succeeded  in  saving  the  house  and  barn,  but 
the  remainder  of  the  farm  was  simply  a  waste  of  cinders. 

Mr.  Owen  never  hunted  much,  but  has  chased  wolves,  which 
were  the  farmer's  greatest  pest.  lie  chased  them  on  horseback 
and  says  that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  difference  in  their  speed, 
so  much  so  that  he  could  tell  at  almost  the  first  jump  whether 
or  not  he  could  catch  the  wolf  he  was  after.  If  it  was  a  fast 
wolf  it  would  run  slowly  at  first  and  look  over  its  shoulder  in 
an  impudent,  suspicious  way,  and  when  pressed  more  closely 
would  show  speed,  but  would  never  take  the  trouble  to  do  more 
than  keep  out  of  the  hunter's  way.  But  if  the  wolf  was  a  slow 
one  it  seemed  to  know  that  it  must  do  its  best  and  get  down  to 
its  greatest  speed  immediately.  When  Mr.  Owen  saw  a  wolf  of 
this  kind  he  always  felt  sure  of  catching  it  in  a  short  race.  He 
says  the  slow  wolves  have  all  been  caught  off,  and  those  which 
are  now  left  can  scarcely  be  caught  at  all.  The  breed  has  been 
improved  and  made  a  faster   running   breed    by  a  process  of 


m'lean  county.  415 

"  natural  selection."  A  wolf  was  recently  started  in  Belleflower 
township  and  chased  ten  miles  before  being  caught.  Such  a 
chase  never  was  formerly  made  after  a  prairie  wolf.  Occasion- 
ally the  early  settlers  chased  the  timber  wolves  more  than  ten 
miles,  but  never  the  prairie  wolves.  The  early  settlers  would 
sometimes  run  their  horses  to  death  or  break  their  wind,  or  run 
into  an  ant-hill  or  a  badger's  hole  in  chasing  the  wolves,  and 
it  was  not  always  a  safe  business.  Mr.  Elias  Owen  had  a  severe 
fall  by  his  horse  running  into  a  hole,  and  Mr.  James  R.  Means 
killed  a  horse  on  one  of  these  fast  chases. 

Mr.  Owen  has  had  eleven  children,  and  of  these  eight  are 
living. 

Otha  Owen  is  five  feet  and  five  inches  in  height,  has  a  san- 
guine complexion,  but  is  somewhat  slim  in  build.  He  is  like  the 
most  of  the  old  settlers,  cordial  and  friendly,  and  his  manner  is 
warm  and  pleasant  and  honest.  His  hair  is  nearly  gray  and  his 
whiskers  likewise.  He  has  a  good,  kind  expression,  and  will  be 
remembered  as  one  of  the  best  of  the  old  settlers. 

Joseph   Newcom. 

Joseph  Newcom  was  born  August  25,  1814,  in  Clark  County, 
Ohio.  His  father,  whose  name  was  Ethan  Newcom,  was  a  Jer- 
sey Yankee,  and  his  grandfather,  whose  name  was  also  Ethan 
Newcom,  was  a  Jersey  Yankee  and  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 
Ethan  Newcom,  jr.,  the  father  of  Joseph,  married  a  widow,  Mrs. 
Mary  Woods,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Marsh,  and  she 
was  a  Jersey  Yankee,  too. 

Joseph  Newcom  says  that  nothing  of  importance  occurred 
during  the  first  fourteen  years  of  his  life,  and  thinks  that  chil- 
dren did  not  know' as  much  and  were  not  as  smart  as  the  chil- 
dren are  at  present  with  all  the  advantages  that  schools  can  now 
give. 

In  the  fall  of  1828  the  Newcom  family  came  to  Sangamon 
timber,  Illinois,  to  what  was  afterwards  called  Newcom's  Ford. 
There  they  arrived  one  evening  tired  and  hungry,  and  the  next 
morning:  Ethan  Newcom  found  a  bee  tree  before  breakfast.  The 
family  went  on  to  Blooming  Grove,  but  after  staying  there  for 
two  weeks,  went  back  to  Newcom's  Ford,  which  took  its  name 
from  them.     During  their  first  winter  at  the  ford  they    hauled 


416  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

corn,  from  Blooming  Grove,  forty  miles  distant.  Newcom's  Ford 
was  a  stopping  place  for  travelers,  and  the  Newcom's  kept  a 
house  of  entertainment.  Sometimes,  in  the  fall  of  the  year, 
twenty-five  or  thirty  teams  would  stop  there  at  once.  The  price 
of  entertainment  was  eighteen  and  three-fourths  cents  per  meal 
and  fifty  cents  for  keeping  a  man  and  horse  over  night,  They 
went  to  Eugene,  on  the  Big  Vermilion  River,  near  the  Wabash, 
for  their  flour  and  groceries.  But,  notwithstanding  some  little 
inconveniences,  the  Newcoms  lived  well  and  happily.  At  one 
time  Joseph  Newcom  went  with  his  sister  on  horseback  to  Big 
Grove,  fifteen  miles  east  of  the  ford,  to  a  wedding.  While 
there  the  weather  turned  cold  and  everything  was  frozen  up. 
On  their  return  they  found  the  sloughs  all  easy  to  cross,  except 
one,  which  the  horses  refused  to  touch.  It  had  frozen  over  and 
had  fallen  and  the  crust  of  ice  on  top  was  held  up  by  the  grass, 
and  the  horses  refused  to  cross  it.  Joseph  Newcom  was  obliged 
to  go  into  the  water  up  to  the  waist  to  break  the  ice  while  his 
sister  followed  on  horseback. 

People  often  had  great  difficulty  in  crossing  at  Newcom's 
Ford,  and  were  frequently  obliged  to  swim  the  creek  with  their 
teams.  A  man  named  Henry  Pitts  had  a  horse  drowned  in 
crossing  the  creek,  as  it  did  not  swim  well,  but  went  to  plunging 
when  it  struck  the  deep  water. 

The  hogs  belonging  to  the  settlers  would  run  wild  when 
turned  loose  for  any  length  of  time,  and  were  sometimes  very 
dangerous.  On  one  Sunday  Ethan  ISTewcom  went  out  to  hunt 
bees,  when  he  saw  a  hog  in  the  distance  coming  towards  him. 
He  thought  he  would  let  it  come  up  to  within  a  short  distance 
of  him  and  then  frighten  it,  but  when  the  hog  approached  it  be- 
gan to  bristle  up  its  hair  and  walk  sideways,'  and  Mr.  Newcom 
saw  that  he  must  "get  out  of  that"  very  quickly.  The  timber 
was  about  fifty  steps  distant,  and  he  broke  for  it  on  the  keen 
run  with  the  hog  after  him.  He  reached  the  timber  in  quick 
time  and  sprang  up  a  tree,  and  the  disappointed  hog  could  do 
nothing  but  walk  around  and  raise  its  bristles.  Such  was  Ethan 
Newcom's  attempt  to  frighten  a  wild  hog ! 

While  the  Newcoms  lived  at  Newcom's  Ford  the  flies  were 
very  bad  on  the  horses  and  cattle.  For  about  six  weeks  in  the 
year  the   large   green-head   flies   prevented    all   travel  by   day. 


m'lean  county.  417 

Everybody  was  obliged  to  travel  by  night,  and  even  then  they 
were  troubled  with  the  flies  at  moonlight.  The  flies  were  so 
thick  and  so  bad  that  they  would  kill  a  young  horse  if  it  were 
turned  loose.  The}T  would  drive  it  nearly  crazy  and  suck  its 
blood  ;  but  now  they  are  comparatively  rare  even  in  the  worst 
part  of  fly  time.  The  long  prairie  grass  on  which  they  used  to 
breed  has  been  eaten  off  and  has  become  almost  a  rarity.  Jo- 
seph ISTewcom  says  he  has  many  times  been  obliged  to  travel  by 
night,  and  would  bend  forward  and  sleep  with  his  arms  around 
his  horse's  neck. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  Joseph  ISTewcom  was 
sent  to  Cheney's  Grove  to  school.  lie  boarded  at  the  house  of 
Benjamin  Thomas,  and  went  to  school  to  Mary  Cheney.  He 
rode  to  school  on  a  blind  horse  with  two  of  Mr.  Thomas'  little 
ffirls,  one  on  behind  and  one  on  before.  He  was  obliged  to 
break  the  road  a  great  many  times,  but  always  succeeded  in 
keeping  it  clear.  On  the  last  day  of  February,  when  the  snow 
was  about  to  melt,  he  walked  home  to  IsTewcom's  Ford  on  the 
crust.  Had  he  delayed  another  day  he  could  not  have  gone 
home  for  a  month,  as  the  melting  of  the  deep  snow  kept  every- 
thing swimming.  A  year  or  two  afterwards  Mr.  Newcom  went 
to  school  at  Blooming  Grove,  to  old  Billy  Hodge. 

The  Newcoms  were  great  bee  hunters  and  found  many  trees. 
The  bees  were  very  different  in  their  dispositions.  Some  would 
allow  their  honey  to  be  taken  very  easily,  and  would  make  no 
trouble  ;  some  would  fight,  but  would  be  cowed  by  smoke,  and 
some  would  fight  and  pay  no  attention  to  smoke.  At  one  time 
Ethan  ISTewcom  and  Joseph  each  found  a  bee  tree,  and  as  they 
were  in  the  vicinity  of  other  bee  hunters,  decided  to  cut  the 
trees  immediately,  although  the  day  was  a  warm  one  in  Septem- 
ber. They  cut  Ethan  ISTewcom's  tree  first,  and  when  it  fell  the 
hollow  burst  open  and  the  bees  fought  desperately  all  the  time 
the  honey  was  being  taken  out.  Joseph  Newcom  was  stung 
again  and  again.  He  was  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  and  wore  shoes 
without  stockings.  As  the  day  was  warm  the  perspiration  made 
the  sleeves  of  his  shirt  cling  to  his  arms,  and  the  bees  stung 
through  it  again  and  again.  They  lit  on  his  legs  and  crawled 
up  his  trowsers  and  lit  on  his  face  and  nearly  stung  him  crazy. 
At  one  time  he  ran  off,  whipping  bees  with  his  hat,  and  acci- 
27 


418  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

dentally  threw  it  in  some  high  grass,  but  kept  on  running  and 
whipping  at  the  bees.  "When  he  became  free  from  them  he 
hunted  for  his  hat,  but  never  found  it,  and  was  obliged  to  go 
bareheaded  for  two  weeks.  They  took  twelve  gallons  of  honey 
from  the  bees  and  a  great  deal  more  was  wasted,  as  the  gum  had 
split  open  in  falling.  The  next  tree  they  cut  yielded  about 
eight  gallons  of  honey,  and  the  bees  fought  harder  than  the 
first  swarm.  Joseph  was  obliged  to  cut  it  and  take  out  the 
honey  alone,  as  the  flies  were  very  bad,  and  his  father  had  to 
attend  to  the  oxen.  He  was  sore  for  several  weeks  after  this 
bee  hunt.  Honey  was  the  most  abundant  article  raised.  Mr. 
Newcom  once  took  a  thousand  pounds  of  honey  and  sixty 
pounds  of  beeswax  to  Chicago  in  one  load.  He  received  six 
cents  per  pound  for  the  honey  and  twenty-five  cents  per  pound 
for  the  beeswax. 

In  October,  1835,  the  ISTewcoms  came  to  Cheney's  Grove,  to 
the  north  side,  and  settled  where  John  Nevvcom  now  lives,  and 
went  to  farming.     They  bought  their  place  of  Henry  Pitts. 

Mr.  Newcom  was  a  great  hunter  after  wolves  and  coons. 
During  one  fall  he  and  his  father  killed  twenty-five  wolves  and 
twenty-eight  coons.  Ethan  Newcom  killed  the  wolves,  and  Jo- 
seph and  his  dog,  Ring,  killed  the  coons.  During  the  spring  of 
the  year,  when  Harrison  was  elected  President,  a  snow  came 
two  feet  deep  and  stayed  on  for  eight  days,  and  during  that 
time  everybody  hunted  for  wolves.  Every  grove  in  the  country 
was  alive  with  hunters,  but  Cheney's  Grove  beat  them  all,  for 
the  hunters  there  killed  sixty-eight  wolves. 

The  Kewcoms  were  in  the  habit  of  making  maple  sugar,  as 
that  was  the  only  sugar  used.  During  one  spring  they  made 
two  thousand  pounds  of  sugar  and  a  barrel  of  syrup.  They 
made  eleven  hundred  pounds  in  seven  days  and  nights  with 
eight  kettles,  and  could  have  made  a  third  more  if  all  the  sap 
had  been  saved.  The  Cheneys  made  about  fifteen  hundred 
pounds.     The  sugar  sold  for  ten  cents  per  pound. 

Ethan  Newcom  had  eleven  children  in  all,  and  of  these  five 
lived  to  have  families.     They  are  : 

Mrs.  Mary  Vanscoyoc,  wife  of  Perry  Vanscoyoc. 

Joseph  Newcom,  whose  sketch  we  are  writing. 

Mrs.  Posanna  Smith,  wife  of  Jacob  Smith,  lives  in  Arrow- 
smith  township. 


m'lean  county.  419 

John  Newcom  lives  at  the  old  homestead. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Arbogast,  wife  of  William  Arbogast,  is  now 

dead. 

Joseph  Newcom  married,  February  2,  1844,  Eliza  Jane  De- 
vor.  He  has  had  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living. 
They  are : 

Nicholas,  born  January  26,  1845. 

Mary  Ann,  born  August  16,  1846. 

Nancy  Jane,  born  March  22,  1848. 

Ethan  Allen,  born  January  1,  1850. 

Joseph  Aaron,  born  May  28,  1851. 

Isaac  Luther,  born  May  8,  1853. 

Owen,  born  February  24,  1855. 

Mereposa,  born  August  14,  1856. 

America  Catherine,  born  September  23,  1858. 

Jesse,  born  January  4,  1861. 

Sarah  Elizabeth,  born  June  29,  1862. 

Isaac  Luther  and  Owen  are  dead.  The  latter  died  in  in- 
fancy. All  who  are  living  reside  at  home,  except  Nancy  Jane, 
who  is  married  to  Richard  Ball,  and  lives  in  Howard  County, 
Kansas. 

Joseph  Newcom  is  five  feet  and  eleven  inches  in  height,  is 
rather  slender  in  form  and  has  bright,  humorous  eyes.  He  be- 
lieves in  getting  up  early  in  the  morning  and  going  to  work. 
He  is  honest  himself,  and  will  not  deal  with  any  one  who  is  not 
also  honest  and  truthful.  At  one  time  a  person  who  was  known 
to  be  a  good  workman  and  an  industrious  man,  and  had  for- 
merly worked  for  Mr.  Newcom,  wished  to  come  back  again. 
But  although  no  fault  could  be  found  with  the  young  man's 
work,  he  was  not  permitted  to  come  back,  as  Mr.  Newcom 
would  not  allow  anyone  around  his  premises  who  could  not 
be  relied  upon  to  tell  the  truth. 

Isaac  Stansberry. 

Isaac  Stansberry  was  born  July  13,  1805,  in  Greene  County, 
East  Tennessee,  within  twelve  miles  of  Greenville.  His  father's 
name  was  Ezekiel  Stansberry,  and  his  mother's  name  before  her 
marriage  was  Esther  Neil.  His  ancestors  were  of  German 
and   Welch    descent.       Ezekiel    Stansberry  died   when    Isaac 


420  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

was  about  nine  years  of  age.  Isaac  Stansberry  remembers  very 
clearly  the  war  of  1812,  as  several  of  his  elder  brothers  served 
in  it  and  were  at  the  battle  of  Horse  Shoe,  under  Jackson.  Be- 
fore this  the  family  had  moved  to  Washington  County,  and  there 
Isaac  lived  until  September  29,  1825,  when  he  married  Ruth 
Lacy.  He  then  moved  to  Greene  County,  where  he  went  to 
farming.  In  about  the  year  1832  Isaac  Stansberry  went  on  a 
ilat-boat  with  a  load  of  produce  down  the  Noulachuckee  River 
into  the  Holston  River  and  thence  into  the  Tennessee  and  down 
over  the  Muscle  Shoals  at  Florence.  They  sold  out  their  load 
at  Tuscumbia  and  returned  home.  He  made  several  such  trips 
and  saw  something  of  slavery  there.  At  one  time  he  saw  forty 
mule  teams  abreast  ploughing  cotton.  The  teams  were  driven 
by  negroes  who  were  followed  up  by  an  overseer  with  a  whip, 
which  had  a  lash  six  feet  in  length.  The  whip  was  made  for 
business,  too,  and  not  for  ornament.  The  overseers  sometimes' 
combined  generosity  with  brutality.  An  overseer  once  brought 
some  negroes  on  board  of  a  steamboat  and  gave  them  each  a 
drink  of  whisky.  Then,  at  a  nod  of  his  head,  they  ran  oft'  to 
work ;  but  one  of  them  was  a  little  slow  about  starting  and  the 
overseer  shoved  him  overboard  into  the  water. 

In  1836  Mr.  Stansberry  came  to  Cheney's  Grove,  McLean 
County,  Illinois.  He  came  with  a  party  of  about  thirty-six 
persons.  They  had  a  pleasant  journey,  though  rather  a  long  one. 
Mr.  Stansberry  immediately  went  to  farming  on  his  brother 
Abraham's  place.  He  found  the  times  very  hard  and  would 
have  gone  back  to  Tennessee  immediately,  but  could  not  get 
away.  He  arrived  late  Saturday  night,  and  on  Sunday  morning 
went  to  mill  bright  and  early.  The  people  at  Cheney's  Grove 
were  very  sociable  and  welcomed  all  new  comers.  Mrs.  Stans- 
berry says  they  were  all  "big  bugs"  together. 

During  the  winter  after  his  arrival  Mr.  Stansberry  went  to 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  with  Thomas  Cheney.  They  took  with 
them  a  drove  of  pigs.  They  had  no  very  dangerous  adventure, 
except  that  once  while  camping  out  they  became  very  cold  and 
were  afraid  of  freezing  to  death,  and  went  six  miles  farther  on 
to  a  house  where  they  found  shelter  and  a  warm  fire.  On  their 
return  they  had  difficulty  in  crossing  some  of  the  streams,  which 
were  about  to  break  up  in   the   spring.     The  water  along  the 


m'lean  county.  421 

shores  of  the  Mazon  was  rising  above  the  ice.  They  threw 
pieces  of  wood  on  the  ice  along  the  shore  in  order  to  make  a 
bridge  for  the  wagons  to  cross.  At  that  early  day  Milwaukee 
was  not  half  as  large  as  Saybrook.  The  buildings  were  rough, 
"ornery"  looking  things  and  gave  little  promise  of  the  present 
city. 

Mr.  Stansberry  has  had  ten  children.     They  are  : 

Sophia  Jane  Stansberry,  who  was  born  August  6,  1826.  She 
married  James  11.  Lewis,  and  lives  less  than  half  a  mile  from 
her  father's  house. 

Thomas  A.  Stansberry  was  born  July  27,  1828,  and  lives  in 
Saybrook. 

Ezekiel  F.  Stansberry  was  born  May  22,  1830.  He  lives 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  south  side  of  Cheney's 
Grove  with  his  aunt  McMackin. 

John  F.  Stansberry  was  born  January  28,  1832,  and  lives  in 
Hancock  County,  Illinois. 

Jesse  W.  Stansberry  was  born  January  24,  1834,  and  lives 
just  east  of  his  father's. 

Julia  E.  Stansberry  was  born  February  13,  1836,  was  mar- 
ried to  Simon  Cavanaugh,  and  lives  two  miles  east  of  her 
father's. 

Abram  M.  Stansberry,  born  June  15, 1838,  died  in  infancy. 

Isaac  N.  Stansberry  was  born  December  2,  1839,  enlisted  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Illinois  Volunteers  during  the 
late  war,  and  died  of  sickness  at  Milliken's  Bend  near  Vicks- 
burg. 

Melissa  C.  Stansberry  was  born  March  27, 1843,  was  married 
to  I.  J.  Hardsock,  and  lives  in  Saybrook. 

Henry  M.  Stansberrv  was  born  June  7, 1846,  and  lives  at  the 
homestead  with  his  father. 

Isaac  Stansberry  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height, 
has  gray  hair  and  dark  eyes,  is  a  kind-hearted,  pleasant  man  and 
a  gentleman.  He  seems  to  have  succeeded  pretty  well  in  life, 
and  lives  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southwest  of  Cheney's  Grove. 


422  OLD    SETTLERS    OP 


DALE  TOWNSHIP. 

Robert  Harrington  Johnson. 

Robert  H.  Johnson  was  born  November  11, 1796,  in  Virginia. 
His  father  was  Francis  Johnson,  and  his  mother's  name  before 
her  marriage  was  Nancy  Harrington.  Francis  Johnson  was  born 
in  Ireland,  and  brought  to  America  when  he  was  four  years  of 
age.  Nancy  Harrington  was  partly  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  de- 
scent. When  Robert  Johnson  was  only  four  years  of  age  he 
was  taken  to  Jackson  County,  Tennessee,  where  he  lived  until 
he  was  twenty-six  or  seven  years  of  age.  There  he  followed 
farming  and  tanning  leather.  He  married  in  August,  1814, 
Bathsheba  Potter.  In  about  the  year  1822  or  '23  he  went  to 
Overton  County,  Tennessee,  where  he  lived  until  the  year  1828, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois.  He  came  on  his  journey  by  team  and 
arrived  at  Blooming  Grove  on  the  first  of  December.  He  had 
no  particular  adventure  except  that  his  daughter  Mathurza  fell 
from  a  horse  which  she  was  riding,  and  broke  her  thighbone, 
and  the  party  was  delayed  fifteen  days  in  consequence.  The 
party  arrived  at  Blooming  Grove  in  the  evening  of  December 
1,  when  everyone  for  miles  around  was  at  church.  As  the  party 
passed  the  church,  a  bell  on  one  of  the  colts  was  heard  by  the 
congregation,  and  it  was  known  that  another  family  had  arrived. 
The  addition  of  a  single  family  to  the  neighborhood  was  then  a 
great  event,  and  at  the  close  of  the  meeting  the  entire  congre- 
gation, which  was  not  large,  though  it  included  everyone  in  the 
country  for  a  great  many  miles  around,  came  to  see  the  Johnson 
family  and  give  them  a  welcome.  No  one  waited  for  an  intro- 
duction, but  each  shook  hands  cordially  and  said  :  "  How  are 
you,  Brother  Johnson  ?"  and,  "  How  are  you,  Sister  Johnson  ?" 

The  family  first  moved  to  Three  Mile  Grove,  now  called 
Harley's  Grove,  into  a  log  house  fourteen  feet  square,  with  a  few 
logs  extending  for  a  porch.  This  cabin  was  put  up  for  the 
Johnson  family  by  George  Hinshaw  some  months  before  their 
arrival.  It  happened  in  the  meantime  that  the  Funks  (Isaac 
and  Absalom)  had  driven  a  lot  of  pigs  to  this  grove  to  eat  the 
mast,  and  the  latter  had  taken  possession  of  the  unoccupied 
cabin.     Pigs  which  have  been  running  in  the  •  timber,  become 


m'lean  county.  423 

wild,  and  when  excited  or  aroused  are  more  dangerous  than  any 
other  wild  animal.  During  the  night  after  the  Johnson  family 
moved  into  their  cabin,  they  heard  their  dog  barking  and  fight- 
ing with  the  hogs.  The  cabin  had  no  door  to  it.  A  hole  had 
been  cut  out  for  entrance,  and  also  another  for  a  fire-place.  In 
the  latter  a  large  fire  was  burning,  and  some  green  sticks  were 
near  by.  Mr.  Johnson  jumped  up  and  grasped  a  long,  green 
stick  and  met  the  hogs,  about  seventy-five  in  number,  in  the 
door-way  as  they  were  attempting  to  come  in.  He  fought  them 
there  for  life,  while  Mrs.  Johnson  prevented  them  from  coming 
in  at  the  fire-place  by  throwing  fire  at  them.  Mr.  Johnson 
fought  until  he  was  exhausted  completely.  He  battered  their 
heads ;  he  struck  powerful  blows,  and  at  last  knocked  off  the 
snout  of  one  of  the  hogs,  which  ran  squealing  away  to  Funk's 
Grove,  followed  by  the  whole  drove.  But  Mr.  Johnson,  fearing 
the  return  of  the  brutes,  put  his  family  into  the  wagon  to  pro- 
tect them.  The  next  day  Isaac,  Absalom  and  Robert  Funk  came 
up  to  Harley's  Grove  to  whip  the.  band  of  villains,  who,  they 
thought,  had  been  knocking  out  the  eyes  and  breaking  the 
snouts  of  their  hogs;  but  when  they  learned  what  a  fight  Mr. 
Johnson  had  made  to  protect  his  family  from  being  eaten  up  by 
the  brutes,  they  left  in  a  different  humor. 

As  the  Johnson  family  was  the  first  to  settle  in  Harley's 
Grove,  the  wild  animals  were  taken  by  surprise.  A  day  or  two 
after  the  hogs  were  driven  off"  a  black  wolf  came  up  close  to  the 
door.  During  that  winter  Mr.  Johnson  killed  a  great  many 
deer  within  half  a  mile  of  the  house.  At  one  time  he  severely 
wounded  a  deer,  which  turned  on  him  and  knocked  him  down 
several  times;  but  it  was  so  badly  hurt  that  he  broke  away  and 
left  it  in  a  thicket  within  a  few  hundred  feet  of  the  house.  He 
went  in  for  ammunition,  and  told  the  children  to  stay  inside  and 
hold  the  door  shut.  But  when  he  started  for  the  thicket,  the 
children  disobeyed  orders  and  ran  out  and  climbed  the  fence, 
and  jumped  on  the  stumps  to  see  the  fun.  The  deer  sprang  up 
and  ran  towards  the  children,  but  the  dog  grabbed  it  by  the  ear 
and  Mr.  Johnson  shot  it  through  the  neck  and  it  fell  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  door.  During  the  spring  following,  Mr.  Johnson 
fenced  forty-five  acres  of  land  and  planted  nearly  all  of  it  in 
corn.     But  he  was  unable  to  enter  it  immediately  and  soon  after- 


424  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

wards  a  man  named  Jack  Hougham  entered  it  away  from  him 
and  gave  him  forty-five  dollars  for  his  improvement.  It  was  a 
custom  amonsr  the  old  settlers  never  to  enter  a  man's  claim  awav 
from  him ;  but  Mr.  Hougham  had  no  such  delicacy.  He  gave 
Mr.  Johnson  notice  of  his  intention  and  went  to  the  land  office 
and  took  up  the  land.  Mr.  Johnson  then  settled  on  the  south 
side  of  Twin  Grove,  improved  a  claim  and  entered  the  land,  and 
lived  there  until  1837,  when  he  was  killed  by  an  ox  which  he 
was  attempting  to  yoke  up  to  a  wagon.  This  was  on  the  twenty- 
first  of  February,  1837.  He  was  a  very  industrious  man,  and 
made  shoes  and  looms  in  the  winter,  and  worked  his  land  during 
the  summer.     He  tanned  leather  for  the  whole  country  around. 

Mr.  Johnson  had  ten  children,  two  of  whom  were  born  in 
the  West.     They  are  : 

Nancy  Johnson,  who  married  Moses  "Wooden  Brown,  and 
lives  at  White  Oak  Grove  in  Woodford  County. 

John  S.  W.  Johnson  lived  at  the  head  of  the  Mackinaw  and 
died  in  1865. 

Mathurza  Johnson,  now  the  wife  of  Jeremiah  Rhodes,  lives 
three  miles  from  Bloomington,  on  the  Leroy  road.  She  furnished 
the  items  for  this  sketch,  and  seemed  to  have  very  clear  ideas 
and  a  good  recollection. 

Jacob  H.  Johnson  lives  between  Brown's  Grove  and  Twin 
Grove. 

Thomas  P.  Johnson  lives  near  Osceola,  Clark  County,  Iowa. 

Benjamin  M.  Johnson  lives  about  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of 
Bloomington. 

Francis,  Lewis  S.,  and  James  B.  Johnson,  are  dead. 

Mary  Jane  Elizabeth  Johnson  married  John  Fowler,  and  lives 
in  Osage  Mission,  Kansas. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  about  six  feet  in  height,  was  possessed  of 
immense  strength,  but  was  very  good-natured,  kind-hearted  and 
religious.  He  never  wished  to  quarrel  with  anyone,  was  always 
on  good  terms  with  his  neighbors,  and  was  very  honorable  in  all 
of  his  transactions. 

William  Beeler,  Sr. 

William  Beeler  was  born  September  26,  1796,  in  Fayette 
County,  Kentucky.     His  father's  name  was  Samuel  Beeler  and 


m'lean  county.  425 

his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Mary  Graves.  His 
father  was  descended  from  the  Dutch  of  Virginia,  but  his 
mother  probably  came  from  English  stock.  The  father  of  Sam- 
uel Beeler,  who  was  the  grandfather  of  William  Beeler,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  saw  some  very  hard  ser- 
vice and  severe  campaigning.  He  sometimes  laid  on  brush 
heaps  at  night  to  keep  out  of  the  water.  Samuel  Beeler  moved 
to  Kentucky  at  an  early  day,  where  he  was  often  engaged  in  con- 
tests with  the  Indians.  He  was  a  great  hunter,  and  very  skillful 
in  the  use  of  the  rifle.  At  one  time,  while  the  settlers  were 
troubled  by  the  Indians,  Mr.  Beeler  went  with  three  other  men 
out  hunting  for  buffalo  and  deer,  which  were  both  very  plenty. 
Mr.  Beeler  killed  a  buffalo  and  afterwards  a  deer.  Two  other 
deer  ran  off,  but  came  back  unaccountably  in  fright,  and  were 
both  killed  by  the  hunter.  But  as  Mr.  Beeler  was  skinning  one 
of  the  deer  he  learned  what  had  frightened  them  back,  for  he 
heard  a  cracking  in  the  brush  and  looking  up  saw  a  man  com- 
ing; and  a  second  glance  showed  him  to  be  an  Indian.  Mr. 
Beeler  sprang  instantly  for  his  gun  and  ran,  and  was  pursued 
by  six  Indians  who  tired  at  him.  He  stubbed  his  toe  and  fell, 
and  they  set  up  a  whoop,  but  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  ran  for- 
ward, and  as  he  was  remarkably  fleet  he  distanced  them  all  ex- 
cept one,  which  he  turned  upon  and  shot.  He  then  had  some 
difficulty  in  finding  his  camp,  but  arrived  there  at  last,  and 
found  only  one  of  his  companions.  The  camp  was  moved  into 
a  sink-hole.  The  next  morning  the  remainder  of  the  party 
came  in,  and  all  returned  home.  The  Indians  killed  several 
families,  stole  several  horses  and  tried  to  get  away  with  the 
plunder,  but  were  pursued  and  killed,  and  the  horses  recap- 
tured. 

When  William  Beeler  was  ten  years  of  age  he  went  with  his 
father's  family  to  Butler  County,  Ohio,  and  there  they  lived 
while  the  war  of  1812  was  fought.  Samuel  Beeler  was  in  this 
war,  and  was  a  colonel  at  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe. 

William  Beeler  says  that  while  he  lived  in  Ohio  the  Indians 
were  to  the  whites  as  a  hundred   to  one.     They  were  a  kind  of 
people  who   were  much   influenced  by  the   pleasures  of  sense. 
They  were  always  drunk,  whenever  they  could  find  liquor.     Mr. 
Beeler  has  seen  a  hundred  drunken  Indians  with  only  two  or 


426  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

three  sober  ones  to  keep  them  quiet.  He  remembers  one  time 
particularly,  when  some  friends  came  to  see  his  father  from 
Kentucky,  they  all  made  a  visit  to  a  camp  of  about  a  hundred 
Indians.  The  latter  had  with  them  a  negro  whom  they  had 
raised,  and  he  was  the  only  sober  man  among  them.  They 
were  nearly  all  dead  drunk,  and  the  ground  was  covered  with 
their  stupid,  insensible  bodies.  One  Indian  was  sober  enough 
to  fight  with  his  squaw,  but  the  latter  whipped  the  savage  fine- 
ly. The  Indian's  feelings  were  much  injured  at  this,  so  he 
poured  a  bucket  of  water  on  his  head  to  make  him  a  little  sober, 
and  again  went  to  fighting  the  squaw,  and  succeeded  in  whip- 
ping her. 

When  William  Beeler  became  of  age  he  went  to  Keutucky, 
and  there  married  Mary  Hall.  He  lived  there  a  few  years  until 
the  death  of  his  wife,  and  then  moved  back  to  Ohio,  where  he 
lived  until  he  came  to  Illinois.  He  married,  October  14, 1824, 
Elizabeth  Sheeley.  He  came  to  Illinois,  to  what  is  now  Mc- 
Lean County,  in  the  fall  of  1830,  and  settled  in  the  southern 
edge  of  Twin  Grove,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since. 

Mr.  Beeler  suffered  a  great  deal  during  the  winter  of  the 
deep  snow.  When  the  first  heavy  fall  of  snow  came,  he  found 
his  pigs  all  huddled  together  in  a  pile  to  keep  warm,  but  the 
snow  had  melted  down  around  them,  and  Mr.  Beeler  found 
them  wet  and  shivering.  He  made  a  lot  of  shavings  from  a 
Linn  rail,  and  cut  hazel  brush,  and  in  this  his  pigs  made  a  bed 
and  kept  warm. 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war  the  settlers  were  all  liable  to 
take  panics  occasionally,  and  often  collected  together  in  houses 
for  fear,  but  no  disturbance  was  ever  made  by  the  Indians  in 
this  locality. 

Mr.  Beeler  has  had  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  living. 
They  are: 

William  Beeler,  who  lives  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of 
his  father's,  in  Dale  township. 

Mrs.  Mary  Stiger,  wife  of  William  Stiger,  lives  in  Covel. 

Mrs.  Harriet  Rockwell,  wife  of  Lorenzo  Rockwell,  lives  on 
the  south  side  of  Twin  Grove,  within  a  few  rods  of  her  father's 
house. 

Mrs.  Cynthiana  Elizabeth  Hinshaw,  wife  of  J.  U.  Hinshaw, 
is  now  dead. 


m'lean  county.  427 

Morgan  Washington  Beeler  grew  up  to  manhood,  but  is  now 
dead. 

Mr.  Beeler  is  rather  less  than  the  medium  height,  and 
though  too  old  to  work,  is  tough  and  hardy.  He  is  a  pleasant 
talking  old  gentleman,  and  is  considered  a  patriarch  at  Twin 
Grove;  for,  while  obtaining  items  for  this  work,  everybody 
seemed  anxious  that  a  fine  sketch  should  be  written  of  "  Uncle 
Billy  Beeler."  He  has  been  very  successful  and  leads  an  easy, 
comfortable  life. 

William  Beeler,  Jr. 

William  Beeler,  jr.  was  born  February  8,  1822,  in  Fayette 
County,  Kentucky  (probably).  When  he  was  only  a  year  or 
two  old  his  mother  (whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Hall)  died, 
and  his  father  moved  to  Ohio,  as  stated  in  the  foregoing  sketch. 
His  father  married  Elizabeth  Sheeley,  and  in  the  fall  of  1830 
the  family  came  to  Twin  Grove,  where  they  arrived  October  14. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  Mr.  Beeler,  sr.,  fed  three 
yoke  of  cattle,  which  he  brought  with  him  from  Ohio,  on  the 
boughs  of  trees.  The  cattle  became  so  accustomed  to  their  fare 
that  they  would  run  after  the  sound  of  an  ax  in  the  timber 
while  Mr.  Beeler  was  cutting  a  tree  for  them,  as  eagerly  as  they 
ever  hastened  to  a  feed  of  corn. 

The  Indians  were  not  plenty  when  Mr.  Beeler  came  to  the 
country.  He  remembers  some  who  came  to  his  father's  house, 
and  were  great  traders.  They  were  ready  to  swap  at  any  time, 
and  quick  to  see  when  they  obtained  the  best  end  of  the  bargain. 
The  settlers  exercised  their  ingenuity  in  making  clothing.  The 
best  clothing  was  made  of  buckskin,  and  a  good  pair  of  pants 
of  this  material  lasted  three  years.  The  buckskin  was  tanned 
by  soaking  it  in  weak  ley  or  lime-water  and  scraping  it  with  a 
knife  or  sharp-cornered  instrument.  This  took  off  the  hair  and 
the  grain.  The  grain  is  a  kind  of  coating  next  to  the  hair,  and 
must  be  worked  off  or  the  skin  can  never  be  made  soft.  After 
being  scraped,  the  skin  is  soaked  in  the  brain  of  a  deer  and 
washed  in  soapsuds,  and  may  be  colored  by  smoke. 

The  early  settlers  were  very  humorous,  and  loved  practical 
jokes.  One  favorite  joke  was  what  was  called  "sniping."  It 
was  played  by  persuading  some  one  that  snipes  could  be  driven 


428  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

into  a  sack,  and  the  victim  was  induced  to  hold  the  sack  by  the 
end  of  a  log  during  a  dark  night,  and  would  be  left  there  to  find 
out  the  sell  at  his  leisure.    It  would  hardly  seem  possible  that  an}-- 
one  could  be  hoaxed  by  such  a  simple  and  absurd  performance, 
but  some  of  the  smartest  and  sharpest  of  men  have  been  "taken 
in"  by  that  very  thing.     Mr.  Beeler  tells  of  the  manuer  in  which 
a  party   of  young  men    at  a   corn   husking  at   Mr.  Beeler,  sr's, 
"sniped"  a  young  stranger    who  had  been   working  for  Osborn 
Barnard.     While  the  boys  were    husking   corn  they  talked  of 
catching  snipe,  and  had   great   disputes    as  to    the  number  that 
had    been  caught  on  various  occasions.     The   stranger  was  in 
the  mean  time  growing  eager.     At  supper  time  they  discussed 
the  matter   again   and   proposed  to  go  sniping.     They  counted 
those  who  were  willing  to  go,  leaving  out  the  stranger,  and  said 
they  had  not  enough   men.     But  one  said  :     "Why,  here's  the 
stranger ;  he  can  go."     "No,"   said  another,  "he  doesn't  under- 
stand it."     "Well,"  said  the  first  speaker,  "if  he  can't  do  any- 
thing else,  he  can  hold  the  sack  !"    "Boys,"  said  old  Mr.  Beeler, 
"I  wish  you  would  catch  a  few  snipe,  for  I  feel  sick,  and  I  would 
like  some  first  rate."     The  stranger  was  not  only   willing,  but 
eager,  and  said  very  modestly,  that  he  would  do  whatever  they 
thought  best,  as  he  did  not   understand  "sniping."     After  dark 
they  placed  the    stranger  by  a  log  with  the  caution   that   the 
snipes  made  a  low  whistle,  and   when  he  heard  it  he  must  an- 
swer promptly.     They  left   him  standing  for  an  hour  or  more, 
when  William  Beeler  and  a   young  man  named  Dudley  Dore 
went  out  near  the  log  and  gave  a  low  whistle,  which  the  stranger 
promptly  answered.     Beeler  and  Dore  laughed  so  heartily  that 
they  could  not  pucker  up  their  lips  for  another  whistle.     They 
went  back  to  the  house  and  a  young  man  named  William  Stiger 
was  sent  out  to  bring  the  stranger  in  ;  but  the  stranger  declared 
that  he  heard  the   snipes  whistle,    and  he   wanted   to  stay   and 
catch  them.     It  required  all  of  Stiger's  ingenuity  to  bring  him 
to  the  house.     When  they  arrived   the  party  was  gone.     After 
waiting  some  time,  the  boys  came  in   one  after  another,  telling 
what  a  lot   of  snipes  they   had,  and  wanted   to  know  why  the 
stranger  had  not  remained  at  his  post.     The  poor  fellow  laid  the 
blame  on  William  Stiger  as  best  he  could.  He  told  the  Barnards 


♦ 


m'lean  county.  429 

a  few  days  afterwards   of  what   a   lot  of  snipe    he   might   have 
caught  if  "William  Stiger  had  not  interfered. 

The  settlers  hunted  and  trapped  a  great  deal.  A  trap  set 
for  turkeys  was  the  most  absurd  thing  imaginable.  It  was  sim- 
ply a  little  pen  with  a  hole  at  the  bottom  large  enough  for  a 
turkey  to  walk  in.  Corn  was  sprinkled  in  a  line  leading  through 
the  hole,  and  a  turkey  picking  up  the  corn  walked  through  the 
hole.     They  would  starve  to  death  before  finding  their  way  out. 

One  of  the  most  cunning  of  animals  is  the  wild  cat.  The 
settlers  around  Twin  Grove  once  hunted  a  wild  cat,  which  had 
stolen  a  piece  of  tallow.  They  had  four  inches  of  snow  in  which 
to  track  it,  and  they  followed  it  all  day  long.  The  cunning  animal 
would  go  back  on  its  track  and  cross  it  in  every  way  in  order  to 
lead  the  hunters  astray,  and  sometimes  it  would  walk  a  log  and 
spring  off  a  long  distance.  Towards  nightfall  the  hunters  came 
upon  two  tracks.  Old  William  Beeler  and  his  dog  followed  one 
and  the  remainder  followed  the  other.  Beeler  and  his  dog  soon 
treed  the  cat,  and  the  remainder  of  the  party  came  to  the  scene 
of  action  and  commenced  a  general  firing.  The  cat  jumped 
around  in  a  tree  top,  snapping  and  breaking  oft'  limbs.  At 
last  it  was  wounded  and  jumped  down  and  the  dogs  killed  it, 
after  a  Ions:  and  savage  fisrht.  The  cat  threw  itself  on  its  back 
and  fought  fearfully,  and  Mr.  Beeler  thinks  the  dogs  would 
never  have  killed  it  had  it  not  been  wounded. 

William  Beeler,  jr.,  married,  July  5,  1844,  Catherine  Layton. 
He  says  he  cradled  oats  in  the  forenoon  and  was  married  in  the 
afternoon.  Some  years  before  this,  when  young  Beeler  and  a 
friend  wished  to  go  out  on  a  squirrel  hunt,  old  Mr.  Layton 
wished  William  to  help  bind  oats,  and,  when  William  refused, 
the  old  gentleman  told  William  that  the  latter  could  never 
have  one  of  Mr.  Layton's  daughters  unless  he  gave  up  the  squir- 
rel hunt.  But  two  or  three  years  afterwards  William  Beeler 
succeeded  in  capturing  one  of  the  daughters.  His  wife  died 
April  8,  1862. 

On  the  11th  of  January,  1868,  he  married  Miss  Mary  A.  H. 
O'Neal,  a  daughter  of  Cary  O'Neal,  of  Benjaminville,  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends.  Mr.  Beeler  has  had  fourteen  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  married.  The  names  of  those  who  are 
married  are  : 


430  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mrs.  Harriet  Ann  Westmoreland,  wife  of  James  "Westmore- 
land, lives  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  her  father's  house. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Fry,  wife  of  Jepsy  Fry,  lives  three  miles 
west  of  her  father's,  at  Round's  Grove. 

Mrs.  Mary  Ellen  Banner,  wife  of  Joshua  Banner,  lives  about 
one  mile  north  of  Dry  Grove. 

John  David  Beeler  lives  in  Arrowsmith  township. 

Mrs.  Alferetta  Fry,  wife  of  Evander  Fry,  lives  about  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  west  of  her  father's. 

Mr.  Beeler  is  five  feet  and  eleven  and  one-half  inches  in 
height,  and  seems  strongly  made.  He  is  full  of  fun  and  humor. 
While  telling  a  joke  he  appears  very  dry  until  the  funny  part 
comes  in,  and  then  his  eyes  have  an  amusing  and  wicked  ex- 
pression. He  enjoys  a  practical  joke  perhaps  as  well  as  any  one 
in  McLean  County.  He  is  a  kind  father  to  his  family,  and 
has  succeeded  well  in  life. 

Jesse  Hill. 

Jesse  Hill  was  born  March  24,  1809,  on  Cherry  Run,  about 
five  miles  from  Lexington,  Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was 
James  Hill,  and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Polly  Cope.  His 
father  was  of  Irish  descent  and  his  mother  of  English.  James 
Hill,  the  father  of  Jesse,  lived  during  his  young  days  in  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  was  born.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  ran 
away  from  home  and  went  to  Kentucky,  where  Jesse  was  born. 
James  Hill  often  had  trouble  with  the  Indians.  At  one  time 
they  captured  a  young  woman  and  were  taking  her  away,  when 
James  Hill,  Daniel  Boone  and  others  went  after  the  savages  and 
re-captured  the  girl  before  the  redskins  could  cross  the  Ohio 
River  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  River.  James  Hill  was 
a  noted  man  for  fighting  Indians  and  building  mills.  He  was  a 
great  mechanical  genius.  He  made  a  great  many  long-waisted 
clock-cases,  and  carried  on  a  cabinet  shop.  He  built  a  mill  on 
Cherry  Run  and  another  on  Eagle  Creek ;  he  built  a  saw-mill, 
a  grist-mill,  a  still-house,  and  many  other  things.  His  ingenuity 
never  failed  him.  At  one  time  he  built  what  he  called  a  chain- 
mill.  He  found  a  little  spring  which  poured  its  water  over  a 
rock  and  down  a  fall  of  sixty  feet,  and  he  utilized  this  by  mak- 
ing a  chain  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  length  and  attaching 


m'lean  county.  431 

buckets  to  it,  one  to  every  other  link.  This  chain  ran  over  a 
cylinder,  and  as  the  little  stream  from  the  spring  flowed  out  it 
filled  the  buckets  with  water  and  pulled  down  one  side  of  the 
chain  which  turned  the  cylinder,  and  the  power  was  utilized  in 
driving  the  mill.  It  was  a  great  curiosity,  and  people  came  from 
all  over  the  country  to  see  it.  By  means  of  the  little  spring  he 
obtained  power  enough  to  cut  three  thousand  feet  of  hard  oak 
lumber  in  a  day. 

Jesse  Hill  was  a  young  child  at  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812, 
but  he  remembers  the  burning  of  tar  barrels  in  the  streets  to 
celebrate  the  victory  at  New  Orleans.  When  he  was  nine  years 
of  age  the  Hill  family  came  to  Madison,  Indiana,  and  then  moved 
to  the  celebrated  little  spring,  where  his  father  put  up  the  chain- 
mill.  When  Jesse  Hill  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  moved 
to  Twin  Grove,  Illinois,  where  he  arrived  October  9,  1830.  He 
lived  with  Colonel  Beeler  for  a  year  and  a  half  after  his  arrival. 
Colonel  Beeler  had  known  the  father  of  Jesse  in  Kentucky,  and 
the  two  gentlemen  had  once  traded  horses.  Mr.  Hill,  sr.,  gave 
the  Colonel  three  hundred  dollars  "  boot"  in  exchanging  horses, 
and  the  horse  which  Hill  received  died  a  day  or  two  afterwards. 
When  Jesse  Hill  came  to  Illinois  he  heard  the  Colonel  bragging 
about  this  horse  trade,  and  the  circumstance  made  them  ac- 
quainted, and  Hill  afterwards  made  matters  still  more  agreeable 
by  marrying  the  old  gentleman's  daughter. 

Mr.  Hill's  experience  with  the  deep  snow  was  in  gathering 
corn,  when  he  was  obliged  to  reach  down  into  the  snow  for  the  ears. 
He  was  obliged  to  go  every  other  day  for  corn.  During  that 
winter  old  Billy  McCord  had  some  pigs  in  the  brush  and  they 
came  out  every  day  for  their  feed,  making  a  deep  path  which 
had  walls  of  snow  on  each  side.  The  path  was  only  wide  enough 
for  one  pig  to  travel  at  a  time,  and  they  would  be  frequently 
frozen  while  standing  in  it.  During  this  year,  in  the  month  of 
March,  Peter  McCullough  and  Abram  Hays  went  to  Blooming- 
ton,  and  on  their  return  became  lost.  They  were  blinded,  as 
the  melting  snow  made  a  thick  fog,  and  they  could  see  only  a 
short  distance  in  any  direction.  McCullough  and  Hays  were 
utterly  bewildered  and  shouted  for  help.  Their  cries  were  heard 
and  the  neighbors  started  out  to  rescue  them,  but  horns  had  to 
be  blown  to  prevent  the  rescuers  themselves  from  becoming  lost. 


•132  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

During  the  spring  after  the  deep  snow  the  ground  was  so  flooded 
with  water  that  immense  logs  were  floated  off  from  the  edge  of 
Twin  Grove  to  the  prairie.  These  were  the  trunks  of  trees 
which  had  been  blown  down  by  a. hurricane  a  few  years  before. 

When  the  Black  Hawk  war  broke  out,  Jesse  Hill  enlisted 
for  the  purpose  of  going ;  but  the  horse  which  he  intended  to 
ride  persisted  in  lying  down  in  every  creek  he  came  to,  and  the 
rider  was  wet  so  often  that  he  took  the  fever  and  ague  and  gave 
up  his  hopes  of  martial  glory  and  missed  the  chance  of  immor- 
tality at  Stillman's  Run. 

Mr.  Hill  speaks  particularly  of  the  sudden  change  in  the 
weather,  which  took  place  in  December,  1836,  and  says  that 
many  chickens  were  frozen  fast  in  the  ice. 

Mr.  Hill  has  never  been  much  of  a  hunter,  but  has  occasion- 
ally chased  wolves.  He  was  once  with  a  party  of  hunters  after 
a  wild-cat,  when  they  unexpectedly  started  a  wolf  and  all  took 
after  it.  Mr.  Hill  was  mounted  on  a  race-horse  and  frequently 
ran  around  the  wolf,  but  had  nothing  to  strike  it  or  hold  it  until 
the  dogs  could  come  up.  At  last  it  ran  into  a  slough  with  Mr. 
Hill  close  behind.  When  the  horse  struck  the  slough  it  went 
down,  and  Mr.  Hill  was  thrown  over  its  head  on  the  wolf.  He 
grabbed  the  brute  with  both  hands  and  pressed  down  its  hind 
quarters,  but  the  mittens  on  his  hands  prevented  him  from  get- 
ting a  good  hold,  and  the  wolf  tore  away.  Mat  Harbert  hal- 
looed, "  hold  him,  Jess,"  but  it  was  impossible  to  do  it. 

Mr.  Hill  has  had  some  experience  with  fires  on  the  prairie, 
and  says  that  the  most  exciting  part  to  him  is  the  sight  of  a 
prairie  fire  and  a  back  fire  coming  together,  with  frightened 
wolves  and  deer  between  them  trying  to  get  away. 

For  three  years  of  his  life  Mr.  Hill  followed  the  business  of 
well  digging,  and  has  had  some  interesting  experience  in  this 
line.  Once,  while  digging  a  well  in  Bloomington,  on  a  lot  be- 
longing to  a  certain  Mr.  Thompson,  Mr.  Hill  struck,  far  below 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  a  walnut  log.  He  cut  it  in  two  with 
an  axe,  and  it  seemed  solid,  but  when  brought  to  the  surface  it 
crumbled  away.  .While  digging  a  well  down  on  Kickapoo  for  a 
certain  Mr.  Marsh,  Mr.  Hill  came  upon  a  burnt  brush-heap 
which  was  thirteen  feet  deep  in  blue  clay.  The  ashes,  coals  and 
brands  were  plain  to  be  seen.     Mr.  Hill  has  had  some  experi- 


m'lean  county.  483 

ence  with  "  the  damps,"  and  says  that  they  may  be  found  in  all 
wells,  even  those  which  are  very  shallow.  He  once  went  into  a 
well,  only  twelve  feet  deep,  belonging  to  James  Tolliver  of 
Bloomington,  but  had  to  be  pulled  out  immediately,  and  was  so 
far  gone  that  he  did  not  recover  from  the  effects  of  it  until  the 
following  day.  "  The  damps"  were  cleared  out  by  building  a 
large  fire  of  straw.  "  The  damps"  are  not  occasioned  by  damp- 
ness. Mr.  Hill  dug  a  well  thirty  feet  deep  for  John  Hay  of 
Dry  Grove,  and  the  ground  was  so  dry  that  it  was  fairly  dusty, 
but  the  damps  began  to  affect  it  and  he  stopped  work.  William 
Brown  went  down  to  dig,  but  was  so  affected  that  he  had  to  be 
hauled  up,  and  when  near  the  top  became  so  weak  that  he  fell 
and  was  drawn  out  with  a  hook. 

Mr.  Hill  has  been  married  three  times.  He  married,  August 
17,  1831,  Miss  Nancy  Beeler,  daughter  of  old  Colonel  Beeler. 
His  second  marriage  was  in  1840,  to  Miss  Phebe  Munsell.  His 
last  marriage  was  in  1861,  to  Miss  Matilda  Hancock.  His  do- 
mestic life  has  always  been  pleasant.  He  has  had  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  ten  are  living,  and  has  raised  five  children  not 
his  own.     He  has  five  children  who  are  married.     They  are  : 

John  Wesley  Hill,  who  lives  a  mile  south  of  his  father's 
house. 

Mrs.  Jane  Morgan,  wife  of  Samuel  Morgan,  lives  one-half 
mile  west  of  her  father's. 

Mrs.  Martha  Elizabeth  Sackett,  wife  of  Sabina  Sackett,  lives 
a  little  north  of  Cheney's  Grove. 

Mrs.  Nancy  Ann  Sogers,  wife  of  James  Rogers,  lives  at 
Stringtown,  in  Dale  township. 

Mrs.  Polly  Margaret  Philhower,  wife  of  Jacob  Philhower, 
lives  in  the  village  of  Noble,  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
in  Southern  Illinois. 

Mr.  Hill  has  two  sons,  Zerah  Munsell  Hill  and  James  Thomas 
Hill,  who  are  killing  buffalo  in  Southwestern  Colorado,  and  have 
claims  in  Kansas,  which  they  work  during  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer. One  of  his  sons  wished  to  send  a  carload  of  buffalo  meat 
to  Bloomington  to  be  sold,  but  it  was  considered  too  hazardous 
a  speculation.  He  killed  a  hundred  and  fifty  buffalo  in  one 
month. 

Mr.  Hill  is  about  five  feet  and  six  inches  in  height.     He  is 
28 


434  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

lively,  good-natured  and  talkative,  and  seems  to  know  a  good 
deal  and  can  tell  what  he  knows.  He  is  active  and  hearty,  and 
his  appearance  is  youthful.  Age  makes  little  impression  on 
him,  except  to  bring  the  use  of  spectacles.  He  is  humorous, 
and  the  joke  he  tells  is  usually  a  good  one.  He  appreciates  to 
the  utmost  anything  witty  or  funny.  His  imagination  is  lively, 
which  makes  his  conversation  and  his  ideas  noticeable.  He  has 
acquired  a  fair  competence  by  his  industry  and  enjoys  this  world 
immensely. 

Abram  Enlow. 

Abram  Enlow  was  born  January  21,  1809,  in  Christian 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  Abraham  Enlow, 
and  his  mother's  before  her  marriage  was  Jemina  Johnson.  His 
father  was  partly  of  Dutch  descent,  and  his  mother  was  partly 
of  Irish.  Abraham  Enlow  died  when  Abram  was  quite  young. 
The  latter  received  only  two  years  schooling  in  his  youth.  Sick- 
ness and  hard  work  prevented  him  from  attending  more. 

The  clothing  in  those  days  was  often  a  curiosity.  Nothing 
was  considered  more  elegant  than  buckskin,  and  Abram  Enlow 
remembers  how  his  brother  John  appeared  on  one  occasion,  as 
he  came  out  in  a  new  suit  of  buckskin,  dyed  green. 

In  1835  Abram  Enlow  came  to  McLean  County  with  his 
brother  John.  Abrarn's  first  experience  was  not  pleasant,  as  the 
winter  of  1835  and  '36  was  very  severe.  He  admired  the  fine 
prairies,  which  did,  indeed,  gladden  the  eye  of  a  farmer,  who 
had  been  used  to  grubbing  stumps  in  Kentucky;  but  the  severe 
winter  made  him  return  to  Kentucky,  which  he  did  in  1836. 
But  after  two  years  more  among  the  stumps  of  Kentucky,  he 
turned  back  once  more  to  Illinois.  He  married,  September  27, 
1838,  Louisa  Harry.  On  the  first  of  October,  three  days  after 
his  marriage,  he  started  for  McLean  County,  Illinois.  His  jour- 
ney was  a  very  pleasant  one,  though  the  season  was  dry,  and  it 
was  sometimes  difficult  to  obtain  water.  He  camped  out  every 
night.  The  streams  had  no  bridges,  but  during  that  season 
none  were  needed,  as  the  creeks  were  nearly  all  dry. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Enlow's  arrival  he  went  to  the  land  office  at 
Danville,  and  entered  eighty  acres  of  prairie,  and  bought  five 
acres  of  timber  to  fence  his  land.  Pie  lived  at  his  brother  John's 


m'lean  county.  435 

house  and  rented  land  during  the  first  year.  During  the  follow- 
ing year  he  began  fencing  and  breaking  ground,  and  in  March 
he  moved  on  his  own  place.  It  was  a  remarkably  early  season, 
for  by  the  middle  of  March  the  cattle  went  out  on  the  prairie 
for  feed.  Game  was  plenty.  The  little  prairie  wolves  could  be 
seen  in  the  morning  playing  around  after  they  had  killed  his 
sheep  the  night  before.  The  wolves  frequently  collected  to- 
gether in  packs,  and  often  came  in  the  night  up  close  to  Mr. 
Enlow's  door.  Mr.  Enlow  was  on  one  of  the  "ring"  hunts, 
which  were  so  popular  among  the  settlers.  The  pole  was  put 
up  at  Normal,  and  they  hunted  towards  it,  killed  many  deer  and 
wolves,  had  a  social  chat  and  went  home.  One  deer,  which  was 
killed,  was  tied  to  a  pony's  tail  and  dragged  in  to  the  pole. 

Mr.  Enlow  settled  in  the  West  at  an  unfortunate  time,  when 
business  was  prostrate  and  grain  commanded  a  very  low  price. 
He  could  sell  his  corn  and  oats  in  Bloomington  for  ten  cents  per 
bushel  and  take  his  pay  in  store  goods,  and  he  could  take  his 
wheat  to  Pekin  and  ^et  for  it  only  thirty-five  cents  per  bushel. 
When  he  came  to  Illinois  he  had  only  enough  money  to  enter 
his  eighty  acres  of  land,  buy  his  five  acres  of  timber,  and  pur- 
chase a  few  housekeeping  utensils  and  a  stock  of  provisions. 
When  his  stock  of  provisions  was  exhausted  it  seemed  for  a 
while  a  desperate  matter  to  live.  He  first  obtained  three  dollars 
a  hundred  for  his  pork,  but  afterwards  a  dollar  and  a  half;  and 
prices  reached  such  au  extremely  low  figure  that  the  neighbors 
all  clubbed  together  and  sent  their  pork  to  Chicago ;  but  then 
they  obtained  less  than  a  dollar  per  hundred.  Mr.  Enlow  sent 
four  hogs  weighing  each  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  with  the 
drove  to  Chicago,  and  received  eight  dollars,  which  was  just 
eighty  cents  per  hundred  weight.  It  was  not  until  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  came  that  produce  began  to  rise  and  farmers 
commenced  making  money.  Mr.  Enlow  sold  his  eighty  acres 
of  entered  land  for  seventy-five  dollars  an  acre.  The  timber 
land,  which  he  first  bought,  is  now  covered  with  a  second  growth 
of  fine  trees. 

Mr.  Enlow  has  had  four  children,  but  only  one  son  and  one 
daughter  grew  up  to  manhood  and  womanhood.     They  are  : 

Samuel  T.  Enlow  lives  a  few  rods  from  his  father's  house. 


436  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

Mrs.  Mary  Elizabeth  Myers,  wife  of  George  Myers,  lives 
about  two  miles  southwest  of  her  father's. 

Mr.  Enlow  is  six  feet  and  one  inch  in  height,  is  very  muscu- 
lar and  works  hard.  He  has  a  sanguine  complexion,  rather  a 
bald  head  and  large,  honest  eyes.  He  is  a  very  pleasant  man  to 
talk  to,  and  takes  an  interest  in  the  early  settlement  of  the 
country,  Mrs.  Enlow  is  a  very  pleasing  and  intelligent  lady. 
Shrewd  observers  say  that  the  success  of  many  men  is  due  to 
the  influence  of  their  wives,  and  it  is  very  probable  that  the  in- 
fluence of  Mrs.  Enlow  has  contributed  very  materially  to  her 
husband's  success  in  life.  Mr.  Enlow  lives  in  the  southern  edge 
of  Twin  Grove  in  Dale  township,  is  very  comfortably  situated, 
and  bids  fair  to  enjoy  a  long  and  happy  life. 

Richard  Rowell. 

Richard  Rowell  was  born  May  20,  1814,  in  the  town  of  Lit- 
tleton, Grafton  County,  New  Hampshire.  His  father's  name 
was  Jonathan  Rowell,  and  his  mother's  name  before  her  marri- 
age was  Sarah  Hoskin.  Both  were  of  Puritan  stock.  The 
grandfather  of  Richard  was  Daniel  Rowell,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution.  This  gentleman  was  in  the  series  of  battles,  which 
terminated  in  the  surrender  of  General  Burgoyne.  Richard 
Rowell  lived  until  the  age  of  twenty-two  among  the  rocks  of 
Grafton  County,  within  sight  of  Mt.  Washington.  But  not- 
withstanding the  sterility  of  the  country  the  schools  were  excel- 
lent, and  Richard  received  a  good  common  education.  In 
addition  to  this,  he  attended  a  grammar  school  at  Concord, 
Vermont.     At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  taught  school  in  Vermont. 

In  May,  1836,  he  started  for  the  Vest,  being  anxious  at  first 
to  find  a  place  for  teaching  school.  He  had  no  friends  or  ac- 
quaintances in  the  "West,  and  was  obliged  to  make  his  way 
alone.  He  went  by  stage  from  Littleton  to  Saratoga.  From 
the  latter  place  he  rode  to  Schenectady  on  a  railroad,  in  cars 
drawn  by  horses,  and  thence  to  Buffalo  by  canal.  Here  he  took 
a  steamer  to  Detroit.  From  that  place  he  shipped  his  trunk  to 
Chicago  by  schooner,  and  traveled  on  foot  through  what  was 
then  the  territory  of  Michigan.  His  route  was  very  nearly  that 
which  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  now  takes.  He  passed 
through   Ann   Arbor,    which  was    then  a   respectable  village, 


m'lean  county.  437 

though  the  great  University  had  not  been  thought  of.  He 
crossed  the  lake  in  a  steamboat  from  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph 
River  to  Chicago.  After  spending  two  weeks  in  looking  at  the 
country  he  commenced  work  in  Chicago  as  a  carpenter.  The 
Indians  of  Northern  Illinois,  principally  Pottawatomies,  were 
then  receiving  their  last  annuity,  and  they  were  thick.  About 
two  thousand  were  collected  in  the  city,  but  they  soon  left  and 
never  returned.  During  the  latter  part  of  October  he  went  to 
the  present  site  of  La  Salle  by  stage.  The  stage  was  a  wagon, 
which  the  passengers  were  often  obliged  to  lift  out  of  the  mud. 
He  stepped  from  the  stage  on  the  steamboat  Frontier.  He  saw 
no  houses  where  La  Salle  now  stands,  though  a  few  might  have 
been  concealed  by  the  bank  of  the  river.  His  berth  on  the 
steamboat  was  a  bed  of  slats  and  nothing  else.  He  came  to 
Peoria  and  there  found  the  prospect  for  school-teaching  poor. 
So  he  left  his  trunk,  picked  up  his  valise,  and  crossed  the  Illi- 
nois River.  He  stayed  for  one  night  with  the  widow  of  Jacob 
Funk,  and  of  her  learned  of  Funk's  Grove.  He  traveled  on 
with  the  intention  of  reaching  that  place.  But  when  he  arrived 
at  Stout's  Grove,  he  found  an  opportunity  to  teach  school.  He 
began  about  the  first  of  November,  and  continued  his  first  term 
until  the  following  April.  The  raising  of  the  first  store  build- 
ing jn  Danvers  (then  Concord)  was  a  great  event,  and  Mr.  Row- 
ell  dismissed  his  school  for  three  days  to  assist  in  the  proceed- 
ings. The  building  still  stands  south  of  Ewins'  mill.  Mr. 
Rowell  taught  school  during  that  summer  and  the  following 
winter.  In  the  spring  of  1838,  he  and  his  brother,  B.  F.  Rowell, 
who  had  come  during  the  fall  previous,  commenced  farming  on 
the  head  branch  of  Rock  Creek,  out  on  the  prairie,  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  timber.  It  was  thought  that  these  daring  men  would 
freeze  to  death  out  there,  and  they  went  by  the  name  of  "  the 
fool  Yankees."  The}^  lived  until  1848  with  unentered  land  on 
both  sides  of  them.  On  one  side  of  them  the  land  was  not 
entered  until  1850.  In  the  winter  of  1853,  Mr.  Rowell  sold  out 
his  interest  in  the  farm  and  took  a  trip  to  Iowa.  He  had  a 
pleasant  journey,  camped  out  and  enjoyed  himself  very  much; 
but  in  his  careful  observations  he  saw  no  land  equal  to  that  in 
McLean  County.     He  returned  and  bought  the  premises  of  Mr. 


438 


OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


Samuel  Barker  of  Twin  Grove,  and  has  lived  on  this  place  until 
the  present  time  in  the  township  of  Dale. 

Mr.  Rowell  married  Nancy  Barnard,  December  15,  1853. 
He  has  had  three  children,  of  whom  two  are  living.  They  are, 
Lois  and  Emma,  and  both  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Rowell  is  full  six  feet  in  height  and  weighs  about  one 
hundred  and  eighty  pounds.  His  form  indicates  activity  and 
strength.  His  head  is  large  and  well  shaped,  and  is  a  little  bald. 
His  eyes  are  dark,  bright  and  expressive.  His  mind  seems  to 
have  a  practical  turn,  and  he  has  what  phrenologists  call  con- 
tinuity, that  is,  he  is  disposed  to  finish  what  he  has  in  hand,  and 
his  mind  is  not  easily  driven  from  the  work.  His  practical  turn 
of  mind  and  his  clear  perceptions,  make  his  judgment  more  than 
usually  correct  concerning  all  of  the  material  affairs  of  life.  He 
is  polite  and  obliging  in  his  manner.  He  has  been  supervisor 
for  about  nine  years,  was  one  of  the  commissioners  of  the  build- 
ing of  the  present  court-house,  and  possesses  in  a  very  great  de- 
gree the  confidence  of  his  neighbors. 

DANVERS  TOWNSHIP. 

Ebenezer  Briggs  Mitchel. 

Ebenezer  B.  Mitchel  was  born  August  17,  1813,  in  Morgan- 
field,  Union  County,  Kentucky.  His  father  was  Rev.  Peyton 
Mitchel,  and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Briggs. 
They  were  both  of  purely  Scotch  descent,  but  of  the  third  gene- 
ration, since  their  ancestors  came  from  Scotland.  Rev.  Peyton 
Mitchel  was  a  minister  in  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  devoted  his  time  to  the  ministrj'  and  was  a  very  effective 
preacher.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  enlisted  in  the  army  and 
was  elected  captain  of  a  company,  but  was  never  called  into 
active  service. 

In  December,  1818,  the  family  of  Rev.  Mr.  Mitchel  moved 
to  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  on  Fancy  Creek,  about  eight  miles 
north  of  Springfield.  They  traveled  in  a  wagon  drawn  by  four 
ziorses.  At  one  time  the  horses  started  to  run  and  seemed  to  be 
unmanageable,  when  Mrs.  Mitchel,  who  was  a  woman  of  remark- 
able resolution,  ran  forward,  grasped  the  bridle  of  one  of  the 


m'lean  county.  439 

lead  horses  and  assisted  in  stopping  them.  On  the  way  they  met 
old  Billy  Hodge,  who  had  come  to  the  country  and  was  return- 
ing eastward.  The  Indians  were  then  numerous  and  occasion- 
ally troublesome.  They  were  the  Kickapoos,  Pottawatomies, 
Delawares  and  others.  At  one  time  a  band  of  Indians  went  to 
Springfield  and  became  intoxicated,  and  on  their  return  attempt- 
ed to  go  into  Mitchel's  house,  when  he  was  absent ;  but  Mrs. 
Mitchel  barred  the  door,  and  the  dogs  outside  fought  them.  Mrs. 
Mitchel  told  the  savages  that  her  husband  was  sick,  and  insisted 
that  they  should  leave ;  but  they  hung  around  until  nearly 
morning,  banging  against  the  door,  yelling,  whooping  and 
lighting. 

The  country  there  was  very  unhealthy  and  everyone  suffered 
from  bilious  complaints.  On  the  third  of  March,  1825,  the 
family  came  to  Stout's  Grove,  in  what  was  then  Fayette  County, 
but  now  is  McLean.  There  they  found  only  two  families,  those 
of  the  two  Ephraim  Stout's,  father  and  son.  The  Indians  were 
plenty  and  were  always  anxious  to  trade.  They  came  sometimes 
singly,  sometimes  in  small  parties,  and  sometimes  in  great  num- 
bers. They  would  trade  anything  they  had,  except  their  labor ; 
no  inducement  was  great  enough  to  make  them  work.  Mr. 
Mitchel  tried  them  again  and  again,  and  was  particularly  anxious 
to  have  them  husk  corn ;  but  they  would  husk  half  a  dozen  ears 
and  stop.  They  had  queer  ideas  of  value,  and  would  give  more 
for  a  rooster's  feather  than  for  anything  else,  and  would  put  it 
in  their  hair  and  be  perfectly  delighted.  Their  dress  usually 
consisted  of  leggins,  moccasins  and  a  blanket,  while  their  ears 
and  noses  were  ornamented  with  rings.  They  had  high  cheek 
bones,  and  their  skin  was  the  color  of  tanned  leather,  or  per- 
haps of  copper,  but  not  so  red.  Their  feet  were  large  and  flat ; 
their  legs  and  arms  were  small,  but  wiry,  showing  the  Indians 
to  be  good  for  walking,  but  not  worth  much  for  work. 

Rev.  Peyton  Mitchel  was  active  in  the  ministry  and  did  good 
work.  He  preached  the  first  sermon  in  Funk's  Grove,  and 
wherever  he  could  find  an  opportunity  he  engaged  in  the  work 
of  the  great  Master.  Churches  were  soon  organized  and  school- 
houses  were  built,  and  Ebenezer  Mitchel  thinks  the  society  at 
that  time  was  much  more  reliable  than  it  is  at  present.  He 
thinks  the  promise  of  an  old  settler  was  much  better  than  most 
people's  bonds. 


440  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

The  deep  snow  fell  in  1830  and  '31.  Mr.  Mitchel  took  re- 
peated measurements  of  its  depth  in  the  timber,  where  it  had 
not  drifted,  and  it  there  averaged  forty  inches.  A  crust  on  it 
was  soon  formed,  and  the  wolves  ran  over  it;  but  the  sharp 
footed  deer  broke  through. 

When  the  heavy  fall  of  snow  came,  a  certain  Mr.  Barnes,  an 
old  sea-faring  captain,  was  caught  at  Mr.  Mitchel's  house,  and 
in  order  to  go  to  his  home  in  Mosquito  Grove,  the  former  was 
obliged  to  make  some  snow-shoes.  They  were  made  of  bows 
shaped  like  ox-bows,  and  were  covered  with  light,  strong  splints 
made  of  wood  or  bark.  When  they  were  worn  they  were  fast- 
ened to  the  toe  of  the  foot  by  a  kind  ot  slipper,  but  not  fastened 
at  the  heel.  When  the  toe  was  inserted  in  the  slipper,  some 
straps  passed  back,  crossed  the  foot  on  the  instep,  and  were  tied 
behind  the  heel.  This  prevented  the  toe  from  being  withdrawn 
and  left  the  heel  free.  While  walking,  the  feet  were  held  wide 
apart,  and  the  shoes  were  dragged  along  over  the  surface.  If 
the  snow  was  fresh,  they  were  usually  pressed  down  a  little,  but 
bore  a  man's  weight  pretty  well.  During  that  winter  the  Mitchel 
family  were  pretty  well  provided  with  corn,  but  soon  ran  out  of 
meal.  Ebenezer  chopped  a  hole  in  a  log  as  deep  as  he  could  cut, 
then  with  fire  burnt  it  still  deeper,  then  cut  off  the  section  con- 
taining the  hole  and  brought  it  in  the  house  and  used  it  as  a 
mortar.  He  then  cut  a  thick  stick  about  three  feet  long,  worked 
one  end  small  for  a  handle,  slipped  over  it  an  iron  ring,  which 
was  pressed  clear  to  the  other  end,  which  was  left  large  enough 
to  prevent  the  ring  from  being  slipped  off.  Into  the  larger  end 
a  heavy  iron  wedge  was  driven,  and  with  this  as  a  pestle,  the 
corn  was  pounded  in  the  burnt  mortar.  After  along  pounding, 
the  corn  was  sifted  and  the  fine  was  used  for  meal,  while  the 
coarse  was  boiled  for  hominy. 

When  the  land  came  in  market,  the  settlers  were  usually 
careful  not  to  enter  each  other's  claims,  and  used  all  means  to 
protect  each  other ;  but  sometimes  they  differed  as  to  the  own- 
ership of  a  claim,  and  their  differences  were  aggravated  by  the 
uncertainty  of  the  law,  which  allowed  what  was  called  "  floating" 
claims.  A  settler  could  enter  a  quarter  section  of  land  and 
locate  it  anywhere  within  the  section,  that  is,  he  could  "  float 
down"  on  any  quarter  section  not  previously  entered.     Some- 


m'lean  county.  441 

times  he  would  accidentally  or  otherwise  "  float  down"  on  some 
one's  claim,  and  then  would  follow  a  land  contest.  But  these 
contests  resulted  more  from  the  uncertain  law  than  from  any 
quarrelsome  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  settlers.  They  were 
fair-minded  men,  and  these  land  contests  afforded  them  no 
pleasure. 

Ebenezer  Mitchel  was  no  hunter,  but  he  occasionally  went 
after  deer  and  wolves,  which  he  chased  on  horseback  with  dogs. 
But  on  one  occasion  he  found  some  wolves  a  little  too  strong  for 
him.  He  started  a  large  timber  or  gray  wolf  and  chased  it  for 
some  distance  on  horseback,  when  it  was  joined  by  four  or  five 
others,  and  then  they  refused  to  run,  but  stood  their  ground  and 
drove  back  MitchePs  dog.  They  showed  their  teeth  and  were 
ready  for  fight,  and  Mr.  Mitchel  went  back  for  his  gun,  but  on 
his  return  the  wolves  were  not  to  be  found.  But  as  a  usual 
thing  the  danger  of  chasing  wolves  did  not  arise  from  the  fero- 
cious nature  of  the  animal,  for  it  belongs  to  one  of  the  most 
cowardly  species,  and  is  very  easily  killed.  A  skillful  blow  with 
a  club  is  usually  sufficient  to  do  the  work.  But  riding  over  the 
prairie  at  a  breakneck  pace  has  dangers  sometimes  not  thought 
of.  While  Ebenezer  Mitchel  and  his  brother  were  once  chasing 
a  wolf,  the  horse,  which  the  former  rode,  plunged  into  a  slough 
and  fell,  while  its  rider  was  thrown  twenty  feet  ahead.  He  rose 
and  told  his  brother  to  go  on,  "  he'd  be  up  in  a  minute."  But 
Ebenezer  was  not  up  in  a  minute.  His  horse's  head  was  jammed 
under  its  body,  and  by  the  time  it  was  loosened,  his  brother  and 
the  wolf  had  vanished.  The  cowardice  and  fear  displayed  by  a 
wolf  is  sometimes  most  abject  and  mean.  When  it  is  run  down 
it  crouches  on  the  ground  and  quietly  receives  the  blow,  which 
kills  it.  Mr.  Mitchel  remembers  one  wolf,  which  ran  its  nose 
into  a  hole  and  was  killed  in  that  position.    . 

Mr.  Mitchel  has  occasional^  hunted  deer  and  had  some  lively 
sport  and  some  strange  adventures.  At  one  time  he  killed  a 
deer  after  a  somewhat  exciting  chase,  and  went  home  for  help 
to  bring  it  in.  He  and  his  brother,  after  some  discussion,  de- 
cided to  carry  it  on  an  ox.  They  went  out  for  the  deer  and 
placed  it  on  the  ox,  and  Mr.  Mitchel  rode  the  animal  to  steady 
the  load,  while  his  brother  led  the  way.  When  they  had  gone 
about  half-way  home,  the  ox  commenced  bouncing,  and  raised 


442  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

its  load  high  in  the  air,  and  both  man  and  deer  came  down 
together.  Mr.  Mitchel's  ankle  was  much  hurt,  and  did  not  be- 
come well  for  three  months. 

The  fires  on  the  prairie  were  a  great  annoyance  to  the  early 
settlers,  but  they  were  grand  sights.  They  lit  up  the  heavens 
and  made  everything  as  light  as  day  for  many  miles  around. 
The  grass  was  long  on  low  ground,  and,  as  the  fire  passed  over 
it,  the  blaze  rolled  up  magnificently.  These  fires  often  did  great 
damage,  and  Air.  Mitchel  sometimes  lost  his  stacks  and  rail 
fences  by  them. 

The  sudden  change  in  the  weather  of  December,  1836,  so 
often  described  in  this  volume,  caught  Mr.  Mitchel  about  half  a 
mile  from  home,  and  when  he  returned  everything  was  crack- 
ing ;  the  water  and  slush  were  turned  to  ice.  The  intense  cold 
drove  his  stock  nearly  crazy;  the  chickens  curled  up  and  fell 
from  their  roosts,  and  everything  was  in  confusion  ;  but  by  care 
and  great  exertions  nearly  all  was  put  under  shelter  and  saved. 

The  country  in  early  days  wras  sometimes  troubled  with 
horse-thieves.  They  were  thought  to  have  a  family  in  Mosquito 
Grove,  who  sympathized  with  them.  This  was  the  Reddon 
family,  consisting  of  old  man  Reddon  and  his  two  sons,  Jack 
and  Harrison.  At  one  time,  when  some  horses  were  missing, 
Isaac  Funk,  Robert  Stubblefield  and  some  others  came  to  Mr. 
Mitchel's  house  and  asked  him  to  go  with  them  to  the  Reddons. 
He  did  so,  and  they  all  arrived  there  in  the  night  while  it  was 
raining.  The  Reddons  were  waked  up  and  the  old  man  Reddon 
came  .rushing  to  the  door  saying :  "Who  are  you,  horse-thieves  ?" 
They  said  they  were  after  horse-thieves,  and  told  the  Reddons 
that  their  house  must  be  searched.  After  some  parley  it  was 
done,  but  nothing  was  found.  But  suspicion  of  the  Reddons 
became  so  near  a  certainty  that  it  was  decided  to  drive  them  off, 
and  the  Fourth  of  July  was  appointed  as  the  day  for  a  grand 
ring  hunt,  with  the  understanding  among  nearly  all,  that  the 
Reddons  should  be  the  game.  They  went  with  their  rifles  and 
gave  the  Reddons  notice  that  they  must  leave  the  country,  and 
they  went.  Before  this  time  a  horse  had  been  stolen,  and  the 
thieves  were  pressed  very  closely,  and  Robert  Stubblefield  with 
a  one-eyed  horse  succeeded  in  catching  up  with  them,  aud  found 
Jack  Reddon  riding  the  stolen  animal.     Mr.  Stubblefield  had 


m'lean  county.  443 

neither  pistol  nor  club  to  stop  the  thieves,  and  after  riding  a 
short  time  with  them,  and  making  great  exertions  to  stop  them, 
while  all  parties  were  going  at  rapid  speed,  he  was  obliged  to 
fall  back,  and  Jack  Reddon  escaped.  After  the  Reddon  family 
was  broken  up,  the  neighborhood  had  peace. 

Ebenezer  Mitchel  married,  May  26,  1836,  at  twelve  o'clock, 
M.,  Rachel  Vance.  The}-  have  had  seven  children,  of  whom 
three  are  living.     They  are: 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Christian,  wife  of  Matthew  Christian,  lives  in 
Springfield. 

Mrs.  Emma  Price,  wife  of  Edward  L.  Price,  lives  near  her 
father's. 

Ebenezer  Mitchel,  jr.,  lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Mitchel  is  of  rather  less  than  the  ordinary  stature,  but 
he  seems  to  be  a  very  active,  wide-awake  man,  with  a  great  deal 
of  energy  and  good  muscle.  He  is  a  man,  who  is  straight-for- 
ward himself,  and  admires  honesty  and  fair  dealing  in  others. 
This  is  one  cause  of  the  great  interest  he  takes  in  the  doings  of 
the  early  settlers.  He  found  that  their  word  could  be  depended 
on,  and  that  they  would  make  great  exertions  to  fulfil  their 
agreements.  He  says  that  the  associations  of  McLean  County 
and  the  many  incidents  which  have  happened  while  he  has  been 
in  it,  make  it  very  dear  to  him.  His  children  are,  some  of  them, 
buried  here,  and  the  old  settlers,  with  whom  he  was  associated 
in  early  days,  are  many  of  them  living  here.  He  feels  that  they 
have  worked  together  for  so  many  years,  and  endured  so  many 
hardships,  that  they  should  be  considered  members  of  a  common 
family.  Mr.  Mitchel  has  been  very  successful  in  life,  and  has 
become  very  well  to  do  in  the  world.  He  has  been  fortunate  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  society  of  a  good  woman,  his  wife,  a  lady 
remarkable  for  her  goodness  of  heart  and  quietness  of  manner. 

Hon.  Matthew  Robb. 

Matthew  Robb,  usually  known  as  Squire  Robb,  was  born 
July  15,  1801,  in  Washington  County,  Kentucky.  His  father, 
Thomas  Robb,  was  born  in  Ireland,  August  10,  1769,  and  came 
with  his  parents  to  America  while  an  infant.  Thomas  Robb 
married  Lydia  Waller,  a  lady  of  Welch  descent,  on  the  23d  of 
April,  1795,  and   Matthew  Robb,   the    fourth  son,  was  born  in 


444  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

1801,  as  above  stated.  "When  the  latter  was  quite  small  the 
family  moved  to  Union  County,  Indiana.  Thomas  Eobb  died 
June  24,  1818,  being  thrown  from  a  horse,  and  Mrs.  Robb  was 
left  in  not  very  comfortable  circumstances  with  a  large  family 
of  children  to  care  for.  But  eleven  of  these  children  grew  up 
and  raised  families.  One  of  them  is  Mrs.  Eliza  Cox,  now  living 
in  Southern  Illinois.  It  was  a  heavily  timbered  country,  and 
not  very  pleasant  work  to  plough  among  the  trees  and  stumps, 
and  Matthew  Eobb  determined  to  live  where  he  could  turn  a 
long  furrow  without  striking  stumps.  His  education  was  limit- 
ed, and  was  obtained  with  difficulty.  He  went  to  school  only 
six  months,  as  he  could  hardly  be  spared  from  the  farm.  Nev- 
ertheless he  learned  to  write  plainly  and  well  and  was  a  correct 
and  rapid  accountant.  He  was  a  lively  young  man,  full  of  fun 
and  the  best  of  humor.  He  would  carry  a  young  lady  behind 
him  on  horseback  to  a  party  five  or  six  miles  distant,  and  he 
often  took  young  ladies  to  church  in  the  same  way.  They  had 
no  buggies  or  carriages  then,  but  they  had  quite  as  much  fun, 
and  perhaps  a  little  more.  In  August,  1821,  Matthew  Eobb 
married  Mary  McClure,  daughter  of  Thomas  McClure.  In 
the  spring  of  1824,  he  came  to  that  part  Of  Sangamon 
County,  which  now  forms  the  county  of  Logan,  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  from  where  Postville  now  stands.  Here  he 
raised  a  crop  and  then  brought  out  his  wife  and  child 
and  household  goods  from  Indiana.  The  child  is  the  present 
Mrs.  Abraham  Stansberry,  of  Bloomington.  When  he  arrived 
at  his  farm  he  had  only  twenty-five  cents  in  silver  in  his  pocket, 
but  he  was  happy  because  he  could  plough  without  the  trouble 
of  avoiding  stumps.  In  the  spring  of  1827  he  moved  to  Stout's 
Grove.  Here  he  lived  lonely  enough,  as  his  neighbors  were 
principally  Indians.  His  cabin  was  of  logs,  and  his  door  with- 
out a  lock  and  only  a  spinning  wheel  to  place  against  it  to  hold 
it  fast. 

Matthew  Eobb  was  a  noted  man  at  Stout's  Grove.  He  was 
the  first  justice  of  the  peace,  was  elected  in  1827,  and  held  the 
office  for  twelve  years.  He  issued  the  first  summons  in  Sep- 
tember, 1827.  He  married  the  young  men  and  women  of 
Stout's  Grove  and  the  whole  country  around,  but  used  very 
little  ceremony  in  the  matter.     At  one  time  when  he  started  for 


m'lean  county.  445 

mill  he  was  met  near  his  house  by  James  Snodgrass  and  Betsy 
Smith,  who  had  come  to  be  joined  in  the  holy  bonds  of  matri- 
mony. All  three  went  back  to  the  house,  and  the  service  was 
performed  before  Mrs.  Robb  and  her  daughter  (the  present  Mrs. 
Stansberry)  could  come  in  to  witness  it.  The  latter  had  been 
out  milking,  and  hastened  in  just  too  late.  At  another  time 
John  Pore  and  Miss  Brown,  of  Brown's  Grove,  concluded  to 
live  together  for  better  or  for  worse.  Mr.  Pore  came  for  Squire 
Robb  to  perform  the  service.  The  former  crossed  Sugar  Creek 
to  bring  Mr.  Robb  ;  but  as  the  weather  had  been  rainy,  the  creek 
rose  rapidly,  and  it  was  very  inconvenient  to  cross.  Mr.  Pore 
crossed  it  on  a  log  or  beam,  while  the  Squire  sat  on  horseback 
on  his  own  side  of  the  stream.  Mr.  Pore  brought  his  bride 
down  to  the  creek  and,  as  it  was  now  about  eight  o'clock  at  night, 
torches  were  lit.  It  was  raining  at  the  time,  but  they  paid  no 
attention  to  that.  Squire  Robb  rode  a  little  distance  into  the 
water  in  order  to  distinguish  the  bridegroom  and  bride  on  the 
opposite  bank,  and  the  interesting  ceremony  was  performed. 

Mr.  Robb  was  most  fortunate  in  his  domestic  affairs,  for  his 
lady  was  one  of  the  best  of  women.  She  was  courageous,  too, 
and  did  many  things  from  which  women  would  naturally  shrink. 
Once,  while  returning  home  on  horseback  from  a  visit  to  her 
father's,  the  dogs  with  her  started  a  wolf,  and  after  chasing  it 
for  some  time  brought  it  to  bay,  and  Mrs.  Robb  jumped  from 
her  horse  and  killed  the  wolf  with  her  stirrup.  She  was  a  wo- 
man of  great  practical  sense,  and  much  of  the  credit  for  her 
husband's  success  was  no  doubt  due  to  her.  She  was  a  very 
quiet  woman  in  society,  though  she  was  fond  of  company  and 
was  always  pleased  to  see  her  friends.  She  was  a  very  religious 
woman  and  was  a  member  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
church.  She  died  August  23,  1868,  and  Squire  Robb  died  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1870.  Both  were  buried  at  Stout's  Grove,  where  a 
monument  is  erected  to  their  memory.  They  had  six  children, 
of  whom  three  grew  up  to  years  of  discretion.     They  are  : 

Eliza  J.,  born  May  30,  1823.  She  was  married  to  Edward 
Matthews,  who  died  in  July,  1863.  She  is  now  the  wife  of 
Abraham  Stansberry,  of  Bloomington. 

Lydia  E.,  born  June  15,  1828,  was  married  to  J.  B.   Taylor, 


446  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

of  South  Carolina.  He  died  some  years  since.  She  is  now  the 
wife  of  Hiram  L.  Phillips,  of  Stout's  Grove. 

Susan  M.  Robb,  born  July  15,  1831,  died  in  May,  1850.  She 
was  never  married. 

Matthew  Robb  was  six  feet  in  height,  had  dark  hair,  dark 
complexion  and  heavy  eyebrows,  was  rather  slim,  and  weighed 
one  hundred  and  seventy-live  pounds.  He  was  very  quick  in 
business  matters,  and  went  ahead  with  all  his  might.  He  loved 
a  joke  and  was  full  of  sport.  It  is  said  that  the  test  of  a  genu- 
ine humorist  is  his  enjoyment  of  a  joke  on  himself.  According 
to  this  test,  Mr.  Robb  was  a  humorist,  for  his  good  nature  and 
love  of  fun  were  aroused  byjokeson  himself  as  well  as  on  others. 
He  had  no  enemies,  but  was  friendly  to  all  of  his  neighbors, 
and  tried  to  make  them  friendly  toward  each  other.  When 
cases  were  brought  before  him,  he  tried  always  to  act  as  a  peace- 
maker, rather  than  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  made  an  effort 
to  compromise  matters  and  settle  them  amicably.  In  the  winter 
of  1846  and  '47  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  ;  but  in 
speaking  his  name  the  title  "  Honorable  "  was  seldom  used,  for 
he  had  been  justice  of  the  peace  for  so  long  a  time  that  every- 
one knew  him  as  Squire  Robb.  Mr.  Robb  was  one  of  the  con- 
tractors who  built  the  jail  at  Mackinawtown,  then  the  county 
seat  of  Tazewell  County.  When  it  was  finished  he  was  afraid  it 
was  not  strong  enough  to  hold  the  criminals  to  be  confined  in  it. 
In  order  to  test  its  strength  Squire  Robb  was  himself  locked  up 
in  it,  but  succeeded  in  breaking  out. 

Thomas   McCluiie. 

Thomas  McClure  was  born  July  15,  1765,  in  Rockingham 
County,  Virginia.  He  was  descended  from  tough,  hardy,  Scotch- 
Irish  stock.  When  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  came  to 
Kentucky,  and  there  his  occupation  was  farming  and  shooting 
Indians.  The  latter  were  exceedingly  troublesome,  and  kept 
the  settlers  continually  on  the  alert  by  their  stratagems  and  am- 
buscades. It  was  a  favorite  pastime  with  the  Indians  to  lie  in 
ambush  near  a  settler's  cabin  and  shoot  the  first  man  who 
stepped  out,  and  great  vigilance  was  always  required. 

The  door  of  every  cabin  was  guarded  by  a  strong  bar,  which 
could  not  be  forced,  and  behind  it  an  axe  was  kept  always  ready 


m'lean  county.  447 

for  use,  as  the  most  effective  weapon.  Robert  McClure,  the  el- 
der brother  of  Thomas,  was  celebrated  as  an  Indian  tighter, 
and  with  his  own  rifle  was  known  to  have  killed  seven  Indians  ; 
but  he  hunted  them  a  little  too  long,  and  was  himself  killed  by 
them.  Some  comical  stories  are  told  of  the  encounters  with  the 
Indians.  At  one  time  the  McClures  and  a  number  of  others, 
anions;  whom  was  a  man  named  John  Logan,  had  an  encounter 
with  the  Indians  in  a  cane-brake  and  killed  several  of  the  sava- 
ges and  took  one  prisoner.  The  latter  attemped  to  escape,  but 
was  overtaken  by  John  Logan,  a  fleet  runner,  and  after  a  short, 
sharp  struggle  was  killed.  John  Logan  was  asked  why  he  did 
not  bite  the  Indian  in  the  struggle,  and  replied  that  the  savage 
did  not  smell  very  sweet ! 

Thomas  McClure  was,  in  his  younger  days,  a  man  of  great 
activity  and  could  out-run  or  out-jump  all  of  his  companions. 
In  those  days  athletic  sports  were  in  high  repute,  and  a  fortune 
was  promised  to  Mr.  McClure  if  he  would  travel  as  an  athlete, 
but  he  refused,  and  would  not  run  or  jump  if  he  knew  that  any 
money  was  staked  on  the  result. 

Thomas  McClure  was  not  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  as  he 
was  then  somewhat  disabled  by  the  severe  hardships  and  toils 
of  frontier  life;  but  one  of  his  sons  went  into  the  army  and  saw 
some  campaigning.  He  was  very  active  and  earnest  in  raising 
troops.  The  following  incident,  related  by  Henry  C.  McClure, 
of  Danvers,  explains  the  inability  of  Thomas  McClure  to  engage 
actively  in  the  war  of  1812: 

"  Thomas  McClure  was  once  on  a  forced  march,  during  one 
of  the  forays  with  the  Indians,  in  which  he  was  often  engaged. 
On  this  march  he  spied  a  coon  in  a  tree  top.  The  sight  was  too 
tempting,  so  up  went  his  carbine,  and  off  tumbled  the  coon.  It 
caught  among  the  branches,  which  were  very  thick.  He  threw 
off  his  bullet  pouch  and  other  trappings  and  started  up  the  tree, 
while  his  companions  went  on.  After  securing  the  coon  he  has- 
tened to  his  comrades  and  came  up  with  them  about  three  miles 
away.  Then  he  noticed  that  he  had  left  his  bullet  pouch  and 
he  returned  the  whole  distance  for  it.  He  succeeded  in  rejoin- 
ing his  companions  late  at  night.  The  coon  cost  him  dearly, 
for  although  he  was  a  man  of  powerful  frame,  the  severe  march 
caused  a  constriction  of  the  tendons  of  one  of  his  legs  and  he 


448  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

was  lamed  for  life.     He  had  walked  on  that  day  more  than  fifty 
miles." 

Thomas  McClure  married  Susan  Hynes  in  the  year  1790, 
about  two  years  before  the  birth  of  his  son  Robert.  The  family 
came  to  Indiana  in  about  the  year  1816,  and  settled  in  Posey 
County.  In  the  year  1824  the  family  came  to  Illinois,  and  set- 
tled on  the  east  side  of  the  Sangamon  River  in  Sangamon 
County.  There  their  principal  occupation  was  eating  water- 
melons and  shaking  with  the  ague.  They  ground  their  wheat 
and  corn  at  a  horse  mill  belonging  to  Mr.  Danley.  They  re- 
mained one  year  on  the  Sangamon  River  and  then  moved  to  Lo- 
gan County,  near  the  present  town  of  Postville,  between  the 
forks  of  Salt  Creek  'and  the  Kickapoo.  There  the  McClures 
enjoyed  themselves  by  catching  wolves.  Thomas  McClure  lived 
there  until  the  spring  of  1827,  when  he  moved  to  Stout's  Grove. 
There  he  built  the  fifth  house  in  that  section  of  country.  It 
was  a  hewed  log  house  nineteen  feet  square,  and  was  used  as  a 
church,  aud  people  came  there  from  many  miles  distant.  The 
women  would  walk  to  church  in  their  bare  feet,  for  a  distance 
of  three  miles,  and  when  they  came  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
the  meeting  house  they  would  stop  and  put  on  their  shoes, 
which  they  had  brought  with  them.  Mr.  McClure  was  a  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  from  the  year  1800,  or  about  that  time. 
He  was  elected  one  of  the  first  elders  of  the  church  which  was 
organized  at  Stout's  Grove. 

The  settlers  were  not  accustomed  to  the  luxuries  of  civiliza- 
tion, and  some  of  them  had  never  tasted  coffee.  Some  of  the 
women  could  not  even  make  it,  and  it  is  said  that  a  peddler 
once  gave  a  certain  Mrs.  Carlock  some  coffee,  and  she  boiled  it 
with  beef,  and  had  a  fearful  tasting  mixture!  Our  informant 
savs  :  "  That's  as  true  as  the  book  of  Genesis  !" 

Thomas  McClure  entered  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  at  Stout's  Grove,  and  lived  there  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred January  3,  1847.  He  had  ten  children  who  grew  up  and 
one  child  who  died  in  infancy.  They  were  Robert,  James,  Mary 
John,  Samuel,  Nancy,  Margaret,  Eustatia  Jane,  Finis  E.  and 
Benjamin  II.  McClure.  Of  these  only  Nancy  and  Benjamin  are 
living.  Nancy  lives  near  Eldora,  in  Hardin  County,  Iowa,  and 
Benjamin  has  lived  in  McLean  County  until  within  the  last  five 


m'lean  county.  449 

years,  during  which  he  has  lived  near  Gibson,  in  Ford  County. 
Thomas  McClure  was  about  six  feet  and  two  inches  in  height, 
and,  when  in  health,  weighed  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
pounds.  He  was  universally  liked  and  respected.  It  is  literally 
true  that  he  had  scarcely  a  personal  enemy  in  the  world.  He 
was  not  only  willing,  but  anxious  to  accommodate  his  neighbors 
and  friends. 

Robert  McClure. 

The  following  interesting  sketch  of  Robert  McClure  was 
written  for  this  work  by  Henry  C.  McClure  of  Danvers. 

Robert  McClure,  son  of  Thomas  McClure,  was  born  near 
Hopkinsville,  Kentucky,  on  the  24th  of  June,  1792.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  came  to  Virginia 
during  the  fore  part  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

When  Robert  McClure  was  in  his  nineteenth  year  he  served 
for  three  months  in  the  Kentucky  militia  against  the  Indians. 
Soon  afterwards  he  went  with  the  family  to  Posey  County,  In- 
diana. On  the  24th  of  December,  1818,  Mr.  McClure  married 
Nancy  Devenna  Warrick,  daughter  of  that  Captain  Warrick 
who  fell  bravely  fighting  at  the  head  of  his  company  at  the 
battle  of  Tippecanoe.  He  followed  farming  until  the  fall  of 
1821,  when  he  moved  to  Illinois  and  settled  on  Salt  Creek,  about 
two  miles  south  of  where  the  city  of  Lincoln  now  stands.  His 
father,  Thomas  McClure,  and  his  brother  James  McClure  and 
family,  made  up  the  party.  Their  journey  was  marked  by  a 
few  adventures.  When  they  arrived  at  the  Little  Wabash  tim- 
ber, James  McClure  went  out  one  rainy  day  for  a  hunt.  He 
lost  his  way  in  the  timber  and  remained  over  night.  The  next 
day  was  cloudy  and  foggy,  aud  he  could  not  see  the  sun  to  get 
his  bearing.  He  traveled  that  day  in  a  circle,  and  camped  at 
night  near  his  starting  place  in  the  morning.  On  the  morning 
of  the  second  day  the  sun  came  out  clear,  and  he  soon'found  his 
way  to  camp.  His  young  wife  was  nearly  frantic  with  anxiety 
and  fear.  A  few  days  later,  while  the  teams  were  resting  on  the 
edge  of  a  prairie,  the  men  began  picking  hazelnuts,  while  the 
women  attended  to  the  teams.  Suddenly  the  lightning  flashed 
close  to  them,  and  it  was  followed  immediately  by  a  terrific  clap 
of  thunder.  One  of  the  four-horse  teams  sprang  forward  and 
29 


450  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

upset  the  wagon.  Another  ran  for  two  miles  and  did  not  stop 
until  it  came  against  two  trees.  The  third  team  was  attached 
to  the  wagon,  where  Mrs.  James  McClure  and  another  woman, 
Mrs.  Vaughan,  were  sitting.  The  team  sprang  forward,  and 
Mrs.  Vaughan  set  up  a  shriek,  but  Mrs.  McGlure  stopped  her, 
then  climbed  forward  on  the  wagon-tongue,  mounted  the  saddle- 
horse,  seized  the  single  line  by  which  the  horses  were  guided 
and  stopped  the  team. 

When  the  McClure  family  arrived  at  Salt  Creek,  Robert 
McClure  made  a  claim  to  a  farm,  on  which  he  lived  for  about 
five  years.  The  Indians  were  then  numerous  and  sometimes 
troublesome.  At  one  time,  while  Mr.  McClure  was  at  Stout's 
Grove,  a  band  of  these  savages,  led  by  Toby  Whiteyes  and  Jim 
Buck,  came  to  the  cabin,  where  Mrs.  McClure  and  her  three 
little  children  were,  and  asked  where  the  "  chemoka  man"  (white 
man)  was.  She  answered  that  he  was  somewhere  not  far  off. 
But  the}7  were  better  posted  than  she  supposed,  for  they  appeared 
enraged  and  said  :  "  You  lie!  you  lie!  chemoka  man  gone,  che- 
moka man  gone  ;  to-night  we  make  powder  and  lead  fly  like 
damnation."  Then  they  started  oft*  with  hideous  yells.  Mrs. 
McClure  took  the  matter  coolly  and  was  not  troubled  with  hys- 
terics. She  sent  for  her  sister-in-law,  not  far  off,  whose  husband 
was  also  at  Stout's  Grove,  and  they  held  a  council  of  war  and 
declared  the  cabin  in  a  state  of  siege,  and  prepared  for  defense. 
They  shut  the  door  and  blockaded  it  with  a  table,  some  iron 
kettles  and  large  stones,  and  sat  behind  it  with  axes.  But  the 
Indians  did  not  return,  which  was  a  very  agreeable  disappoint- 
ment to  the  women. 

The  settlers  at  a  very  early  day  did  their  trading  at  Spring- 
field. At  that  time  the  seed  obtained  from  blue-grass  was  of 
considerable  value,  and  the  settlers  often  went  to  Blue  Grass 
Point,  on  Kickapoo  Creek,  to  gather  the  seed.  At  the  time  of 
the  execution  of  Vannoy,  the  wife  murderer,  at  Springfield, 
Kobert  and  James  McClure  and  their  wives  started  for  that  place 
in  a  wagon  with  their  blue  grass  seed.  They  found  the  Sanga- 
mon River  swollen  by  rains,  but  resolved  to  cross  at  all  events. 
It  was  arranged  that  in  case  the  water  proved  very  deep,  Robert 
McClure  should  hold  the  wagon-bed  to  the  fore  wheels  to  pre- 
vent them  from  uncoupling,  and  James  should  take  care  of  the 


m'lean  county.  451 

bind  wheels,  while  the  ladies  held  up  the  grass  seed,  which  was 
in  sacks.  They  drove  in,  their  horses  surged  and  floundered, 
and  the  water  rushed  into  the  wagon-box,  but  all  attended  to 
their  duties.  They  succeeded  in  reaching  the  opposite  bank, 
but  were  wet  enough  to  satisfy  a  hardshell  Baptist.  The  ladies 
were  in  a  sad  plight,  for  their  white  dresses  were  wet  and  soiled. 
But  they  washed  them,  dried  them  on  the  grass,  and  their  grass 
seed  also,  and  went  to  Springfield  in  time  to  witness  the  first 
execution  of  a  murderer  condemned  under  the  laws  of  the  State 
of  Illinois. 

In  March,  1827,  Robert  McClure  moved  from  his  place  on 
Salt  Creek  to  Stout's  Grove.  Here  he  made  a  claim,  and  when 
the  land  came  into  market,  he  entered  four  or  five  hundred 
acres.  The  rattlesnakes  were  then  numerous  at  Stout's  Grove, 
and  Robert  McClure  celebrated  the  first  year  of  his  residence 
there  by  killing  three  hundred  and  thirty  of  these  reptiles.  The 
wolves  were  plenty,  and  often  came  into  the  door-yard  and  car- 
ried of  geese  and  chickens.  Robert  McClure  took  great  pleas- 
ure in  hunting  wolves  and  killing  them  with  his  stirrup. 

During  the  celebrated  winter  of  the  deep  snow  Robert  Mc- 
Clure walked,  and  sometimes  rode  his  horse  on  the  snow  drifts 
over  the  staked  and  double-ridered  fences.  At  one  time,  while 
he  was  riding,  the  crust  gave  way,  and  both  horse  and  rider  dis- 
appeared almost  from  sight.  But  he  climbed  out,  obtained  a 
shovel  and  dug  a  path  for  his  horse  to  a  more  shallow  place, 
where  the  animal  could  again  mount  the  crust.  He  had  a  great 
deal  of  stock  to  attend  to  during  that  winter. 

When  the  Black  Hawk  war  broke  out,  Robert  McClure  and 
others  raised  a  company  of  volunteers,  and  he  was  elected  cap- 
tain by  a  decided  majority.  His  company  did  not  participate 
in  the  fight,  which  resulted  in  Stillman's  defeat,  as  they  did  not 
arrive  on  the  ground  until  the  day  after  the  contest  took  place. 
He  assisted  at  the  burial  of  the  seventeen  persons,  who  were 
massacred  by  the  savages  on  Indian  Creek. 

It  may  be  interesting  for  the  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  who 
now  enjoy  such  rare  literary  advantages,  to  know  that  Robert  Mc- 
Clure, with  the  assistance  of  his  neighbors,  built  the  first  institu- 
tion of  learning  in  western  McLean  County.  They  cutandhewed 
the  logs  and  built  the  house ;  they  split  the  clapboards  for  the 


452  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

roof  with  a  froe  and  mallet;  they  built  the  chimney  with  coarse 
slats  lined  with  clay  mixed  with  cut-straw,  called  in  the  parlance 
of  the  early  settlers,  "  cat  and  clay."  They  made  the  floor  of 
split  logs  hewed  on  the  upper  side  with  a  broad  axe.  Colonel 
McClure  then  made  a  road  to  the  school-house  from  his  own 
dwelling  by  blazing  his  way  with  a  broad-axe  and  afterwards 
cutting  down  the  trees  and  brush.  The  children's  feet  soon 
wore  a  path. 

Probably  very  few  of  the  younger  people  have  heard  of  a 
whipsaw.  It  was  a  long  thin  saw  for  making  lumber.  It  was 
used  in  what  would  now  be  considered  a  novel  way.  Two  logs 
were  laid  four  or  five  feet  apart  across  a  deep  ravine.  Cross- 
timbers  were  then  placed  on  these  and  the  log  to  be  sawed 
was  rolled  on  them.  One  man  then  stood  below  and  another 
above,  and  after  marking  the  log  with  a  chalk  line  the  exercises 
commenced.  In  this  way  the  wild  cherry  lumber  was  sawed  for 
the  first  bureau  in  McLean  County,  made  by  Caleb  Kimler,  of 
Blooming  Grove.  A  six-legged  table  was  made  at  the  same 
time.  Things  which  are  very  insignificant  now  were  great  events 
in  the  early  days. 

Robert  McClure,  Daniel  Francis  and  Mr.  Phillips  viewed  and 
located  the  State  road  leading  from  Danville  to  Fort  Clark 
(Peoria).  Mr.  McClure  was  familiar  with  many  trades,  as  the 
early  settlers  were  obliged  to  be.  The  old  anvil  block  which 
he  used  forty  years  ago,  still  stands  in  the  garden  of  Henry  C. 
McClure,  where  it  was  placed. 

Robert  McClure  kept  his  family  always  well  supplied  with 
venison,  wild  turkey  and  honey,  for  these  were  all  plenty.  Ma- 
ple sugar  and  syrup  could  also  be  obtained  in  large  quantities, 
and  the  settlers  kept  large  iron  kettles  in  which  to  boil  the 
sap. 

For  some  time  after  the  family  came  to  Stout's  Grove,  they 
manufactured  their  Indian  meal  from  corn  brayed  in  a  mortar 
made  from  a  log  about  three  feet  long  and  two  feet  in  diameter. 
The  log  was  placed  on  end,  and  a  hole  was  burned  into  it  six- 
teen inches  deep.  This  was  cleaned  out  with  an  inshave.  The 
finest  meal  was  obtained  by  sifting  it  through  a  sieve  made 
of  deer  skin  stretched  over  a  hoop.  The  holes  iri  the 
skin   were    burned    with    the     heated    tines  of  a    fork.     The 


m'lean  county.  453 

one  meal  was  used  for  bread,  and  the  coarse  for  hominy. 
But  after  some  years  a  Mr.  McKuight  built  a  mill  about  twenty 
miles  distant,  and  the  hominy  mortar  was  laid  aside.  Mr.  Mc- 
Clure  was  obliged  to  make  lengthy  trips  for  salt.  He  went  sev- 
eral times  to  the  Saline  lick,  near  Shawneetown,  about  three 
hundred  miles  distant,  and  brought  loads  of  salt  in  a  wagon 
drawn  by  three  or  four  yoke  of  oxen.  The  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  was  not  thought  of  then,  but  the  I.,  B.  &  W.  road 
occupied  the  minds  of  many  citizens  of  Tazewell  County.  They 
thought  particularly  of  that  branch  of  the  road  which  runs  from 
Tremont  to  Pekin.  But  perhaps  the  longest  trip  he  was  obliged 
to  make  was  his  expedition  to  Natchez,  Mississippi,  after  seed 
corn.  Amid  all  these  difficulties  he  enjoyed  life  well,  as  he  was 
surrounded  by  his  father,  mother,  sisters  and  their  families  and 
all  of  his  brothers  except  John.  The  latter  remained  in  In- 
diana. 

Robert  McClure  was  one  of  seven  members,  who  organized 
the  first  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  in  McLean  County. 
He  lived  a  devoted  member  of  this  church  and  was  always  anx- 
ious for  its  welfare.  In  the  month  of  August,  1834,  he  was  at- 
tacked with  cancer,  from  which  he  suffered  severely  for  about 
one  year,  but  bore  the  pain  with  great  fortitude.  He  died 
August  8,  1835.  His  very  kind  wife  outlived  him  some  twenty- 
eight  years,  being  called  to  the  better  land  on  the  7th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1863.  They  are  buried  side  by  side  in  the  cemetery  at 
Stout's  Grove,  one  mile  west  of  where  he  spent  the  last  nine 
years  of  his  life. 

Robert  McClure's  children  are  six  in  number : 

Permelia,  the  oldest,  was  born  April  18,  1820,  in  Gibson 
County,  Indiana.  She  married  Henry  C.  McClure,  February  6, 
1842.  They  now  live  on  the  farm  settled  by  her  father  on  the 
east  side  of  Stout's  Grove. 

Jacob  W.  McClure,  the  second  child,  was  born  December  18, 
1821,  in  what  is  now  Logan  County,  Illinois.  He  married  Alice 
W.  Hall,    and  now  lives  in  St.   Louis,  Missouri. 

Charles  J.  McClure  was  born  February  9,  1824,  in  Logan 
County.  In  1845  he  married  Serepta  Vansickles.  He  is  now 
a  farmer,  and  lives  in  Hardin  County,  Iowa. 

Thomas  B.   McClure,  the  fourth  child,  was  born  September 


454 


OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


15,  1827,  in  Stout's  Grove.  He  married  Emma  H.  Clark,  in 
1850.     He  lives  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 

Susan  J.  McClure  was  born  during-  the  winter  of  1830  and 
'31,  the  celebrated  winter  of  the  deep  snow.  She  was  married 
November  29,  1855,  to  Robert  McClure  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
and  now  lives  in  Franklin  County,  Kansas. 

John  W.  McClure,  the  youngest  child,  died  in  early  infancy, 
in  Stout's  Grove,  one  year  before  h\a  father. 

Robert  McClure  was  a  finely-formed  man.  He  stood  six 
feet  and  four  inches  in  his  boots.  He  was  neither  very  slim  nor 
very  corpulent,  weighing  something  more  than  two  hundred 
pounds.  His  complexion  was  fair.  He  had  dark  auburn  hair 
and  deep  blue  eyes.  He  was  very  active  and  possessed  of  great 
powers  of  endurance.  He  was  one  of  the  most  social  and  kind 
hearted  of  men.  At  a  house  raising  (of  a  log  house,  of  course, 
they  had  no  other  kind  in  the  early  days)  he  always  carried  up 
his  corner;  and  on  all  occasions  of  mirth,  jollity,  wit  and  humor, 
he  "  carried  up  his  corner,"  too.  He  had  always  a  flow  of  soul, 
and  not  only  enjoyed  himself,  but  made  all  feel  happy  around 
him.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  generosity,  which  was  mani- 
fest in  all  the  acts  and  relations  of  his  life.  He  has  often  been 
known  to  take  his  horses  from  his  plow  to  accommodate  a  neigh- 
bor. He  was  always  glad  to  extend  to  everyone  a  generous  hos- 
pitality, and  in  this  respect  his  wife  was  in  no  way  behind  him, 
for  it  might  be  said  of  her  that  she  obeyed  the  commandment 
to  love  her  neighbor  as  herself.  She  was  a  helpmeet  to  him  in 
the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  for  she  never  manufactured  and 
sold  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  jeans  during  each 
year  of  her  married  life.  In  addition  to  this  she  made  enough 
cloth  for  use  in  the  family,  and  a  great  quantity  of  bed  clothing 
besides.     All  of  her  acquaintances  were  fast  friends  for  life. 

Such  is  the  well-written  and  entertaining  account  given  by 
Henry  C.  McClure,  of  Stout's  Grove.  The  author  of  this  work 
is  under  many  obligations  to  him  as  well  as  to  his  witty  and  ac- 
complished lady,  a  daughter  of  Robert  McClure. 

Jonathan  Hodge. 

Jonathan  Hodge  was  born  in  October,  1701,  in  North  Caro- 
lina,    He  was  of  Scotch  and  German  descent.      \Vhen  he  was 


m'lean  county.  455 

fourteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  Barron  County,  Kentucky.  In 
about  the  year  1812  he  married  Nancy  Berry,  a  very  amiable 
lady,  a  Virginian  by  birth  and  Irish  descent.  She  came  to  Ken- 
tucky when  she  was  very  young. 

In  the  fall  of  1821,  Mr.  Hodge  came  to  Sangamon  County 
and  settled  on  Fancy  Creek.  The  country  was  then  wild  and 
full  of  ferocious  animals,  and  the  adventures  and  hunting  stories 
of  the  settlers  would,  if  described  and  written  out,  fill  many 
volumes.  At  one  time,  when  Mr.  Ilodfje  and  a  man  named 
Hains  were  out  hunting  bees,  they  found  a  panther  with  her 
cubs  concealed  in  a  log.  They  stopped  up  the  log  to  prevent 
her  from  making  her  escape,  and  collected  a  number  of  men  to 
kill  the  animal.  Mr.  Hodge  cut  notches  in  the  log  with  his  axe, 
and  when  he  saw  the  panther's  head  through  one  of  the  notches 
hit  it  a  blow  with  the  axe  and  killed  it.  The  panther  was  large 
and  powerful,  and  measured  nine  feet  from  its  nose  to  the  end 
of  its  tail.  The  party  captured  the  cubs  and  Mr.  Hodge  raised 
two  of  them,  until  they  were  partially  grown  ;  but  they  were  a 
little  too  dangerous  as  pets  and  he  killed  them.  Mr.  Hodge 
often  hunted  bees  on  Fancy  Creek  with  old  Shabona,  the  Potta- 
watomie chief.  In  the  spring  of  1827,  Mr.  Hodge  moved  to  the 
south  side  of  Stout's  Grove,  in  what  is  now  McLean  County, 
Illinois,  and  there  made  his  permanent  residence  until  the  time 
of  his  death.  At  that  time  the  only  settlers  in  the  grove  were 
Peyton  Mitchel,  Ephraim  Stout,  Robert  McClure,  Robert  Drain 
and  Matthew  Robb.  Mr.  Hodge  was  a  farmer,  but  occasionally 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  as  the  early  settlers  were  obliged 
to  be  handy  at  everything.  He  built  a  flat-boat  at  Peoria  and 
worked  at  any  remunerative  employment,  which  his  hands  found 
to  do.  He  was  a  great  hunter  and  was  very  successful  in  his 
excursions  after  bees,  wolves,  deer,  turkeys,  etc. 

Mr.  Hodge  was  once  called  out  during  the  Black  Hawk  war 
to  go  with  a  friend  to  his  house,  which  had  been  vacated  from 
fear  of  the  Indians.  A  party  of  ten  or  twelve  men  went  on  the 
excursion.  They  found  the  house  in  good  order  and  nothing 
disturbed.  They  remained  over  night.  During  the  night  they 
heard  a  log-chain  rattle,  as  if  it  had  been  raised  up  and  dropped. 
In  the  morning  the  first  man  who  stepped  out  of  doors  was  shot 
and    scalped.     Mr.    Hodge    immediately    closed    the    door   and 


456  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

guarded  it  with  an  axe,  but  the  party  within  was  not  again  at- 
tacked.    They  returned  to  their  homes  soon  after. 

In  order  to  get  their  grinding  done,  the  settlers  used  first  a 
hand-mill,  then  they  went  to  Edwardsville,  then  to  Sugar  Creek, 
twenty  miles  south  of  Stout's  Grove.  Afterwards  Ephraim 
Stout  erected  a  horse-mill  at  the  grove  on  Sugar  Creek.  This 
was  before  mills  were  built  on  the  Mackinaw.  Stout's  mill  was 
for  many  years  a  favorite  resort  of  the  settlers  every  Saturday. 
They  met  to  tell  the  news  to  each  other  and  talked  over  the 
affairs  of  the  neighborhood. 

The  first  camp-meeting  ever  held  in  the  grove  was  about  the 
year  1828  or  '29.  All  of  the  preachers  at  that  camp-meeting 
are  now  dead,  except  Neil  Johnson,  who  lives  in  Oregon.  They 
were  Peyton  Mitchel,  James  Davis,  who  died  in  Hopedale,  Taze- 
well County,  James  McDonald,  Archibald  Johnson,  Neil  John- 
son and  John  Berry  of  Sangamon  County.  Archibald  Johnson, 
who  died  in  Kansas  more  than  a  year  ago,  taught  the  first  school 
in  Stout's  Grove.  It  was  held  probably  in  1828,  and  was  com- 
menced in  the  spring  and  ended  in  the  summer.  The  oldest 
church  and  oldest  Sabbath  school  were  of  the  denomination  of 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterians.  Levi  Danley,  of  Danvers,  is 
the  only  man  now  living,  who  was  a  married  man  in  the  town- 
ship before  the  deep  snow. 

Mr.  Hodge  had  seven  children,  of  whom  four  are  now  living. 
They  are  : 

Mrs.  Sarah  Danley,  wife  of  Levi  Danley,  who  lives  in  Dan- 
vers. She  lived  for  forty  years  in  Princeton,  Bureau  County, 
and  has  only  lately  come  to  Danvers. 

U.  S.  Hodge  and  W.  F.  Hodge  live  in  Danvers. 

Mrs.  Susan  Jane  Hobson  lives  in  Bourbon  County,  Kansas. 

Mr.  Hodge  was  a  tall,  straight-built  man,  had  heavy  shoul- 
ders, black  hair  and  dark  hazel  eyes.  He  was  a  very  muscular 
man,  who  always  did  as  he  promised  ;  he  took  pride  in  keeping 
his  word,  and  was  most  sensitive  with  regard  to  his  honor.  He 
was  a  very  kind  man  and  cared  yery  much  for  his  family.  He 
always  exacted  strict  obedience  from  his  children,  though  he 
never  used  harsh  means.  He  was  not  a  talkative  man,  though 
he  enjoyed  company.  He  was  fond  of  books,  and  took  pleasure 
in  reading  that  book  of  books,  the  Bible. 


m'lean  county.  457 

Uriah  Shelby  Hodge. 

Uriah  Shelby  Hodge  was  born  November  26, 1817,  in  Barron 
County,  Kentucky.  He  came  with  the  family  of  his  father, 
Jonathan  Hodge,  to  Stout's  Grove,  in  the  spring  of  1827.  There 
he  went  to  school — as  a  good  little  boy  should — to  Archibald 
Johnson.  Young  Hodge  was  an  apt  scholar  and  learned  very 
fast.  When  he  grew  up  to  manhood  he  became  a  great  hunter 
and  had  a  special  knack  for  catching  wolves.  He  chased  them 
with  horses,  bull-dogs  and  grey-hounds,  and  kept  fast  horses  for 
the  purpose  of  hunting.  He  grew  up  a  farmer,  but  afterwards 
went  into  the  mercantile  business  at  Danvers  and  succeeded  re- 
markably well. 

On  the  Fourth  of  July,  1851,  very  early  in  the  morning,  Mr. 
Hodge  married  Miss  Mary  C.  Clark,  daughter  of  Henry  I.  Clark 
of  Eureka,  and  has  lived  in  Danvers  ever  since.  He  has  a  re- 
markably interesting  family  and  enjoys  all  the  pleasures  of  cul- 
tivated society. 

Mr.  Hodge  is  rather  above  the  medium  height,  is  quite  mus- 
cular, and  was  formerly  rather  portly ;  but  somewhat  failing 
health  has  shown  its  effects.  He  has  been  very  successful  in 
mercantile  life,  and  this  has  been  due  to  his  uprightness.  This 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  has  now  the  same  customers  who 
traded  at  his  store  when  he  first  began  business. 

William  Franklin  Hodge. 

W.  F,  Hodge  was  born  August  24,  1824,  on  Fancy  Creek  in 
Sangamon  County,  Illinois.  When  he  was  about  three  years 
old  the  family  of  his  father,  Jonathan  Hodge,  came  to  Stout's 
Grove,  in  what  is  now  McLean  County.  He  was  raised  a  farm- 
er's boy,  and  continued  at  hard  work  until  about  eight  years 
since,  when  he  engaged  in  mercantile  life.  The  first  school  he 
attended  was  kept  by  Archibald  Johnson,  but  as  the  youthful 
Hodge  was  then  very  small  he  did  not  learn  much.  He  attended 
the  school  kept  by  Lyman  Porter,  and  continued  under  various 
teachers  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  He  has  a  boyish 
recollection  of  the  deep  snow,  and  clearly  remembers  seeing  the 
various  domestic  animals  walking  over  the  stake  and  rider  fences, 
and  also  remembers  the  stumps  of  trees  which  had  been  cut  for 


458  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

firewood  during1  that  memorable  winter.  When  the  snow  thawed 
away  in  the  spring  the  stumps  appeared  six  feet  high.  The  deer 
were  nearly  exterminated,  but  the  wolves  had  a  happy  time  and 
could  kill  all  the  game  they  chose.  During  that  winter  the 
neighbors  all  enquired  after  each  other  to  see  that  no  one  suffer- 
ed. A  great  deal  of  their  stock  perished  ;  the  sheep  which  were 
not  brought  home  in  the  fall  where  they  could  be  taken  care  of, 
were  lost.  The  people  during  that  winter  gathered  corn  in 
sacks  which  they  carried  over  the  snow,  but  were  obliged  to  feel 
down  pretty  low  for  the  ears.  The  crust  on  the  snow  became 
so  hard  that  five  head  of  cattle  were  driven  over  it  from  the 
house  of  a  man  named  Brown  to  Stout's  Grove,  a  distance  of 
five  miles. 

Mr.  Hodge  has  hunted  a  great  deal  for  deer  and  wolves;  was 
accustomed  to  run  them  down  on  horseback.  In  early  days  the 
wolves  were  indeed  saucy  and  dangerous.  In  about  the  }Tear 
1831,  Mr.  Hodge's  father  and  mother  were  boiling  maple  sap 
in  the  south  part  of  Stout's  Grove,  and  in  the  evening  his 
father  began  to  broil  some  meat  over  the  furnace.  Soon  the 
prairie  wolves  and  big  gray  wolves  smelt  the  meat  and  began 
to  gather  around  and  bark.  They  came  thicker  and  thicker, 
and  barked  louder  and  louder.  He  had  a  large  mastiff  which 
was  celebrated  for  its  wonderful  courage  and  strength,  and 
which  could  kill  any  wild  animal  in  the  forest;  but  the  wolves 
gathered  around  so  thick  that  the  mastiff  was  struck  with  terror 
and  stood  trembling.  The  wolves  came  so  close  that  their  eves 
could  be  seen  by  the  light  of  the  fire,  and  Mr.  Hodge  grabbed 
his  axe  for  fight.  The  meat  was  taken  from  the  fire,  wood  was 
piled  on,  and  as  the  flames  shot  upwards  the  wolves  were  fright- 
ened away. 

The  sudden  change  in  the  weather,  which  occurred  in  De- 
cember, 1836,  was  clearly  remembered  by  young  Hodge.  During 
that  terrible  change  the  chickens  and  turkeys  were  frozen  fast  in 
the  congealing  slush. 

Mr.  Hodge  tells  some  interesting  matters  concerning  the  year 
of  the  floods.  In  1844  the  rain  came  in  such  quantities  that  it 
seemed  for  a  while  that  Noah's  ark  would  be  needed  once  more. 
The  wheat  and  corn  were  drowned  out  with  the  exception  of  a 
very  little  on  the  upland.     Sugar  Creek  near  Mackinaw  timber 


m'lean  county.  459 

in  Tazewell  County,  was  that  year  three  miles  wide.  The 
Mackinaw  was  that  year  deeper  than  ever  before  known  by 
white  men.  The  Kickapoo  and  Salt  Creek  were  eight  miles 
apart  near  Lincoln  ;  but  that  year  some  parties  crossed  from  one 
to  another  in  a  canoe. 

But  the  weather  is  occasionally  like  the  women  (or  vice  versa), 
it  goes  to  extremes.  The  season  of  the  great  drowth  occurred 
during  the  year  1855.  A  great  deal  of  stock  then  died  of  thirst. 
The  sloughs  were  so  dry  that  they  would  not  yield  water  by 
digging.  Sugar  Creek  was  dry,  of  course.  During  that  season 
Mr.  Hodge  dug  out  and  walled  up  the  Hinshaw  spring,  which 
was  supposed  to  be  perennial,  but  it  yielded  so  little  water  that 
but  few  could  get  any  from  it.  He  hauled  water  for  his  stock 
from  Barnes  Grove,  three  miles  distant.  A  great  deal  of  water 
was  hauled  from  the  Mackinaw,  and  a  great  deal  of  stock  was 
driven  there.  It  was  during  this  exceedingly  dry  season  that 
the  turf  in  the  bottom  land  or  swamps  of  Sugar  Creek,  near 
Mosquito  Grove,  caught  fire  and  burned  for  a  week  or  more, 
and  the  marks  of  the  burning  can  be  seen  there  to-day.  The 
turf  was  burned  out  in  spots  of  perhaps  thirty  by  fifty  feet ; 
great  holes  were  burned  in  the  ground,  and  very  little  vegeta- 
tion has  grown  there  since.  (These  spots  were  probably  small 
peat  beds).  It  was  so  dry  in  the  barrens  that  the  timber  grass 
would  catch  fire  and  burn  in  the  month  of  July,  and  also  during 
that  month  he  saw  grass  burn  on  the  upland  prairie. 

Mr.  Hodge  married,  May  30, 1850,  Emily  McClure,  daughter 
of  Samuel  McClure.  They  have  had  three  children,  but  all  are 
now  dead.  Mrs.  Hodge  is  a  wide-awake  lady,  and  appreciates 
anything  witty  or  pleasant.  Mr.  Hodge  is  five  feet  and  nine 
inches  and  a  half  in  height,  and  is  well  proportioned.  His  eyes 
are  gray,  and  his  hair  shows  a  little  of  the  effect  of  age.  He  is 
a  man  of  good  judgment  in  business,  very  cautious,  but  not  too 
much  so.  His  word  can  be  relied  on  implicitly  whether  in  busi- 
ness matters  or  in  any  of  the  relations  of  life.  He  is  strictly 
upright  in  his  dealings,  and  has  been  very  successful  in  his 
transactions.  He  takes  a  great  interest  in  the  matters  relating 
to  the  early  settlement  of  the  country,  and  has  furnished  much 
valuable  information  concerning  them. 


460  old  settlers  of 

James  Osborne  Barnard. 

James  O.  Barnard  was  born  July  16, 1800,  in  Iredell  County, 
North  Carolina.  His  father's  name  was  Francis  Barnard,  and 
his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Jane  McCord.  Jane 
McCord  was  partly,  and  perhaps  wholly,  of  Irish  descent. 
Francis  Barnard  was  American  born,  but  was  of  English  Quaker 
descent.  His  father,  Francis  Barnard,  sr.,  grandfather  of  James, 
was  captain  of  a  whaling  vessel.  He  was  at  home  during  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  did  not  take  part  in  the  contest,  as  it 
was  contrary  to  his  principles  to  take  up  arms  in  any  cause.  At 
one  time  the  British  soldiers  came  to  his  house  and  took  him 
prisoner.  One  of  his  neighbors  was  up  stairs,  but,  hearing  the 
noise,  came  down  and  was  also  taken.  The  neighbor  was  not 
at  all  alarmed,  but  said  he  was  willing  to  go  with  friend  Barnard 
anywhere.     They  were  released  after  one  night's  detention. 

But  James  McCord,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  James  O. 
Barnard,  was  a  very  different  man.  He  was  no  Quaker ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  thought  it  his  duty  to  harass  the  British  and  pick 
off  their  men.  He  was  not  a  regular  soldier  in  the  American 
army,  but  he  was  in  every  scrimmage  in  which  he  could  find  a 
chance  to  engage.  He  was  a  sharp  marksman  and  picked  off 
many  a  "  red-jacket."  The  British  took  revenge  by  sacking  his 
house  and  tearing  everything  in  it  to  pieces.  His  wife,  Mrs. 
McCord,  hid  her  little  baby  in  the  woods,  that  its  cries  might 
not  be  heard,  then  took  the  child  next  oldest,  and  with  it  hid 
in  the  thick  pea  vines  near  by.  The  soldiers  utterly  ruined 
everything  in  the  house,  then  went  into  the  milk-house,  drank 
some  of  the  milk,  and  pitched  the  crocks  into  the  yard.  They 
drove  off  the  horses  and  stock,  and  everything  on  the  premises 
was  in  disordered  ruin.  But  James  McCord  watched  for  the 
"  red-jackets"  sharper  than  ever,  and  made  many  of  them  pay 
with  their  lives  for  this  destruction  of  his  property. 

Mr.  Barnard  was  a  boy  during  the  war  of  1812,  but  he  re- 
members one  interesting  incident  which  happened  while  the 
army  was  becoming  organized.  He  was  then  living  at  Wilks- 
borough,  North  Carolina.  A  company  of  soldiers  was  raised 
there,  and  one  stalwart  volunteer  changed  his  mind  about  going 
and  wished  to  be  discharged.  In  order  to  bring  this  about,  he 
cut  off  his  toes  and  brought  them  to  the  commanding  officer. 


m'lean  county.  461 

But  this  little  stratagem  was  not  successful,  as  lie  was  compelled 
to  go  along.  As  the  company  left  the  village  it  came  to  a  steep 
hill,  and  here  the  volunteer  requested  permission  to  give  a  part- 
ing yell.  It  was  granted,  and  he  set  up  a  yell  which  made  the 
woods  ring  and  was  echoed  over  the  valleys. 

In  1822  the  Barnard  family  moved  to  Jackson  County,  Ten- 
nessee, near  the  mouth  of  Obey  River,  where  it  empties  into  the 
Cumberland,  about  one  hundred  miles  above  Nashville.  Here 
they  remained  until  the  year  1828.  Mr.  Barnard  did  some 
traveling  in  Alabama  during  this  period,  and  visited  the  cele- 
brated spring  at  Huntsville.  There  the  water  flows  from  un- 
derneath a  large  rock,  and  the  aperture  is  twenty  or  thirty  feet 
wide  and  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  deep.  The  water  comes 
out  with  such  force  as  to  drive  a  large  ram,  and  elevated  water 
to  supply  the  town.  Mr.  Barnard  also  visited  the  spring  at 
Tuscumbia.  This  is  three  times  as  large  as  the  one  at  Hunts- 
ville. The  aperture,  from  which  the  water  flows,  is  fifty  or 
sixty  feet  wide,  and  from  two  to  three  feet  in  depth.  It  is  really 
a  river  coming  out  of  the  ground.  Flat-boats  could  run  up  to 
within  four  miles  of  where  the  river  gushes  out  of  the  rock. 
When  Air.  Barnard  visited  the  spring  he  saw,  about  one  hundred 
yards  from  the  source,  a  wheel  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  diameter. 
The  wheel  was  surrounded  by  cows'  horns  attached  to  the  rim 
by  staples.  As  the  water  pressed  against  them  the  wheel  was 
made  to  revolve.  The  horns  were  filled  with  water  at  every 
revolution,  and  emptied  into  a  trough,  which  carried  it  away 
to  supply  a  brick-yard. 

In  1828  the  Barnard  family  came  to  Illinois,  and  arrived  in 
what  is  now  McLean  County,  March  23.  They  experienced  the 
difficulties  and  trials  of  the  settlers  at  that  early  day.  James  0. 
Barnard  laid  off"  the  town  of  Wilkesborough,  and  was  the  first 
postmaster  there.  He  was  appointed  by  Postmaster  General 
John  McLean,  under  Jackson's  administration.  Mr.  Barnard 
was  a  farmer,  as  were  most  of  the  old  settlers.  -He  was  deputy 
sheriff  under  Martin  Scott,  the  first  sheriff  of  the  county  after  it 
was  cut  off  from  Tazewell.  Mr.  Barnard  was  also  deputy  sheriff 
and  collector  under  W.  H.  Hods-e. 

On  the  14th  of  September,  1837,  Mr.  Barnard  married  Lydia 
Swallow.     He  has  had  two  children.     They  are  : 


4'i2  OLD  SETTLERS  OF 

Jane  Ellen,  wife  of  F.  M.  Hall. 

Nancy  Aladelphia,  wife  of  John  M.  Artis — all  live  in  Wilkes- 
borough. 

Mr.  Barnard  w  as  ratlier  less  than  the  medium  height,  was 
slim  in  build,  had  gray  hair  and  gray  eyes.  He  was  very  de- 
cided in  his  opinions,  and  was  very  conscientious  in  forming 
them.  lie  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  of  the  Re- 
formation. He  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  before  the 
reformation  took  place,  about  forty  years  ago.  He  died  October 
17,  1873. 

James  Gulion  Reybubn. 

J.  G.  Reyburn  was  born  April  15,  1803,  in  Frankfort,  Ken- 
tucky.    His  father's  name  was  James  Reyburn,  and  his  mother's 
name,  before  her  marriage,  was  Mary  Gulion.     They  were  both 
of  Irish  descent.     James  Reyburn  lived  in  Frankfort,  Kentucky, 
for  five  years,  when  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Chillicothe, 
Ohio.     He  there  saw  the  prisoners,  who  were  taken  by  Commo- 
dore Perry  in  his  victory  on  Lake  Erie.     They  were  kept  in  a 
fort  containing  about   an   acre  of  land.     This  fort  was   called  a 
bull-pen.     Many  women  accompanied  the    soldiers   who   were 
captured.     The  prisoners  were   always   anxious  to  get  whisky, 
but  none  was   allowed  to   be   brought  in,  if  the  guard  knew  it. 
But  the  women  sometimes  exercised  their  feminine  cunning  and 
outwitted  the  guard,  for  they  were   allowed  to   pass   out  of  the 
fort   and   back  again    as    often    as   they  chose,  and   they  would 
smuggle  the  whisky  through  into  the  fort  by  carrying  it  in  blad- 
ders.    But  the  trick  was  discovered  and  stopped.     When  these 
prisoners  were  taken  out  to    be   exchanged,  about  half  of  them 
ran  away  and  refused  to  be  returned  to  their  regiments.     They 
came  back  to  Chillicothe,  but  were  usually  an  unreliable  class 
of  people. 

At  the  age  of  eleven  or  twelve,  Mr.  Reyburn  went  into  a 
store  and  acted  as  a  clerk  until  he  was  nearly  twenty-one  years 
old.  He  then  went  back  to  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  and  there  sold 
goods  until  his  health  failed,  when  he  began  teaching  school  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Paris  and  Lexington.  But  he  did  not 
regain  his  health  until  he  came  to  Illinois,  to  \Valnut  Grove, 
where  he  arrived  September  28,  1828.     He  had  a  pleasant  jour- 


m'lean  county.  4(33 

nev  on  a  one-horse  wagon.  At  Walnut  Grove  be  found  the 
Harrison  family  and  that  of  old  Charley  Moore  and  John  Camp- 
bell. After  staying  in  the  grove  only  one  night,  he  went  on  to 
Panther  Creek  timber  and  took  up  a  claim  where  about  forty 
Indians  were  encamped.  lie  remained  there  two  years  and 
eno-au-ed  in  farming,  but  hunted  more  than  he  worked.  He  found 
as  many  as  six  bee  trees  in  one  day.  At  one  time,  while  taking 
up  a  bee  tree  in  the  Mackinaw  barrens,  an  Indian  fired  the 
grass.  The  wind  was  blowing  almost  a  gale  from  the  fire  towards 
Mr.  Reyburn  ;  but  soon  he  was  discovered  by  the  Indian,  who 
made  a  back  fire  and  prevented  a  catastrophe.  The  Indian  lit 
the  fire  to  start  up  the  deer.  Mr.  Reyburn  found  a  great  deal 
of  honey.  He  had,  at  one  time,  a  trough  six  feet  in  length  and 
eighteen  inches  in  width,  and  it  was  full  of  the  finest  honey,  and 
the  honey  in  the  comb  was  piled  up  a  foot  and  a  half  or  two 
feet  high.  It  could  not  be  sold  for  anything,  but  the  wax  could 
be  traded  for  tobacco. 

A  few  days  after  Mr.  Reyburn  came  to  Panther  Creek,  where 
he  killed  a  deer ;  he  hung  it  up  and  the  wolves  came  around. 
He  arose  to  drive  them  off,  but  they  only  came  thicker.  At  last 
he  stirred  up  his  fire  and  drove  them  back  with  the  brands. 
The  game  was  plenty  then.  The  deer  came  within  fifty  yards 
of  his  house  to  paw  up  acorns.  During  the  winter  of  the  deep 
snow  he  lived  on  Panther  Creek,  and  frequently  fed  wild  turkeys 
from  his  window.  He  had  a  drove  of  twenty-five  hogs  about 
three  miles  away  on  Panther  Creek,  when  the  heavy  snow  fell. 
They  stayed  there  within  a  space  thirty  feet  across,  for  six  week. 
About  one-half  of  them  were  left  in  good  condition.  The  larger 
hogs  had  eaten  up  the  little  ones.  Mr.  Reyburn,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  another  person,  took  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  made  a 
path  by  hitching  them  to  a  log  and  dragging  it  through  the 
snow.  The  hogs  followed  in  single  file.  Mr.  Reyburn  thinks 
the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  one  of  the  pleasantest  he  ever  spent. 
He  had  plenty  of  wood,  as  he  could  cut  trees  at  his  very  door, 
and  he  had  plenty  to  ear,  and  enjoyed  himself  finely. 

The  county  of  Tazewell  had  various  expenses,  which  had  to 
be  met,  and  soon  the  assessor  and  tax  collector  made  their  ap- 
pearance. Mr.  Reyburn  paid  his  first  tax  in  1830,  and  it 
amounted  to   forty-five   cents.     The    receipt,    which  was  given 


464  OLD   SETTLERS   OF 

him,  was  written  on  a  slip  of  paper  about  seven-eighths  of  an 
inch  in  width  and  three  and  three-fourths  inches  long.  It 
reads  : 

"Rec'd  of  James  G  Raborn  §0.45  in  ful  for  his  county  tax  for 
the  year  1880. 

George  U.  Miles,  D  for 

Philip  B.  Miles.   S.  T.  C." 

Mr  Reyburn  thought  the  tax  very  heavy  at  the  time,  but 
raised  the  money  and  paid  it. 

Mr.  Reyburn  sold  his  claim  on  Panther  Creek,  but  remained 
until  the  Spring  of  1832,  when  he  bought  a  claim  at  Walnut 
Grove. 

During  that  year  he  enlisted  in  Captain  McClure's  company 
and  went  to  the  Black  Hawk  war.  He  went  first  to  Pekin 
and  from  there  to  Dixon's  Ferry.  After  the  affair  at  Stillman's 
Run  he  went  up  with  the  army  to  bury  the  dead,  then  went  to 
Ottawa  and  from  there  to  Indian  Grove  on  Indian  Creek  where 
he  helped  to  bury  the  families  of  Davis,  Hall  and  Pettigrew, 
who  were  murdered  by  the  Indians.  The  latter  had  mutilated 
the  bodies  terribly  and  the  inside  of  the  house  looked  like  a 
slaughter  pen.  About  sixteen  persons  were  killed.  Two  boys 
out  in  the  field  escaped,  and  two  girls  were  taken  prisoners. 
The  corpses  were  buried  in  a  long  pit.  All  but  two  of  them 
had  been  partially  buried  by  the  time  the  soldiers  arrived.  The 
latter  returned  to  Ottawa,  built  a  fort  and  were  shortly  afterwards 
disbanded  and  sent  home.  On  his  return  from  the  Black  Hawk 
war  Mr.  Reyburn  was  married  to  Tabitha  Blair.  Before  this 
important  event  took  place  he  sold  his  gun  to  John  T.  Stuart, 
of  Springfield,  resolved  to  abandon  hunting  and  remain  at  work. 
He  moved  to  Stout's  Grove  in  January,  1837,  a  few  days  after 
the  celebrated  sudden  change  in  the  weather,  which  happened 
the  December  before.  He  then  sold  groceries  at  Stout's 
Grove.  In  1838  he  came  to  what  was  then  called  Concord,  but 
now  is  called  Danvers,  and  there  sold  goods  until  1852,  and 
then  was  out  of  business  for  several  years. 

As  the  West  was  a  wild  country,  many  of  the  dangerous  classes 
came  to  it  from  the  East  for  a  refuge.  The  people  of  the  coun- 
try around  Mosquito  Grove  were  troubled  by  a  gang  of  counter- 
feiters, horse  thieves  and  murderers,  from  about  the  year  1836 


m'lean  county.  465 

to  the  year  1S44.  This  was  a  gang  of  three  men,  Grant  Reddon 
and  his  two  sons  Jack  and  Harrison.  The  country  was  very 
much  disturbed  by  the  depredations  of  these  men.  Horses  were 
stolen  and  many  crimes  committed.  At  one  time  two  peddlers, 
who  were  brothers,  started  out  from  Peoria.  One  of  them  came 
to  Mosquito  Grove  and  was  never  heard  of  more.  His  brother 
traced  him  that  far,  but  could  find  his  track  no  farther.  The 
Reddons  used  the  goods,  which  belonged  to  the  missing  ped- 
dler, and  the  belief  of  foul  play  was  wide-spread.  Neverthe- 
less people  were  so  much  afraid  of  the  Reddons  that  active 
measures  were  not  taken.  Jack  Reddon  was  one  of  the  gang 
who  murdered  Colonel  Davenport,  at  Rock  Island,  many  years 
ao-o.  At  last  the  citizens  rose,  took  their  rifles,  went  to  the 
Reddons'  house  and  made  them  flee  the  country. 

In  about  the  year  1862  Mr.  Reyburn  moved  to  his  farm,  but 
came  back  to  Danvers  in  1865,  and  has  lived  there  ever  since, 
a  part  of  the  time  engaged  in  selling  goods.  The  early  settlers 
were  unused  to  fine  dresses,  as  may  be  supposed,  but  they  could 
dress  in  buckskin,  which  appeared  very  becoming.  Mr  Rey- 
burn says  that  the  finest  suit  of  clothes  he  ever  wore,  were  made 
by  himself  of  buckskin  and  sewed  with  a  whang.  After  awhile 
the  woven  goods  of  the  East  began  to  be  worn.  Mr.  Reyburn 
tells  of  the  wonderful  effect  produced  by  a  calico  dress  worn  by 
a  certain  Miss  Ellis  to  church.  She  was  a  great  belle  for  a 
while  and  her  dress  caused  a  great  sensation.  A.  certain  Ben 
Conger  heard  of  this  dress  and  went  to  church  to  see  it,  and  on 
his  return  was  in  ecstacies  of  delight,  and  said  it  was  blue  calico 
with  a  lot  of  white  specks — never  was  anything  so  beautiful. 

Mr.  Reyburn's  wife  died,  and  he  married  Mrs.  Williams,  a 
Avidow.     He  has  four  children  living.     They  are: 

Sarah  Ann,  wife  of  Henry  Swope,  Ellen,  wife  of  George 
Bunn,  and  Maggie,  wife  of  C.  C.  Rowell,  who  all  live  in  Dan- 
vers.    James  Reyburn,  a  son,  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Mr.  Reyburn  is  a  cheerful  old  gentleman.  He  is  rather  be- 
low the  medium  stature,  was  once  very  active  and  tough,  and 
could  endure  many  hardships.  He  is  slightly  built,  wears 
glasses,  but  appears  in  good  health.  He  takes  great  interest  in 
the  events  of  the  early  settlement.  He  is  a  man  of  much  natural 
shrewdness  and  seems  to  have  succeeded  well  in  life. 
30 


466  old  settlers  of 

Levi  Danlet. 

Levi  Danley  was   born  April  4,  1803,  in    Clark   County,  Ken- 
tucky.    His  father,  Samuel  Danley,  was  of  Irish   descent,  and 
his   mother,  whose   maiden   name  was  Elizabeth  Ele,  was,  he 
thinks,  of  Scotch  descent.     She  was    born  in   Virginia.     Her 
parents  moved  from  there  to  Kentucky  at  an  early  day.    Samuel 
Danley,   his  father,  was  probably  born   in   Kentucky.     When 
Levi  Danley  was  very  young,  he  went  with  his  father's  family  to 
Fleming  County,  Kentucky,  where  he  lived  until  the  year  1817. 
He  lived  in  the  extreme  southeastern  part  of  the  county.     The 
country  was  very  rough   and  mountainous  and  sparsely  settled. 
He  went  to   school    there    and  was   a  pretty  attentive  scholar. 
Although  he  received  very  little  education,  he   did   not  allow 
many  of  the  scholars  to  get  the  start  of  him  in  his  studies,  while 
he  could  attend  school.     In  1817,  in  the  fall,  the  Danley  family 
came  from  Fleming  County,  Kentucky,  to  Illinois.     They  came 
with  a  four-horse  team,  bringing  along  their  cattle   and  hogs. 
Their  journey  was  a  hard  one,  as  they  were  interrupted  by  snow, 
rain  and  mud,  and  could  find  but  little  to  eat  on  the  road,  after 
they  passed  Shawneetown.     They   crossed  the    Ohio  River  at 
Shawneetown,  and  went  from  there  to  a  place  about  nine  miles 
west  of  Carlisle,  and  halted  ou  Shoal  Creek,  where  they  arrived 
sometime  near   Christmas.     They  made   their  winter   quarters 
with  a  man  named  Eades,  and  in   the  spring  they  built  a  cabin 
and  cleared   some  land,  for  which   they  were   allowed  the  first 
crop  as  pay.    Young  Levi  hunted  during  the  first  winter  of  their 
arrival  and  killed  prairie  chickens.  During  the  following  winter 
he  became  old  enough  to  kill  deer. 

During  the  second  spring  of  their  arrival  Mr.  Samuel  Danley 
and  young  Levi  and  his  brother-in-law  went  up  to  what  is  now 
Sangamon  County,  and  made  a  small  improvement.  They  made 
a  pole  camp,  covered  with  elm  bark  like  an  Indian  wigwam. 
His  brother-in-law,  Isaac  Myers,  moved  up  there  in  the  fall,  and 
the  Danley  family  followed  in  the  spring. 

In  1827,  a  few  years  before  the  Black  Hawk  war,  a  great  ex- 
citement was  raised  at  Galena,  and  the  settlers  there  feared  an 
Indian  war,  and  volunteers  were  called  for.  Mr.  Danley  volun- 
teered to  go,  and  enlisted  in   a  body  of  men  commanded  by 


m'lean  county.  467 

Colonel  ISTeal  of  Springfield.  They  went  to  White  Oak  Springs, 
some  six  or  eight  miles  this  side  of  Galena.  There  Mr.  Danley 
was  taken  sick  and  did  not  enjoy  the  excursion  at  all.  The  scare 
of  the  settlers  soon  ceased,  and  the  company  returned.  Mr. 
Danley  thinks  Galena  was  then  almost  as  hard  a  place  as  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah,  for  the  principal  occupation  of  the  people  was 
gambling  and  drinking. 

Mr.  Danley  saw  man}7  Indians,  and  often  traded  and  ran 
foot-races  with  them,  and  wrestled  and  engaged  in  other  athletic 
sports,  for  which  the  Indians  and  early  settlers  "were  remark- 
able. 

Mr.  Danley  lived  in  Sangamon  County  until  February,  1829, 
when  he  came  to  Stout's  Grove,  in  the  east  end,  in  what  is  now 
McLean,  but  then  was  Tazewell  County,  Illinois.  The  land  in 
Illinois  came  into  market  during  October,  1829,  and  then  he 
bought  the  farm,  where  he  settled  and  made  his  permanent 
home,  and  which  he  owns  at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Danley  married  Margaret  McClure  of  Stout's  Grove,  in 
November,  1827.  He  was  then  living  in  Sangamon  County,  and 
did  not  come  to  Stout's  Grove  until  February,  1829,  as  stated. 

The  settlers  usually  complain  of  the  hardships  of  the  winter 
of  the  deep  snow;  but  Mr.  Danley  says  he  never  spent  such  a 
happy  winter  before  or  since.  He  had  luckily  gathered  his  corn, 
and  his  house  was  set  in  order.  He  had  no  work  to  do,  had 
plenty  of  corn,  honey,  milk  and  venison,  and  lived  a  jolly  life. 
On  the  day  before  the  deep  snow  fell,  he  and  his  two  brothers- 
in-law  killed  seven  deer,  but  the  snow  covered  them,  and  the 
hunters  only  succeeded  in  bringing  in  two  of  them.  The  severe 
winter  killed  off  the  deer  and  stopped  Mr.  Danley's  fun  in  hunt- 
ing, but  a  few  years  afterwards  they  again  became  numerous. 

In  1832,  when  the  Black  Hawk  war  broke  out,  Mr.  Danley 
enlisted  in  the  company  commanded  by  Robert  McClure  as 
captain,  and  John  H.  S.  Rhodes  as  first  lieutenant.  They  went 
first  to  Pekin,  from  there  to  Peoria,  and  up  to  Dixon's  Ferry,  on 
the  usual  course.  They  arrived  at  Dixon's  Ferry  in  the  even- 
ing, and  about  midnight  the  soldiers  besran  to  come  in  from 
Stillman's  Run.  Mr.  Danley  was  acquainted  with  many  of  them, 
and  saw  them  just  before  they  went  from  McLean  County.  At 
that  time  they  were  in   high  feather,  and  were  talking  of  what 


468  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

they  were  going  to  do.  Some  were  going  to  have  a  feather  from 
old  Black  Hawk,  and  some  were  going  to  do  something  else  ; 
but  at  midnight,  when  they  came  back  from  Stillman's  Run, 
Mr.  Danley  says  he  heard  no  more  talk  of  capturing  Black 
Hawk's  feathers.  But  though  the  men  were  frightened,  they 
nearly  all  claimed  to  have  killed  two  or  three  Indians,  and  if 
their  accounts  had  been  correct,  none  of  Black  Hawk's  men 
would  have  been  living.  The  next  morning  the  company  to 
which  Mr.  Danley  belonged  was  attached  to  the  spy  battalion, 
commanded  (he  thinks)  by  Major  (afterwards  General)  Henry. 
The  whole  army  moved  forward  up  to  the  scene  of  the  previous 
day's  scrimmage.  The  spy  battalion  was  drilled  to  dismount 
on  meeting  the  enemy,  and  a  few  were  to  hold  the  horses,  while 
the  remainder  went  ahead  into  the  tight.  They  found  and  buried 
the  dead,  both  Indians  and  whites.  The  latter  were  fearfully 
mutilated  and  cut  to  pieces.  Two  of  the  Indians,  who  were 
killed,  were  found  tied  to  a  tree,  and  an  Indian  interpreter  said 
that  this  was  to  indicate  that  the  Indians  would  be  as  firm  as 
that  tree.  They  went  back  to  Dixon's  Ferry  on  the  following 
day,  and  from  there  two  or  three  companies  went  to  Ottawa,  as 
the  people  at  the  latter  place  wished  for  a  guard.  A  man,  named 
Walker,  had  been  sent  from  Ottawa  to  Dixon's  Ferry  for  assist- 
ance. Mr.  Dane's  company  and  one  or  two  others,  he  thinks, 
went  to  Ottawa.  Before  they  reached  that  place,  the}-  learned 
of  the  massacre  of  the  families  of  Davis,  Hall  and  Pettigrew  on 
Indian  Creek,  and  the  next  day,  after  getting  some  rations,  went 
to  the  scene  of  the  murder.  There,  Mr.  Danley  says,  they  found 
the  families  buried  in  a  long  hole,  but  the  dirt  over  them  was 
very  shallow.  They  took  up  the  bodies  and  re-buried  them, 
separating  the  families  as  well  as  they  could  by  the  assistance  of 
two  young  men,  who  succeeded  in  getting  away,  but  who  be- 
longed to  one  of  the  murdered  families.  From  there  the  soldiers 
returned  to  Ottawa,  where  they  were  not  long  afterwards  dis- 
charged and  sent  home. 

When  the  sudden  change  in  the  weather  occurred  in  Decern- 
ber,  1836,  Mr.  Danley  was  going  into  Pekin   with  a   drove  of 
hogs,  and  succeeded  in  taking  them  there  ;  but  his  yoke  of  oxen 
could  not  be  taken  back  home  for  six  weeks,  on  account  of  the 
slippery  condition   of  the  roads,  for  the  whole   country  was  a 


M  LEAN    COUNTY. 


469 


glace  of  ice.  Mr.  Danley  has  led  the  life  of  a  hard  working 
farmer,  and  has  had  no  particular  adventures  since  the  Black 
Hawk  war. 

He  has  six  children  living.  George  W.  Danley  lives  in  Jas- 
per County,  Missouri. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Danley  lives  near  the  northwest  corner 
of  Dry  Grove. 

Samuel  Danley  lives  in  Jasper  County,  Missouri. 

James  H.  Danley  lives  at  Lincoln,  Logan  County,  Illinois. 

John  T.  Danley  lives  in  the  southeastern  edge  of  Stout's 
Grove. 

Hardin  Danley  lives  on  the  old  homestead  at  Stout's  Grove. 

Mr.  Danley  is  a  little  more  than  five  feet  in  height,  is  very 
quick  and  strong.  He  is  very  anxious  to  see  things  done  right, 
and  seems  particularly  anxious  that  the  items,  which  he  has  fur- 
nished, shall  be  correctly  stated,  and  that  no  mistake  shall  be 
made  about  them.  He  is  very  careful  in  all  his  affairs,  and  has 
been  very  successful  in  life.  His  life  has  been  very  regular.  He 
has  not,  since  coming  to  Illinois,  taken  a  drink  of  liquor,  has 
never  drank  a  glass  of  beer  or  smoked  a  segar  or  taken  a  chew 
of  tobacco.  His  rising  hour,  for  nearly  forty  years,  while  work- 
ing a  farm,  was  four  o'clock;  before  that  time  he  had  no  clock, 
and  often  arose  and  hunted  his  oxen,  went  two  miles  to  the 
timber  and  returned  with  a  load  of  rails  by  sunrise. 

The  Conger  Family. 

The  following  incidents  relating  to  the  Conger  family  are 
written  by  Miss  Emma  Conger,  the  daughter  of  Robert  Conger, 
deceased,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  at  Stout's  Grove. 

Isaac  Conger,  an  only  son,  was  born  in  England,  emigrated 
to  America  when  young,  and  settled  near  Mammoth  Cave,  Ken- 
tucky. He  married  Susan  Barnett,  and  they  had  four  sons, 
Jonathan,  Robert,  Benjamin  and  Nicholas.  In  1829  the  family 
emigrated  to  Illinois  and  settled  at  Stout's  Grove,  in  what  is 
now  McLean  County,  Illinois.  Isaac  Conger  and  his  wife  died 
soon  after  coming  here,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three.  Jonathan, 
Robert  and  Nicholas  Conger  made  farms  adjoining  each  other. 
Jonathan  married  Lydia  Howell,  and  they  lived  at  Stout's  Grove 
until  the  year  1848.     Then  they  went  to  Iowa,  again  to  endure 


470  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

the  hardships  of  a  frontier  life.  Jonathan  Conger  died  in  1856. 
His  neighbors  in  McLean  County  tell  a  story  of  him,  which 
shows  the  condition  of  things  in  the  early  days.  He  went  on 
horseback  to  Bowling  Green  after  a  sack  of  salt.  The  wolves 
chased  him,  and  he  made  as  good  time  as  some  of  the  brave 
soldiers  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  When  he  had  nearly  reached 
home,  he  said  to  one  of  his  neighbors,  "  I  tell  you,  they  were 
coming,  and  oh!  they  looked  so  savage — I  barely  escaped  with 
my  life  !"  His  fright  was  the  subject  of  much  merriment,  for 
the  old  settlers  did  not  fear  the  wolves,  and  were  anxious  only 
to  catch  them. 

Benjamin  Conger  was  a  great  hunter.  One  day  while  out  in 
the  grove  he  saw  several  deer  coming  towards  him.  As  he  had 
no  gun  with  him  he  concealed  himself  behind  a  tree.  When 
they  passed  him  he  threw  his  knife  wTith  all  force  and  killed  one 
of  then  instantly. 

Xicholas  Conger  improved  his  farm  and  built  what  was 
considered  a  nice  house  in  those  days.  He  was  to  have  been 
married  shortly  afterwards,  but  was  taken  sick  and  died.  This 
wTas  in  the  year  1840.  He  was  an  industrious  and  promising 
young  man  and  a  good  citizen. 

Robert  Conger,  my  father,  married  Xancy  Howell,  my  mother, 
in  the  year  1886.  He  lived  for  thirty  years  on  the  farm,  which 
he  first  improved  in  Stout's  Grove.  He  died  in  the  year  1860, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-six,  leaving  a  wife  and  nine  children,  three 
sons  and  six  daughters. 

My  father  was  an  old  school-mate  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in 
Kentucky,  and  my  mother  also  attended  school  with  Lincoln 
near  Springfield,  Illinois.  When  I  was  quite  a  little  girl  I  was 
with  father  in  Bloomington  when  he  met  Mr.  Lincoln.  The 
latter  said  :  "  How  d' you  do,  Bob?"  Father  then  told  me  that 
Lincoln  was  a  lawyer  in  Springfield,  and  that  he  was  a  good 
man. 

Father  once  told  me  of  Fphraim  Stout,  the  man  from  whom 
Stout's  Grove  took  its  name.  Shortly  after  my  father's  arrival 
in  the  country  he  happened  to  be  at  Mr.  Stout's  cabin  in  the 
evening  at  supper  time.  Their  table  had  no  cloth  on  it,  nothing 
but  pewter  plates  and   some   mush   and  milk,  which  the  family 


m'lean  county.  471 

were  eating.  The  old  gentleman  was  on  the  hearth  eating  with 
a  large  iron  spoon  out  of  a  kettle. 

After  the  death  of  my  father  our  family  continued  to  live  at 
the  home  place.  Five  }-ears  after  his  death  my  mother  and  one 
of  my  sisters  died.  The  family  remained  together  two  years 
longer.  Then  our  house  caught  fire  and  burned  to  the  ground, 
and  the  family  separated.  The  associations  of  our  early  home 
in  McLean  County,  have  made  it  very  dear  to  us  all.  It  was 
there  we  listened  to  our  parents  as  they  told  us  the  hardships  of 
their  early  lives.  I  have  often  heard  my  mother  speak  of  her 
fear  of  the  Indians';  but  she  would  add,  that  notwithstanding 
all  her  trials,  those  early  days  were  full  of  happiness.  It  was 
great  sport  for  her  to  go  to  the  sugar  camp  and  help  make 
maple  sugar,  and  eat  it,  too,  I  suppose.  She  would  tell  how  she 
spun  her  dozen  cuts  of  yarn  in  one  day  and  did  her  housework 
besides.  Some  young  ladies  would  blush  to  tell  this  of  their 
mothers,  but  I  refer  to  it  with  pride,  for  labor  was  no  disgrace 
in  those  days  and  ought  not  to  be  now. 

Such  is  the  entertaining  and  very  pretty  account  of  the  Con- 
ger family,  given  by  Miss  Conger;  and  we  are  sure  our  readers 
would  be  glad  to  have  many  such.  This  family  was  among  the 
earliest  and  most  respected  at  Stout's  Grove,  and  among  the  best 
known  in  this  section  of  the  country. 

Israel  W.  Hall. 

Israel  W.  Hall  was  born  February  5,  1799,  in  Salem,  Rock- 
ingham County,  jSTew  Hampshire.  His  father's  name  was  Joseph 
Hall,  and  his  mother's' maiden  name  was  Hester  Woodbury. 
The}-  were  both  of  English  descent.  Israel  W.  Hall  became  a 
shoemaker  by  trade.  In  1834  he  came  to  the  west  and  settled 
where  now  the  town  of  Danvers  stands,  in  McLean  County, 
Illinois.  He  started  for  the  West  from  Nashua,  New  Hampshire, 
traveled  by  canal  and  steamboat  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  there 
bought  a  team,  and  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois.  In  about 
the  year  1885,  Mr.  Hall  and  Matthew  Robb  laid  off  the  town  of 
Concord,  (now  Danvers.)  The  village  settled  up  slowly.  Mr. 
Hall  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the  first  postmaster  of  the 
place.  The  office  was  called  Stout's  Grove  Postofiice,  but  was 
changed  to  Danvers,  which  became  the  name  of  the  village.  The 


472  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

postoffice  was  not  established  until  1848  or  '49,  because  of  a 
postoffice  at  the  neighboring  town  of  "Wilkesborough.  Mr. 
Hall  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  for  fifteen 
years  his  house  was  a  preaching  place  for  that  denomination. 
Rev.  Zadoc  Hall  was  one  of  the  early  preachers,  who  held  meet- 
ings there. 

On  the  27th  of  April,  1834,  Israel  W.  Hall  married  Polly 
Stickney  in  Salem,  N.  H.  He  had  three  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living.     They  are  : 

Alice  W.,  wife  of  Jacob  McClure,  lives  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Otis  T.  Hall  lives  on  the  honiestead  place  in  Danvers. 

Cynthia  H.,  wife  of  John  Morrison,  lives  on  a  part  of  the 
homestead  farm. 

Mr.  Hall  was  about  five  feet  and  eight  inches  in  height.  He 
was  a  good  man,  honest  and  fair-minded,  and  had  the  respect  of 
his  neighbors.     He  died  January  3,  1865. 

Jeremiah  S.  Hall. 

Jeremiah  S,  Hall,  brother  of  Israel  W.  Hall,  was  born  April 
21,  1809,  in  Salem,  Rockingham  County,  New  Hampshire.  He 
lived  in  his  native  village  until  the  age  of  seventeen,  when  he 
went  to  Boston,  to  learn  the  bricklayer's  trade.  He  was  in  that 
city  when  the  great  celebration  of  1826  occurred,  making  the 
fifteenth  anniversary  of  American  independence.  The  exercises 
were  held  on  Boston  common,  and  an  immense  crowd  was  in  at- 
tendance. On  that  day  John  Adams  said  in  the  morning  :  "I 
have  lived  to  see  another  fourth  of  July."  But  before  the  day 
was  ended  the  bells  of  Boston  were  tolling  for  his  death.  On 
that  day  also,  another  Ex-President,  Thomas  Jefferson,  died  ; 
but,  as  the  telegraph  was  then  unknown,  the  news  did  not  reach 
Boston  until  the  middle  of  the  week. 

Mr.  Hall  remained  in  Boston  for  three  summers,  working  at 
the  brick-layer's  trade,  and  also  in  a  shoe-factory.  He  worked 
in  various  towns  in  New  England.  On  the  16th  of  October, 
1834,  he  started  for  Illinois.  He  came  from  Nashua,  N.  H.,  to 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  by  stage,  and  thence  to  Buffalo  by  canal.  From 
the  latter  place  they  started  on  board  of  a  steamboat  for  Detroit, 
Michigan.  They  were  delayed  by  a  severe  storm,  and  Mrs.  Hall 
had  an  experience  with  sea  sickness  which  she  yet  remembers. 


m'lean  county.  473 

At  Detroit  they  took  stage  for  Chicago,  traveling  through  mud 
and  water,  and  after  a  fearful  ride  arrived  at  their  destination 
November  7.  After  a  short  stay  at  Chicago  he  came  to  McLean 
County,  arriving  in  December.  lie  traveled  here  in  his  own 
wagon.  His  family  boarded  for  a  while  with  Mr.  Francis  Bar- 
nard at  Dry  Grove.  Mr.  Hall  soon  went  to  farming  just  west 
of  where  he  now  lives,  in  the  edge  of  the  village  of  Danvers. 
His  was  one  of  the  first  prairie  farms,  and  he  was  much  ridiculed 
for  leaving  the  timber  ;  but  he  held  to  the  land,  and  it  is  now 
worth  sixtj'-five  dollers  per  acre. 

In  September,  1844,  Mr.  Hall  met  with  a  strange  accident, 
which  has  puzzled  the  physicians.  While  riding  through  tim- 
ber and  under  brush  he  had  a  thorn  pressed  into  the  joint  of 
the  middle  finger  of  his  right  hand.  The  thorn  was  removed 
but  a  part  of  the  point  remained.  The  finger  became  so  much 
inflamed  that  Mr.  Hall  was  thrown  into  spasms  of  pain,  and  he 
narrowly  escaped  lock-jaw.  The  finger  was  amputated,  but  he 
has  never  entirely  recovered.  His  nervous  system  received  so 
severe  a  shock  that  at  the  present  time  he  is  liable  to  become 
stiff  and  rigid  when  any  undue  excitement  occurs,  or  when  he 
falls  into -any  unusual  attitude.  His  case  is  a  puzzle  to  the  doc- 
tors, who  disagree  concerning  it. 

On  the  24th  of  April,  1832,  Mr.  Hall  married  Miss  Jane 
Combs  in  Nashua,  New  Hampshire.  They  have  had  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  are  living.     They  are  : 

Hannah,  Wilburn  and  George.  The  two  latter  are  married 
and  George  lives  in  Nebraska.  The  eldest  son,  Edward  W. 
Hall  was  killed  in  the  army  at  Jackson,  Mississippi.  He  was 
first  lieutenant  of  Company  B,  3d  Iowa,  but  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  in  command  of  Company  I.  He  was  wounded  and 
captured,  and  died  a  few  hours  after.  The  fight  was  known  as 
Lauman's  unsuccessful  charge. 

Jeremiah  Hall  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  is 
stoutly  built  and  has  a  sanguine  complexion.  He  is  healthy  in 
his  appearance,  but  his  nerves  are  shattered  by  the  severe  pain 
of  which  an  account  is  given  above.  He  appears  to  be  a  man 
of  correct  judgment,  and  is  faithful  to  his  trust.  His  head  is 
partially  bald,  and  he  seems  to  have  a  good  development  of 
brain.     His   eyes  have  a   clear,   pretty   expression  when  he  is 


474  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

amused,  and  he  is  usually  pleased  at  any  kind  of  burlesque. 
He  wishes  it  understood  that  he  has  never  been  a  fisherman,  a 
hunter,  or  an  office-seeker,  but  has  succeeded  well.  He  is  a 
substantial  American  citizen. 

John  Hay. 

John  Ha}-  was  born  March  18,  1797,  in  Washington  County, 
Virginia,  near  Abington.  His  father's  name  was  Peter  Hay 
and  his  mother's  name  was  Elizabeth  Finle}\  Peter  Hay  was 
born  and  raised  in  Boston  and  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
Elizabeth  Finley  was  of  the  same  descent,  but  was  born  and 
raised  in  Virginia.  Peter  Play  was  not  old  enough  to  take  part 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  but  his  eldest  brother  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Continental  army.  Plis  father's  orchard,  near  Charlestown, 
was  destroyed  by  the  British. 

John  Hay  lived  only  four  years  in  Virginia,  where  he  was 
born.  In  about  the  year  1801  the  family  moved  to  Logan 
County  Kentucky.  They  lived  there  and  in  Todd  County  until 
about  the  year  1819,  when  they  moved  to  Christian  County. 
Nothing  of  importance  happened  there  except  that  at  one  time 
the  people  were  uuiversally  alarmed  lest  the  negroes  should  rise 
in  insurrection.  In  the  spring  of  1834  he  came  to  McLean 
Count}-  and  bought  land,  but  did  not  move  out  his  family  until 
the  spring  of  1835.  He  settled  on  the  farm  where  John  Short- 
hoes  now  lives,  near  Wilkesborough,  in  the  present  township 
of  Dry  Grove. 

Mr.  Hay  has  experienced  the  hardships  of  the  old  settlers, 
and  has  enjoyed  their  sports.  He  remembers  particularly  of  a 
grand  hunt  in  which  the  settlers  from  all  over  the  country  par- 
ticipated. Some  of  the  hunters  ran  down  a  deer  about  four 
miles  north  of  Bloomington,  tied  it  to  the  tail  of  a  roan  horse 
belonging  to  Dr.  John  F.  Henry  and  brought  it  home  in  tri- 
umph. 

On  the  25th  of  October.  1821,  Mr.  Hay  married  Celia  Kille- 
brew.  By  this  marriage  nine  children  were  born  and  three  are 
living.     They  are  : 

Samuel  F.  Hay,  who  lives  just  west  of  his  father's  in  Dan- 
vers  township. 


m'lean  county.  475 

Peter  G.  Ha}-,  who  lives  in  Tazewell  County,  just  across  the 
line  from  McLean. 

Susan  G.,  wife  of  George  Moe,  lives  with  her  father.  She 
is  a  remarkably  pleasant  and  entertaining  lady,  and  everyone 
in  her  presence  feels  the  effect  of  her  good  nature  and  her  hap- 
py spirits. 

Mrs.  Hay  died  August  9,  1840.  On  the  19th  of  October, 
1841,  Mr.  Hay  married  Sarah  A.  Daniel.  By  this  marriage  he 
had  two  children,  of  whom  one  is  living.  She  is  AphiaK.  Hay, 
and  lives  at  home  with  her  father. 

On  the  21st  of  February,  1860,  Mr.  Hay  married  Mrs.  Cyn- 
thia Rowell,  of  Danvers  township,  who  died  November  0,  1866. 
No  children  by  this  marriage. 

Mr.  Hay  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height.  He  has 
a  full  face  with  a  complexion  somewhat  sanguine.  His  hair  is 
white  and  his  eyes  are  gray.  He  is  a  man  of  the  best  of  feel- 
ing and  the  kindest  of  manner.  He  is  careful  and  straight- 
forward  in  all  things,  and  is  anxious  to  do  only  what  is  fair  with 
his  neighbors.  He  seems  to  have  been  successful  in  his  financial 
matters. 

George  F.  Hay. 

George  F.  Hay,  brother  of  John  Ha}T,  was  born  September 
18,  1814,  in  Todd  County,  Kentucky.  In  about  the  year  1819, 
the  family  moved  to  Christian  County,  just  west,  and  there  lived 
until  George  Hay  came  farther  west.  Mr.  Hay  received  his 
common  education  in  Kentuckv.  For  a  while  he  attended  a 
grammar  school,  which  was  conducted  on  the  Lancasterian  plan. 
By  this  plan  the  teacher  parsed  the  words  and  the  scholars  re- 
peated his  parsing.  After  teaching  grammar  for  sixty  days  he 
warranted  all  his  scholars  perfect.  He  had  a  great  examination 
at  the  close  of  the  school,  and  the  whole  neighborhood  was  ex- 
cited and  glad  to  learn  that  the  children  understood  grammar. 
Mr.  Hay  took  quite  an  interest  in  mathematics,  studied  survey- 
ing and  obtained  a  very  good  common  education.  He  tells  of  a 
queer  adventure  in  which  he  was  engaged  while  attending  a 
school  at  Bluewater,  Kentucky.  The  streams  of  water  in  that 
region  of  countrv  often  ran  under  ground,  and  were  carried 
along  on    beds   of  rock   below   the    surface.     Sometimes   they 


476  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

formed  by  this  means  extended  caverns  through  the  rocks.  One 
of  these  streams  ran  under  the  ground  near  Bluewater  Spring, 
where  Mr.  Hay  attended  school.  But  sometimes  the  under- 
ground stream  became  so  full  of  water  that  it  would  gush  up 
and  flow  over  the  ground  for  a  long  distance.  At  other  seasons 
of  the  year  the  underground  stream  had  very  little  water  in  it, 
and  the  opening  then  became  an  extended  cave  with  a  rivulet 
running  through  it.  Mr.  Hay  and  a  companion  once  went 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  through  the  cave  formed  by  this  under- 
ground stream.  They  took  a  lantern  with  them  and  traveled 
over  rocks  and  through  crevices  with  the  water  plashing  by 
their  sides.  At  last  they  saw  daylight  streaming  down  from  the 
opening  near  the  Bluewater  Spring.  As  they  came  up  they 
found  the  teacher  of  the  school  and  many  of  the  scholars  wait- 
ing for  them  ;  for  the  determination  of  these  adventurous  youths 
to  explore  the  underground  water  course  had  become  known. 
The  teacher  put  a  stop  to  any  further  expeditions. 

In  1834  Mr.  Hay  came  to  Illinois  and  arrived  at  Walnut 
Grove,  in  what  was  then  McLean  County,  on  the  20th  of  Octo- 
ber. This  grove  is  now  included  in  Woodford  County.  On  the 
13th  of  April  following  Mr.  Hay  came  to  Dry  Grove.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1836,  he  was  made  Deputy  Surveyor  under  Major  Dicka- 
son.  He  surveyed  a  great  many  little  towns,  laid  out  Miller's 
addition  to  Bloomington,  and  also  Foster's  and  White's  addi- 
tions. The  difficulties  of  surveying  in  the  early  days  were 
great,  for  it  was  hard  to  move  from  point  to  point.  The  streams 
were  often  swollen  and  the  crossings  were  usually  fords.  Mr. 
Hay  was  once  with  a  party  of  surveyors  on  the  north  of  the 
Mackinaw.  A  heavy  rain  suddenly  fell,  and  that  treacherous 
stream  became  high.  The  party  returned  in  a  canoe  by  making 
many  trips,  and  their  horses  swam.  When  Mr.  Hay  was  on  his 
wa}-  to  lay  off  Miller's  addition  to  Bloomington  he  found  the 
streams  high,  the  bridges  overflowed  and  some  of  the  planks 
floated  off.  He  walked  over  the  bridges,  pressing  down  the 
floating  planks,  stepping  over  the  open  spaces  and  holding  the 
halter  of  his  horse  as  the  animal  swam  across  below.  It  was 
Mr.  Hay's  duty  to  attend  to  all  surve}Ting  between  ranges  one 
and  two  east  of  the  third  principal  meridian. 


m'lean  county.  477 

Mr.  Hay  tells  a  curious  circumstance  concerning  the  sudden 
change  of  December,  1836,  which  has  never  before  been  related. 
He  prepared  a  place  for  his  pigs  to  sleep,  about  forty  or  fifty 
rods  from  where  they  were  fed.  When  the  sudden  change  came 
they  started  for  their  bed,  but  some  of  them  froze  to  death  in 
the  path  on  the  way.  Mr.  Hay  rode  three  miles,  after  the  sud- 
den change  took  place,  but  he  had  the  wind  to  his  back  and  did 
not  suffer  so  much  in  consequence.  A  traveler  who  was  caught  out 
in  that  sudden  change  walked  a  mile,  and  arrived  at  Peter  Mc- 
Cullough's  house  in  Dry  Grove.  The  ice  collected  on  him,  as 
the  freezing  water  and  slush  splashed  up,  and  his  parts  were  so 
stiffened  that  he  moved  with  difficulty. 

When  the  country  in  the  West  became  so  settled  that  plenty 
of  wheat  and  corn  was  raised,  the  sandhill  cranes  became  nu- 
merous. Mr.  Hay  was  once  crossing  the  prairie  towards  White 
Oak  Grove,  when  he  saw  a  young  crane,  and  attempted  to  catch 
it.  But  the  old  birds  defended  it  so  vigorously  that  he  gave  it 
up  as  a  bad  job.  Their  appearance  is  fierce,  and  their  sharp 
bills  and  long  necks  make  them  dangerous  when  wounded  or 
while  defending  their  young. 

Mr.  Hay  has  been  on  many  hunting  expeditions,  as  all  settlers 
have,  and  has  seen  the  dangers  of  the  chase.  William  McCul- 
lough  was  once  chasing  a  wolf,  when  his  horse  stepped  into  a 
gopher's  hole,  and  the  fall  broke  the  animal's  neck. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  1836,  Mr.  Hay  married  Elizabeth  Ann 
McCullough,  daughter  of  Peter  McCullough,  the  first  permanent 
settler  in  Dry  Grove.  She  is  a  lady  of  fine  feeling.  They  have 
had  one  child,  Elizabeth  Lavina,  wife  of  John  W.  Owen.  She 
lives  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  her  father's,  on  the  old  Surface 
farm  adjoining  Wilkesborough. 

Mr.  Hay  is  a  man  of  the  kindest  disposition  and  the  strictest 
integrity.  He  is  about  five  feet  and  a  half  in  height,  has  a 
heavy  head  of  hair,  is  sparse  in  build,  but  healthy  and  active. 
He  seems  to  have  had  fair  success  in  the  world.  He  takes 
pleasure  in  exercising  that  hospitality  for  which  the  old  settlers 
are  distinguished. 


478  old  settlers  of 

Jonathan  Bond  Warlow. 

Jonathan  B.  Warlow  was  born  June  21,  1814,  in  Northamp- 
ton, Massachusetts.  His  father's  name  was  Benjamin  Warlow, 
and  his  mother's  name,  before  her  marriage,  was  Elizabeth  Bond. 
They  were  partly  of  English  descent.  Benjamin  Warlow  was 
a  bootmaker  by  trade.  He  served  his  apprenticeship,  which 
was  seven  years  and  six  months,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  but 
as  soon  as  it  was  ended  he  went  off  as  a  sailor  on  the  ocean.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Bond  in  Boston.  During  the  war  of  1812  he 
was  drafted  and  sent  to  Montreal,  but  was  never  in  any  engage- 
ment. In  March,  1817,  he  went  to  Oneida  County,  New  York, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  work  of  making  fine  boots.  He  was 
not  "well-to-do"  in  the  world,  and  wished  to  make  some  change 
to  better  his  condition.  Before  he  went  to  New  York  city,  at 
one  time,  he  had  his  fortune  told,  and  it  was  predicted  that  he 
would  emigrate  to  the  West  and  do  well.  He  went  home  and 
considered  the  matter  seriously.  His  brother  wished  him  to  go 
to  New  York  city.  Benjamin  Warlow  packed  up  his  goods  to 
go  to  New  York  citv  or  the  West — he  knew  not  which.  He 
waited  for  two  weeks  for  some  word  from  his  brother ;  at  last 
he  placed  a  stick  upright  on  the  ground,  and  resolved  to  go 
whichever  way  it  fell.  This  was  on  the  bank  of  the  Erie  canal. 
It  struck  the  ground  on   the  western  side.     Soon   afterwards  a 


»j 


canal  boat  came  along  and  he  loaded  on  his  goods  and  started 
for  the  great  West.  He  had  sixtv  dollars  when  he  started. 
When  he  arrived  at  Painesville,  Ohio,  he  had  only  thirty-seven 
and  a  half  cents.  He  commenced  chopping  wood,  and  hired 
out  his  boys  for  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents  per  day.  There 
they  were  joined  by  Joshua  Bond,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Warlow. 
After  remaining  for  three  months  the}'  all  went  to  Pickaway 
Countv,  where  Mr.  Bond  bought  a  farm  and  Mr.  Warlow  worked 
it.  Joshua  Bond  was  a  bachelor.  He  taught  music  and  danc- 
ing, was  as  polite  as  a  Frenchman,  made  a  great  deal  of  money 
and  spent  it  freely.  He  usually  went  south  during  the  winter 
and  came  up  to  Ohio  and  stayed  with  the  Warlows  during  the 
summer.  In  1834  the  Warlow  family  came  to  Illinois  with  two 
wagons.  One  was  drawn  by  a  span  of  horses,  and  the  other  was 
drawn  by  a  yoke  of  muley  cattle  and  a  span  of  horses  on  the 


m'lean  county.  479 

lead.  There  were  ten  in  the  party  :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warlow  and 
their  six  children,  and  Joshua  Bond  and  his  hired  man.  They 
camped  out  only  once,  about  six  miles  this  side  of  the  Sanga- 
mon River.  There  they  had  two  crackers  for  supper  and  one 
cracker  a  piece  in  the  morning.  They  came  on  to  Bloomington, 
where  they  arrived  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  It  was 
then  a  very  insignificant  little  place.  The  tavern  was  kept  by  a 
man  named  Caleb.  No  bell  or  gong  was  kept,  but  a  steel  bar 
was  suspended  by  a  string,  and  each  morniug  the  servant  girl 
beat  it  with  her  pot-hooks  to  call  up  the  boarders.  Mr.  Bond 
bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land  for  one  thousand  dollars,  and 
entered  eighty  acres  more.  On  this  land  Mr.  Warlow,  sr.,  lived 
for  two  years,  and  then  moved  to  land  of  his  own,  in  what  is  now 
Allin  township,  immediately  west  of  Richard  A.  Warlow's  resi- 
dence. He  bought  of  Joshua  Bond  eighty  acres  of  timber  land 
in  Brown's  Grove.  This  was  land  which  Bond  had  entered  on 
his  arrival.  It  was  situated  in  the  middle  of  the  grove.  It 
seems  that  the  settlers,  who  had  come  in,  entered  land  around 
the  grove,  but  forbore  to  enter  this,  as  they  all  used  timber  from 
it  at  Uncle  Sam's  expense.  Warlow  bought  it  of  Bond  for  four 
dollars  per  acre. 

Jonathan  Warlow  attended  at  Dry  Grove  a  school  taught  by 
Milton  Williams.  The  scholars  all  studied  aloud  and  shouted 
their  lessons,  while  the  schoolmaster  read  his  paper  and  smoked 
his  pipe  by  the  fire.  Mr.  Warlow  has  seen  the  difficulties  and 
troubles  of  the  early  settlers.  He  sold  pork  in  Pekin  for  one 
dollar  and  a  quarter  per  hundred,  and  took  his  pay  in  trade,  but 
was  not  allowed  to  take  all  his  trade  in  groceries.  He  was  often 
obliged  to  live  for  long  periods  on  corn  and  potatoes,  as  it  was 
impossible  sometimes  to  get  grinding  done.  He  has  also  made 
the  usual  trips  to  Chicago,  where  he  sold  wheat  for  forty-five 
cents  per  bushel. 

He  married,  November  15,  1838,  Catherine  Bartlett  Hay, 
who  came  from  Christian  County,  Kentucky,  with  her  brother, 
John  Hay.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warlow  live  in  Dauvers  township. 
They  have  had  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  living,  five 
daughters  and  one  son. 

Elizabeth  Warlow  lives  at  home  with  her  parents. 

Mary  M.,  wife  of  Jesse  Brainard,  lives  in  Dry  Grove. 


480  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

George  L.,  Celia  Jane,  Adelpha  P.  B.  and  Ida  Catherine 
Warlow,  the  baby,  all  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Warlow  is  about  five  feet  and  eleven  inches  in  height. 
His  hair  is  white,,  and  stands  up  from  his  head.  He  has  a  promi- 
nent nose  and  light  gray  eyes.  He  has  rather  a  sanguine  tem- 
perament, and  he  likes  to  tell  funny  things.  He  has  been  very 
successful  in  life  and  is  hospitable  and  kind. 

DOWNS  TOWNSHIP. 

Lawson  Downs. 

Lawson  Downs  was  born  about  the  vear  1809,  near  Nash- 
ville,  Tennessee,  where  he  lived  until  he  was  nine  years  of  age. 
Then  his  parents  moved  to  White  County,  Illinois,  and  there 
Lawson  Downs  remained  until  he  was  grown.  In  the  year  1829 
he  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois,  and  entered  his  land  in  the 
present  township  of  Downs.  He  was  accustomed  to  raise  pigs 
in  the  timber,  which  were  so  wild,  that  when  he  fattened  them, 
he  threw  down  corn  and  went  away,  or  they  would  never  eat  it. 
When  they  were  fat  he  hunted  them  with  his  rifle  and  shot 
them  in  the  timber. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  Lawson  Downs  had  his 
sheep  covered  by  the  snow,  but  he  found  them  by  looking  for 
the  holes  which  their  breath  melted  up  through  the  crust.  In 
order  to  get  wood  during  that  memorable  winter,  he  was  obliged 
to  shovel  his  way  to  a  tree,  cut  it  down  and  haul  it  in  with 
oxen. 

Lawson  Downs  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  having  been 
out  thirty  days  under  Covel.  For  this  service  he  afterwards  ob- 
tained a  warrant  for  a  quarter  section  of  land.  He  sold  the 
warrant  cheap  and  never  located  the  land. 

Lawson  Downs  and  Henry  Jacoby  hauled  goods  to  Bloom- 
ington,  for  James  Allin,  at  an  early  day.  It  was  great  work 
and  small  pay.  It  was  very  hard,  in  early  days,  to  earn  a  little 
money,  but  it  would  buy  a  great  deal.  One  dollar  and  a 
quarter  would  buy  an  acre  of  land. 

The  prairie  grass  in  the  early  days  was  as  high  as  a  man's 
head  while  riding  on  horseback.  While  hunting  for  game,  the 
dogs,  being  down  on  the  ground,  could  not  see  far.     Mr.  Downs 


m'lean  county.  481 

hunted  with  a  greyhound  belonging  to  Henry  Jacoby.  Downs 
would  look  ahead  and  see  the  wolf  or  deer  running  through  the 
grass,  and  would  tell  the  hound  to  jump  on  the  horse.  It  would 
do  so,  and  Downs  would  point  out  the  game.  The  dog  would 
immediately  take  after  it,  and  was  sure  to  bring  it  down. 

Mr.  Downs  was  something  of  a  hunter.  He  hunted  bees  in 
the  fall,  and  he  trapped  otter  on  the  Kickapoo.  He  often  trap- 
ped wolves.  Atone  time  he  found  in  his  trap  not  one  of  the 
large  wolves,  but  one  of  his  neighbors'  black  hogs.  This  was, 
indeed,  "  catching  the  wrong  pig  by  the  ear." 

During  the  sudden  change  in  December,  1836,  many  of  Mr. 
Downs'  sheep  and  hogs  froze  fast  in  the  slush,  and  many  chick- 
ens had  their  feet  frozen  in  it. 

Lawson  Downs  was  married  in  1836  to  Sarah  Welch.  He 
had  nine  children,  all  boys,  six  of  whom  grew  up  to  manhood. 
They  are  : 

William  G.  Downs,  who  lives  near  Paoli  in  Miami  County, 
Kansas.  He  is  rather  a  large,  fine-looking  man.  During  the 
war  he  was  a  captain  in  the  Thirty-ninth  Illinois  Infantry. 

George  W.' Downs  now  lives  at  Diamond  Grove.  He  is  a 
man  of  medium  stature,  has  black  hair  and  dark,  expressive 
eyes.  He  served  three  years  during  the  war  as  a  private  in  the 
Ninety- fourth  Illinois. 

John  D.  Downs  is  a  man  of  medium  size  and  light  com- 
plexion. He  was  not  old  enough  to  get  into  the  army.  He  lives 
about  three  miles  south  of  Gillem  Station  in  Downs  township. 

Solomon  F.  Downs  lives  near  Cheney's  Grove. 

Albert  P.  and  Alfred  E.  Downs  live  with  their  brother  George 
at  Diamond  Grove. 

Lawson  Downs  was  slenderly  built,  and  had  a  dark  though 
rather  sanguine  complexion.  He  was  rather  slow  to  make  up 
his  mind,  but  when  he  had  it  once  made  up  it  was  not  easily 
changed.  He  was  universally  respected  as  an  honest,  upright 
citizen,  and  the  township  of  Downs  was  named  after  him.  He 
was  no  respecter  of  persons,  except  as  they  deserved  respect  by 
their  ability  or  goodness  of  heart.     He  died  September  7,  1860. 


31 


482  old  settlers  of 

William  "Weaver. 

William  Weaver  was  born  February  10,  1783,  in  Lee  Coun- 
ty, Virginia.  He  was  of  English  descent.  His  father  came 
from  England  at  a  very  early  day,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war  and  served  under  General  Green. 

William  Weaver  received  the  little  education  he  had  at 
home.  When  he  grew  to  manhood  he  made  a  profession  of  re- 
ligion and  became  a  Baptist  preacher.  In  the'  fall  of  1831  he 
came  to  Washington  County,  Illinois.  In  the  fall  of  1832  he 
settled  in  Old  Town  timber,  McLean  County,  near  the  present 
line  between  Downs  and  Old  Town,  and  there  he  lived  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  September  3,  1838.  He  was  accustomed 
to  preach  in  the  first  school  house  in  Empire  township.  When 
he  came  to  McLean  County  he  brought  about  sixty  head  of  cat- 
tle to  stock  the  farm  which  he  opened  up.  He  was  the  first 
farmer  who  brought  any  grafted  fruit  to  the  county  ;  this  he  ob- 
tained from  Curtis'  Nursery  in  Edgar  County,  on  the  Wabash. 

The  settlers  were  greatly  annoyed  by  fires  on  the  prairie,  and 
made  use  of  all  means  to  protect  their  farms  from  destruction. 
The  settlers  in  the  southwestern  edge  of  Old  Town  timber  were 
protected  by  a  wide  slough,  and  could  fight  the  fire  successfully. 

The  following  anecdote  is  given  in  the  language  of  one  of 
the  sons  of  the  early  settlers  : 

"  About  the  year  1843  a  certain  would-be  prophet,  named 
Miller,  upon  whom  the  mantle  of  Elijah  did  not  fall,  predicted 
that  on  a  certain  day  the  world  would  come  to  an  end.  As  the 
time  approached  for  the  termination  of  sublunary  affairs,  more 
or  less  excitement  prevailed.  On  the  south  side  of  Old  Town 
timber,  and  not  far  from  where  the  village  of  Downs  now  stands, 
lived  a  boy  named  Mark  C ,  who  was  much  affected  by  Mil- 
ler's prediction.  About  a  mile  south  of  Old  Town  timber,  and 
running  parallel  with  it,  was  a  broad  marshy  slough,  which  then 
afforded  water  the  year  round  during  the  ordinary  seasons.  Be- 
tween this  slough  and  the  timber  were  located  the  most  of  the 
farms  of  the  early  settlers,  and  as  each  succeeding  year  the 
autumnal  fires  swept  over  the  prairies,  stretching  twenty  miles 
away  to  the  south,  the  settlers  relied  mainly  upon  this  slough  to 
save  their  farms  from  destruction.  One  day,  while  the  excite- 
ment aroused  by  Miller  was  at  its  height,  Mark  and  a  neighbor 


m'lean  COUNTY.  483 

boy,  who  unfortunately  lived  on  the  other  side  of  the  little 
stream,  were  diceussing  the  probabilities  of  the  impending 
judgment  when  the  tire  of  the  Lord  should  come  upon  them  and 
wrap  the  world  in  flames.  Suddenly  a  new  idea  seemed  to  strike 
Mark.  Thinking  of  the  slough,  he  exclaimed  with  joy  and  re- 
assurance :  'Well,  thank  God,  it  can't  get  to  our  house;  it  can't 
cross  the  big  slough  !" 

It  was  many  years  after  the  tirst  settlement  of  the  country  be- 
fore the  people  could  believe  that  the  prairies  would  be  worth 
anything.  John  Hendrix  was  among  the  first  to  see  the  rich- 
ness and  utility  of  the  prairies.  While  he  and  John  Benson 
and  John  Rhodes  were  once  discussing  the  matter  it  seemed  to 
be  their  opinion  that  if  the  edges  of  the  groves  could  be  settled 
that  would  be  all  they  could  expect.  But  Hendrix  said  :  "I 
don't  know  about  that,  boys.     This  is  mighty  rich  prairie." 

Joseph  Weaver  was  known  among  the  settlers  as  "Old  Fath- 
er Weaver."  He  was  five  feet  and  eight  inches  in  height,  had  a 
quick,  lively  step,  and  never  used  a  cane.  He  was  full  of  fun 
and  good  humor.  He  died  of  congestive  chills,  and,  it  is 
thought,  some  disease  of  the  spine.  He  married,  December  12, 
1803,  Mary  Sims.  He  had  thirteen  children,  twelve  of  whom 
lived  to  grow  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  Eight  are  now  liv- 
ing.    They  are : 

Klizabeth  Weaver,  born  January  30,  1808,  died  about  the 
year  1858  ;  was  never  married. 

Nancy  Weaver,  born  June  16,  1809,  was  married  to  William 
Jessee,  and  lives  in  Douglas  County,  Kansas.  She  is  now  a 
widow. 

Mary  Weaver,  born  November  3,  1810,  married  Rev.  Mr. 
McPherson  and  died  April  22,  1853. 

Lucy  Weaver  died  in  infancy. 

Sarah  Weaver,  born  July  15,  1814,  is  married  to  Amos  Neal 
and  lives  in  Farmer  City. 

Lora  Weaver,  born  April  20,  1816,  was  married  to  A.  P. 
Craig,  and  lives  in  Downs  township. 

Hanna  Weaver,  born  February  18,  1818,  married  Isaac 
Keeran,  and  lives  in  Miami   County,  Kansas. 

James  Weaver,  born  December  21,  1819,  married  Nancy 
Price,  daughter  of  John  Price,  and  lives  in  Miami  County, 
Kansas. 


484  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Sylvia  Weaver, born  May  20,  1822,  married  John  Worley,  of 
McLean  County.     She  died  October  3,  1842. 

Rebecca  Weaver,  born  March  18,  1824,  married  John  Camp- 
bell, of  McLean  County,  died  September  12,  1846. 

Martha  "Weaver,  born  February  6,  1826,  married  J.  M.  Hol- 
loway,  and  lives  in  Miami  County,  Kansas. 

William  Weaver,  Lorn  August  7,  1827,  lives  in  Miami  County, 
Kansas. 

Joseph  B.  Weaver,  horn  April  13,  1831.  lives  on  the  home- 
stead. He  was  elected  Supervisor  in  1867,  Justice  of  the  Peace 
in  1870.  He  served  three  years  during  the  war  in  the  94th  I  Hi— 
nois  Volunteers,  lie  married,  September  30,  1855,  Margaret 
Kimler,  and  has  four  children. 

William  Bishop. 

William  Bishop  was  horn  September  8,  1794,  in  Fauquier 
County,  Virginia.  lie  was  of  English,  Irish.  Scotch  and  French 
descent.  His  father  moved  to  Fleming  County,  Kentucky,  when 
William  was  probably  only  one  or  two  years  of  age,  and  when  he 
was  five  or  six  years  of  age  the  family  came  to  Clark  County, 
Ohio.  There  he  received  some  little  education  from  a  tutor,  who 
was  employed  to  teach  in  the  family. 

During  the  war  of  1812  William  Bishop  was  a  teamster  in  the 
army,  and  went  to  Fort  Meigs  and  to  Fort  Wayne.  He  frequent- 
ly camped  out  when  the  snow  came  over  him.  On  the  campaign 
one  of  the  oxen  belonging  to  his  team  died.,  and  he  put  a  harness 
on  the  other  and  used  it  as  a  leader.  Sometimes  he  was  unable 
to  get  feed  for  his  oxen  and  gave  them  salt  bacon,  which  they  ate 
verv  readily  and  seemed  to  be  much  strengthened  bv  it.  He 
often  fed  it  to  his  cattle  afterward.-,  and  it  made  them  healthy. 

In  about  the  year  1820  Mr.  Bishop  went  to  Virginia,  and  there 
married  Margaret  Lake.  In  1833  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled 
in  Old  Town  timber.  When  the  family  first  arrived  there,  thev 
were  obliged  to  sleep  in  a  wagon  for  three  weeks.  Xo  plank 
could  be  had  for  love  or  money.  At  their  first  arrival  they  built  a 
fire  near  an  elm  tree  and  made  dinner.  They  found  a  hunter's 
abandoned  hut,  cleaned  it  out  and  lived  in  it  during  their  first 
winter.  During  the  next  year  they  built  the  six  mile  house,  a 
double  log  cabin,  which  was  used  for  many  years  as  a  stopping 


M  LEAN   COUNTY. 


485 


place  for  travelers.  All  of  the  water  used  was  hauled  from  the 
prairie,  two  miles  distant.  They  twice  attempted  to  dig  a  well, 
but  at  the  depth  of  fifty  feet  the  ground  was  still  dry.  It  was 
very  difficult  indeed  to  haul  their  water,  as  they  had  no  barrel, 
lint  a  circumstance  occurred  by  which  they  obtained  a  water  bar- 
rel. General  Gridley  at  that  time  kept  store  in  Bloomington.  He 
had  a  barrel  of  honey  standing  outside  his  door,  as  no  space  was 
left  for  it  inside.  Some  mischievous  boys  pulled  out  the  plug,  and 
the  honey  was  lost.  General  Gridley  used  some  very  unparlia- 
mentary laiiiruau'e  about  the  matter,  but  as  he  had  no  further  use 
for  the  barrel,  gave  it  to  Mrs.  Bishop. 

Mr.  Bishop  commenced  tanning  on  an  abandoned  claim.  He 
was  much  troubled  by  prairie  tires,  which  sometimes  ran  into  the 
timber.  A  great  hurricane  swept  through  the  timber  in  1827,  and 
piled  it  up  in  every  direction,  and  when  the  prairie  fire  swept  in 
among  the  logs  it  would  sometimes  burn  for  many  weeks. 

The  memorable  sudden  change  in  the  weather  in  December, 
1836,  came  when  Mr.  Bishop  was  two  miles  from  home.  lie  im- 
mediately came  home  on  horseback,  driving  a  yoke  of  cattle. 
The  dumb  creatures  insisted  on  going  into  the  brush  for  protection 
against  the  piercing  wind,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
that  he  brought  them  home.  His  chickens  were  many  of  them 
frozen  up  in  the  slush. 

Mr.  Bishop  was  about  tive  feet  and  six  or  eightinches  in  height, 
and  weighed  about  one  hundred  and  forty-five  pounds.  lie  had 
dark  hair,  gray  eyes,  a  sandy  beard  and  was  somewhat  bald- 
headed.  He  was  a  hard-working  man,  but  a  lively  trader.  In 
1X42  and  '43  he  bought  pork  at  Pekin  and  shipped  it  to  the  St. 
Louis  market.  He  served  for  a  while  as  County  Commissioner. 
He  died  in  October,  IS.").").  lie  had  nine  children,  six  boys  and 
three  girls.      Thev  are  : 

Harvey  Bishop  lives  in  the  western  part  of  Old  Town.  He 
has  light  hair  and  a  light  complexion.  He  has  his  farm  well  im- 
proved. 

Henry  Clay  Bishop  was  named  after  the  great  statesman  of 
Kentucky,  whom  AVilliam  Bishop  admired  so  much.  He  is  rather 
less  than  the  medium  stature,  has  dark,  hazel  eyes,  is  very  pleasant 
in  his  manner,  and  is  yery  kind  and  accommodating.  He  is  a 
bachelor  and  lives  about  one  mile  south  of  Gillem  station. 


486  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Samuel  Bishop  is  a  physician  and  lives  at  Moline,  Illinois.  He 
is  a  graduate  of  a  homeopathic  institution  in  St.  Louis,  and  now 
practices  medicine.  Before  tins  he  went  to  Hamilton  College, 
?few  York,  where  he  studied  for  the  ministry.  He  preached  for 
a  year  or  two,  but  left  the  pulpitand  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine. 

George  Bishop  is  a  farmer  in  Dwight.  He  also  studied  for  the 
ministry  and  was  a  preacher  for  a  while,  hut  went  to  farming. 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  B.  R.  Price,  lives  on  the  west  line  of  Old 
Town  township. 

Susan,  wife  of  dames  Reyburn,  lives  in  Old  Town,  near  Har- 
vey Bishop. 

William  H.  Bishop  lives  on  his  brother  Luther's  place,  where 
his  father  died. 

Mrs.  Sarah  B.  Ayres,  a  widow,  keeps  house  for  her  brother 
Samuel,  in  Moline. 

Luther  Bishop,  the  youngest,  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  with  his 
brother  William. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Bishop,  Mrs.  Bishop  lived  for  live 
years  in  Bloominffton,  and  sent  her  two  youngest  sons.  William 
and  Luther  to  the  Normal  School  to  be  educated.  She  then  re- 
turned to  the  old  place,  where  she  is  still  living.  She  is  a  very 
kind  old  lady,  and  seems  yet  to  be  enjoying  the  best  of  health. 

Elias  Henry  Wall. 

Elias  Henry  Wall  was  horn  December  3,  1797,  in  Warren 
County,  Kentucky.  His  remote  ancestors  were  Irish,  Scotch  and 
Welch.  His  grandfather,  Henry  Wall,  came  from  Ireland,  and 
his  maternal  grandfather,  Elias  McFadden.  was  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. His  father  was  George  Wall,  a  preacher  in  Kentucky,  of 
the  Methodist  denomination,  and  his  mother  was  Margaret  Mc- 
Fadden. 

Mr.  Wall  received  his  common  school  education  in  Kentucky, 
where  he  lived  until  he  was  thirty-six  years  of  age.  When  he 
was  eleven  years  of  age  he  heard  Peter  Cartwright  exhort.  The 
latter  had  missed  his  way  in  traveling  to  an  appointment  and 
came  to  Mr.  George  Wall's  house,  and  while  there,  gave  the  ex- 
hortation. While  sroing  from  one  point  to  another  Mr.  Cart- 
wright  was  in  the  habit  of  marking  his  way  by  blazing  the  trees 


m'lean  county.  487 

with  a  hooked  knife  which  he  carried  for  that  purpose.  It  was 
this  habit  which  suggested  a  joke  to  Mr.  Cartwright.  When  he 
was  in  a  public  house  in  Xew  York,  a  room  in  the  highest  story 
was  given  him,  and  he  inquired  for  a  broad-axe  to  blaze  his  way 
up  in  order  that  he  might  find  it  without  assistance.  Elias  Wall 
joined  the  Methodist  Church  when  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  and  has  been  a  consistent  member  ever  since,  lie  was  a 
class-leader  for  fourteen  years  in  Warren  County,  Kentucky,  and 
when  he  came  to  Illinois,  some  of  the  old  members  of  his  class 
raised  for  him  a  class  of  nine  members.  Within  a  few  years  it 
increased  to  seventy,  but  has  since  been  divided  and  subdivided. 

Mr.  Wall  remembers  very  little  of  the  war  of  1812,  besides 
what  is  written  in  history.  When  the  draft  for  men  was  made 
he  drew  for  his  brother-in-law,  dames  Price,  and  obtained  a 
1  dank. 

In  the  year  1830  Mr.  Wall  came  to  the  West  on  a  visit,  and 
was  much  pleased  with  the  country.  He  attended  a  camp-meet- 
ing on  the  Ox-bow  prairie,  and  heard  the  celebrated  Father 
Walker  preach.  Ln  the  fall  he  returned  to  Kentucky.  He  was 
married  December  21,  1830,  to  Martha  P.  Savidge,  daughter  of 
Littleburv  and  Rhoda  Savidge. 

The  winter  of  the  dee])  snow  (1830-31)  was  memorable  in 
Kentucky.  It  fell  to  the  depth  of  a  foot  and  a  half,  which  was 
remarkable  for  that  climate. 

In  the  latter  part  of  October,  1833,  he  came  to  the  West,  but, 
like  so  many  of  our  pioneers,  had  great  difficulty  in  becoming 
acclimated.  For  eight  years  he  was  sick  with  various  diseases ; 
at  one  time  he  had  the  cholera,  and  after  the  disease  was  broken, 
his  life  was  dispaired  of,  even  by  the  attending  physician.  But  a 
good  constitution  at  last  restored  him. 

When  Mr.  Wall  came  to  the  West  he  brought  with  him  a 
black  man,  named  Elijah  Thomas,  who  was  allowed  to  be  free  by 
Mr.  Wall,  sr.  This  colored  man  had  a  younger  brother,  named 
Andrew  Jackson,  who  remained  in  Kentucky.  He  was  allowed 
his  liberty  and  considered  free  by  his  master,  George  Wall.  But 
in  course  of  time,  George  Wall  died,  and  left  no  will  relating  to 
young  Andrew  Jackson.  Everyone  who  had  any  claim  on  him 
was  in  Illinois,  and  perfectly  willing  that  he  should  be  free ; 
nevertheless,   the    administrators    of  the    estate    bound    him   out 


488  OLI>    SETTLERS    OF 

until  he  became  twenty-one.  When  his  time  was  tip,  he  ran 
away  to  Illinois,  but  bad  great  difficulty  in  getting  through. 
While  on  the  macadamized  road,  he  passed  himself  oft' as  a  laborer 
going  to  work,  but  when  he  came  to  the  border  tins  little  story 
was  "too  thin."  The  border  was  carefully  watched  by  men  with 
bloodhounds,  and  when  Andrew  Jackson  came  there,  they  took 
after  him.  But  be  was  a  plucky  fellow :  he  knocked  down  one 
of  the  bloodhounds  and  left  it  for  dead,  outran  the  rest  and  tri- 
umphantly crossed  the  Ohio  River  to  Illinois.  Here  he  thought 
himself  free,  but  was  seized  by  the  sheriff  as  a  runaway  slave,  in 
the  first  town  he  came  to.  But  fortunately  he  was  recognized  by 
a  neighbor,  who  bad  known  him  in  Kentucky,  and  the  sheriff 
released  him  from  custody.  However,  young  Andrew  would 
have  soon  released  himself  from  custody,  as  the  sheriff  had  kindly 
given  him  the  bounds  of  the  town.  He  came  to  Illinois  and  was 
safe.  He  was  a  smart  boy,  and  learned  to  read  and  write,  and 
became  a  very  effective  exhorter  in  the  Baptist  Church. 

Mr.  Wall  settled  first  a  little  to  the  west  of  the  present  station 
of  Downs,  on  the  Indianapolis,  Bloomington  and  Western  Rail- 
road; but  he  now  lives  about  four  miles  west  of  Leroy,  on  the 
road  from  that  place  to  Heyworth.  His  farm  first  joined  that  of 
John  Price,  who  was  bis  most  intimate  friend.  Not  many  years 
after  his  arrival  in  the  West,  he  and  John  Price  determined  to 
have  a  school-house.  Some  of  their  neighbors  in  Old  Town 
wished  one  also,  and  they  all  joined  together  and  built  one  on  the 
line,  which  divided  the  townships,  on  land  given  by  Wall  and 
Price.  It  was  afterwards  used  by  various  denominations  as  a 
meeting-house.  Pack  of  the  meeting-house  thev  donated  land 
for  a  camp-ground.  On  the  third  of  July,  1848,  Mrs.  Martha 
Wall  died.  She  was  a  very  excellent  lady  and  highly  respected 
by  all  of  her  acquaintances.  On  the  twenty-second  of  October. 
1850,  Mr.  Wall  was  married  to  Mrs.  Clarissa  Karr.  She  was  a 
widow  lady  of  very  kind  disposition  and  very  estimable  qualities 
of  mind.  Her  maiden  name  was  Clarissa  Garrison.  Sue  is  still 
living  and  enjoys  a  happy  old  age. 

Among  the  many  diseases  which  visited  the  West,  was  the 
erysipelas,  which  came  like  an  epidemic.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Wall 
were  sick  With  it,  and  five  of  their  relatives  died  with  it.  Mr. 
Wall  took  care  of  the  children  of  his  relatives  who  died  with  this 


m'lean  county.  489 

disease,  and  had  parts  of  tour  families  with  him  at  one  time, 
making  his  own  family  number  eleven  persons.  This  was  in 
1840,  when  the  census  was  taken.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wall  have  no 
children  of  their  own.  Their  son  is  dead,  and  also  all  of  Mrs.  Wall's 
children  by  her  first  marriage.  They  took  care  of  their  grandson, 
Asbury  Barnard,  for  eighl  years,  and  sent  him  to  the  Wesleyan 
and  Normal  Universities.  He  now  lives  on  his  farm  at  the  head 
i^'  Old  Town,  and  is  in  very  prosperous  circumstances.  He  loves 
to  visit  his  grandparents,  who  have  the  greatest  affection  for  him. 
Thev  have  raised  two  sets  of  orphan  children,  and  seem  to  feel 
that  Providence  has  placed  them  upon  earth  for  the  purpose  of 
allowing  them  an  opportunity  for  doing  good. 

Mi-.  Wall  has  always  been  a  worker  in  the  cause  of  Christian- 
ity, and  thinks  he  should  miss  no  opportunity  for  reproving  sin. 
A  few  incidents  will  show  this  disposition.    A  man  named  Hamp- 
ton kept  a  mill  down  on  Kickapoo  ('reek  in  Randolph's  Grove. 
He  was  a  very  determined  man,  and   his   neighbors  stood  in  fear 
of  him.     He  was  accustomed  to  go   hunting  on   Sunday,  and  on 
one  of  his   Sabbath  day  hunting  excursions  he  fell   in   with  Mr. 
Wall,  who  was* on  his  way  to  meeting.     The  latter  said:  "Mr. 
Hampton,  if  you  have  no  respect  for  the  Sabbath  day,  I  hope  you 
will  respect  the  feelings  of  this   neighborhood.      We  are  a  civil 
people  here,  and  don't  hunt  on   Sunday.'*     The  impressive  man- 
ner in  which  this  was  spoken,  caused    Mr.  Hampton  to  turn  hack 
and  abandon  his  hunt.      Shortly  afterwards,  when  Mr.  Wall  went 
with  a  <;-rist  to  Mr.  Hampton's  mill,  the  latter  said:   "By  Guinea, 
Wall,  I  want  you  to  mind  your  business.     Mr.    Randolph  says 
you  did  wrong  in  talking  to  me  as  you  did."     Mr.  Wall   replied  : 
"Mr.  Randolph  and  I  are   two  people:  it  is  my  duty  to  reprove 
sin  wherever  I  find  it."      Hampton  said  it  was  hard  to  know  the 
law  on  the  subject;  hut  Mr.  Wall  replied  that  he  went  by  ahigher 
authority  than  the  law,  and   he  said  furthermore,  that  people  had 
been  telling   him   that   lie    could   not  have    his  grinding  done   at 
Hampton's   mill   because  of  the   circumstance,  hut   thought  the 
latter  should  he  glad  to  do  it  as  no  one  in  the  neighborhood  dared 
to   reprove   him  for    his    sin    except    Mr.  Wall.     Hampton  said: 
"Get  down  here,"  and  ground  the  grain  very  willingly.     A  short 
time  after  this,  some  young  hunters  killed  three  deer  on  Sunday 
and  they  were  about  to  carry  the  deer   on   horseback   past   Mr. 


490  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Wall's  door:  but  Mr.  Hampton  told  them  they  had  "better  let 
Elias  Wull  alone."  Hunting  on  Sunday  was  quite  common.  At 
one  time  Mr.  Wall  heard  shooting  on   Sunday,  and  on  going  to 

the  timber  found  two  men  with  a  large  buck,  which  they  bad 
killed,  lie  was  acquainted  with  one,  and,  after  an  introduction 
to  the  other,  Mr.  Wall  said:  "You  arc  both  of  you  peace  officers 
and  you  bunt  on  Sunday  and  disturb  the  peace;  were  you  raised 
in  that  way?"  One  of  the  gentlemen  afterwards  told  Mr.  Wall 
that  the  reproof  was  severely  felt,  as  bis  own  mother  was  a  Chris- 
tian woman.  Mr.  Wall  talked  to  the  gentlemen  and  walked 
with  them  for  a  half  a  mile,  and  they  promised  him  never  to  dis- 
turb him  again  on  Sunday,  and  they  kept  their  word. 

Mr.  Wall  gives  bis  experience  with  the  sudden  change  in  the 
weather  which  occurred  in  December,  1836.  lie  says,  it  turned 
cold  so  suddenly  that  a  chicken  had  its  feet  frozen  tight  in  the 
ice.  The  sudden  cold,  after  the  snow  and  rain,  covered  the 
country  with  a  glare  of  ice,  and  on  this  Mi-.  Wall  was  obliged  to 
travel  eight  miles  with  an  unshod  horse  to  collect  money  to  meet 
his  engagements.  The  horse  frequently  slid  down  the  slippery 
hills  on  his  bare  feet. 

During  the  February  following,  Mr.  Wall  went  to  Danville  on 
horseback  to  enter  some  land.  lie  crossed  the  Sangamon  on  the 
ice,  but  on  his  return  a  thaw  set  in  and  he  re-crossed  in  a  canoe, 
above  the  ford,  as  it  was  filled  with  drifted  ice,  and  the  water 
was  running  rapidly.  He  led  bis  horse,  a  fine  cream-colored  ani- 
mal, down  the  bluff,  and  it  swam  across  with  the  canoe,  but  could 
not  climb  the  bank.  It  tried  to  swim  down  to  the  ford,  and  when 
it  turned  to  come  back,  all  except  its  head  was  carried  by  the 
current  under  the  ice;  but  it  swam  back  by  great  exertions  and 
succeeded  in  climbing  the  bank.  When  the  horse  escaped  from 
the  danger  it  seemed  much  gratified,  and  "held  up  its  tail,  as  if 
it  were  glad  to  be  alive."  Mr.  Wall  kept  this  horse  for  twenty- 
two  years. 

Mr.  Wall  has  been  troubled  for  the  last  twenty  years  with  a 
cancer  in  his  eye,  and  has  tried  many  remedies  for  it.  It  has 
been,  indeed,  a  great  affliction,  but  the  resolution  of  the  old  pio- 
neer has  been  sufficient  even  for  this.  He  has  tried  many  differ- 
ent physicians  with  different  success,  but  still  the  disease  remains. 

Mr.  Wall  is  rather  a  tall,  noble-looking  man.     His  words  and 


m'lean  county.  491 

the  tone  of  his  voice  show  his  conscientiousness  and  his  tender 
feeling.  His  appearance  impresses  one  with  liis  dignity  and  his 
kindness.  He  feels  it  to  be  his  duty  to  make  his  life  as  well  as 
his  words  a  reproof  to  every  form  of  wickedness.  He  is  respected 
and  loved  by  the  people  for  many  miles  around,  and  is  affection- 
ately called  "  Uncle  Elias  Wall." 

John  Price. 

John  Price  was  horn  January  23, 1802,  in  Mecklenburg  Coun- 
ty, North  Carolina.  His  father  was  an  American,  and  his  mother 
was  born  in  Ireland.  In  1804  his  father's  family  moved  to  Mont- 
gomery County,  Kentucky.  Tn  1857  they  moved  to  Warren 
Comity,  same  State,  then  to  Williamson  County,  Tennessee, 
where  they  stayed  a  little  more  than  three  years,  and  then  moved 
hack  to  Warren  County.  John  Price  received  very  little  education. 
He  was  obliged  to  go  a  long:  distance  for  what  he  obtained.  He 
trudged  three  miles  every  day  to  school  while  in  Tennessee.  The 
war  of  1812  occurred  while  he  was  in  Tennessee.  During  this 
uncertain  and  exciting  contest  the  neighborhood  where  he  lived 
was  once  badly  scared  by  a  report  that  Indians  were  coming,  and 
the  militia  turned  out,  and  everyone  commenced  running  bullets  ; 
but  the  alarm  was  false. 

Tn  September ,  1821,  when  Mr.  Price  was  only  nineteen  years 
of  age,  he  married  Matilda  B.  Rives.  She  was  related  to  the  his- 
torical Rives  family  of  Virginia.  But  she  had  something  better 
than  honored  lineage :  she  was  a  smart  woman  and  possessed  of 
good  judgment,  and  now,  after  more  than  half  a  century  of  wed- 
ded life,  she  is  as  smart  as  ever,  and  better  than  a  fortune  to  Mr. 
Price. 

As  soon  as  he  was  married,  Mr.  Price  went  to  work  to  sup- 
port his  wife.  He  sawed  lumber  with  a  whip-saw,  and  after  that 
worked  at  building  flatboats.  As  the  yards  where  he  was  em- 
ployed  were  some  distance  from  his  home,  in  the  winter  time  he 
started  to  work  on  Monday  morning  and  did  not  return  home  until 
Saturday  night.  Sometimes  he  would  return  every  night,  and  when 
he  did  so  he  was  obliged  to  go  two  and  a  half  or  three  miles  to  work 
and  be  there  by  sunrise  and  return  home  after  sunset.  He 
worked  at  sawing  lumber  and  building  Hat-boats  for  seven  years. 
As  a  matter  of  course   he  succeeded,  for  a    man    of  such    energy 


4!>li  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

must  be  suit  of  that  in  the  end.  In  1830  he  came  to  Illinois  on 
n  visit,  traveling  in  a  covered  wagon  and  camping  out.  He  was 
then  offered  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and 
a  log  cabin,  near  Bloomington,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Latta,  for  forty  dol- 
lars,  l>ut  refused  it  and  entered  land  near  where  lie  now  lives.  In 
1831  lie  again  came  west  with  his  wife  for  a  visit.  lie  started 
from  Bloomington  to  return.  At  that  time  he  had  heard  nothing 
of  the  Black  Hawk  war:  hut  when  he  arrived  at  Springfield  men 
were  volunteering;  to  go.  News  travels  slowly  in  an  early  settled 
country.  In  1834  he  came  still  again,  entered  land  near  where 
he  now  lives,  remained  fifteen  months  and  then  went  to  Ken- 
tucky for  his  father.  He  returned  in  the  fall  of  1836  to  the  place 
where  he  now  lives,  near  the  little  station  of  Downs,  on  the  In- 
dianapolis, Bloomington  &  Western  Railway.  Apartof  his  land 
is  timber  and  part  in  prairie.  The  settlers  were  always  anxious 
to  get  land  adjoining  timber,  and  now  they  are  almost  always  to 
be  found  settled  near  the  edges  of  groves.  Thev  had  no  idea 
that  the  prairie  would  be  valuable  except  that  part  near  the  tim- 
ber: hut  Mr.  Price  says  that  by  the  year  1836  he  began  to  see 
that  the  prairie  might  be  worth  something  after  all.  His  first 
land  was  entered  at  Vandalia  and  the  remainder  at  Danville.  He 
has  owned  altogether  six  hundred  and  eightv  acres,  and  never 
paid  more  than  $1.25  per  acre  for  any  of  it. 

When  he  came  to  the  west  he  sent  to  Kentucky  for  apple  seed 
and  cultivated  a  nursery  and  an  orchard,  and  supplied  all  his 
neighbors  with  trees. 

Of  course  Mi\  Price  remembers  the  cold  snap  in  1836,  as  all 
settlers  do.  lie  was  working  a  few  rods  from  his  house  without 
his  coat.  The  day  was  warm  and  the  slush  was  three  or  four 
inches  deep.  In  the  afternoon  a  roar  in  the  west  gave  notice  of 
the  approaching  wind.  It  immediately  became  so  cold  that  by 
the  time  he  reached  the  house  the  frozen  slush  would  nearly  hear 
his  weight.  He  let  down  his  fence  to  allow  his  cattle  the  shelter 
of  some  stacked  fodder,  and  they  were  thereby  protected  from 
the  storm  and  were  saved,  hut  many  of  his  pigs  froze  to  death. 

The  settlers  were  obliged  to  go  long  distances  to  do  their 
trading.  Mr.  Price  has  hauled  wheat  to  Chicago  with  an  ox 
team,  and  received  fifty-five  cents  per  bushel. 


m'lean  county.  493 

All  old  settlors  have  had  great  difficulty  with  prairie  fires. 
The  grass  on  the  prairie  grew  enormously  high.  It  was  quite  often 
so  high  that  a  man  on  horseback  was  obliged  to  hold  up  his  head 
to  see  over.  In  the  fall  of  the  year,  when  this  grass  became  dry, 
anv  accident  might  set  it  on  tire,  and  then  it  was  a  terrible 
sight  indeed.  The  flames  rolled  along  and  gather  force  as  cur- 
rents of  air  were  drawn  in  after  them.  It  was  impossible  to  es- 
cape by  running  before  the  tire;  the  swiftest  horse  would  he  over- 
taken by  it.  In  1836,  before  Mr.  Price  came  west  for  the  last 
time,  he  wrote  to  have  some  hay  cut  and  put  up.  Twenty-four 
acres  were  cut  and  stacked,  and  when  Mr.  Price  came  out  he  was 
gratified  to  find  his  wishes  attended  to  and  his  stock  provided 
with  food  for  winter.  But  soon  a  fire  came  rolling  over  the 
prairie,  and  Mr.  Price  went  to  save  his  stacks.  They  had  been 
placed  on  mowed  ground  ;  nevertheless  a  little  low  grass  had 
grown  up  and,  being  touched  with  frost,  lav  withered  and  dry. 
lie  tried  to  make  a  back  tire,  feeling  confident  he  could  whip  it 
out  in  the  low  grass  around  his  stacks,  but  it  burned  fiercely  and 
he  went  at  it  with  a  brush.  This  only  scattered  it  the  more  and 
his  stacks  went  up  in  smoke.  At  one  time  he  had  a  tire  on  his 
farm  when  he  was  sick  with  the  ague  and  his  boys  were  gone 
from  home.  His  next  neighbor  tore  down  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of 
division  fence  to  save  the  rails,  but  one  third  of  them  were  burn- 
ed up,  nevertheless.  The  neighbors  came  from  miles  around  and 
put  up  his  fence,  for  people  then  were  always  anxious  to  help  one 
another.  The  prairie  fires  drove  everything  before  them,  the 
deer,  wolves,  rabbits,  horses  and  cattle.  The  way  to  contend 
against  tire  is  to  make  a  back  tire,  but  great  care  must  be  taken 
lest  the  back  fire  does  not  become  as  dangerous  as  the  one  to  l,e 
headed  off.  A  little  water  sprinkled  on  the  grass  in  a  line  is 
sufficient  to  hold  a  back  tire  from  doing  damage,  but  after  it  once 
sets  under  headway  nothing  can  check  it. 

Mr.  Price  was  a  great  hunter  and  a  line  marksman  ;  he  was 
to  a  great  extent  the  leader  among  the  hunters  in  that  locality. 
During  the  first  four  years  of  his  western  life  he  killed  twenty- 
five  deer  per  annum  on  an  average.  They  were  then  very  nu- 
merous ;  he  has  seen  more  than  two  hundred  deer  in  one  day, 
has  counted  thirty  go  out  of  the  timber  to  the  prairie  in  one  flock. 
A  good  deerwasthen  worth  a  dollar.  He  once  killed  a  very  fine  one, 


4',»4  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

which,  when  dressed,  weighed  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  pounds, 
and  was  enabled  to  sell  the  hams  for  a  dollar  or  a  dollar  and  a 
half.     He  has  hadniany  amusing  episodes  during  his  life  as  alum- 

«  OX  © 

ter.  He  sometimes  hunted  with  a  man  named  Twining,  who 
was  very  excitable,  and  missed  his  mark  by  over-anxiety.  At 
one  time  when  Twining  had.  as  usual,  succeeded  in  missing  Lis 
deer,  Mr.  Price  asked  him  :  "Did  you  kill  the  deer,  Mr.  Twin- 
ing?"     i-Xn,  I  —  T   elevated  too  high.** 

Deer  are  easily  tamed  if  caught  young.  When  a  fawn  is  caught 
and  handled  once  it  is  tamed,  and  it  sometimes  displays  the  most 
astonishing  intelligence  :  indeed  the  deer  may  be  considered  the 
most  intelligent  of  American  wild  animals,  with  possibly  thefiin- 
gle  exception  of  the  heaver.  The  deer  shows  the  most  wonder- 
ful cunning  in  its  attempts  to  escape  pursuit,  and  will  wade  up  a 
stream  to  throw  a  dog  from  the  scent.  It  will  walk  a  long  dis- 
tance  and  then  take  a  tremendous  spring  to  one  side  to  make  the 
pursuer  lose  the  track  and  take  time  to  hunt  for  it.  Mr.  Price 
had  at  one  time  a  tame  deer,  and  a  Pennsylvanian,  who  was  trav- 
eling in  his  covered  wagon,  came  along  with  a  dog*  of  which  he 
had  a  very  high  opinion,  and  thought  it  could  catch  the  deer. 
Mr.  Price  allowed  the  man  to  try  it.  The  dog  sprang  for  the 
deer  and  they  had  a  lively  race  and  soon  disappeared.  "Xow,"* 
said  the  Pennsylvanian,  "my  dog  has  caught  it.""  In  anhourthe 
deer  came  walking  cautiously  hack  and  went  into  one  door  of 
the  house  and  out  of  the  other  into  the  brush  where  it  laid  down. 
It  seemed  to  know  that  the  dog  would  not  dare  to  follow  its  track 
through  the  house.  The  dog  was  lost  and  was  not  found  until 
nightfall. 

In  early  days  the  wolves  were  plenty  :  Mr.  Price  lias  stood  in 
Lis  door  and  counted  five  or  six  of  them  playing  around  in  the 
field,  lie  succeeded  in  killing  the  largest  wolf  known  in  that 
part  of  the  country.  It  was  of  the  large  gray  variety,  and  not 
one  of  the  little  prairie  wolves.  It  was  often  chased  by  the  hun- 
ters, hut  was  strong  and  swift,  and  would  run  away  from  them 
or  elude  pursuit.  It  was  so  large  and  powerful  that  it  would 
carry  off  grown  up  hogs  from  the  pen,  and  it  was  so  audacious 
that  it  became  a  terror  to  the  neighborhood.  It  began  Drowliner 
around  the  house  of  Mr.  Cowden  and  eating  a  sheep  which  had 
died  nearby,  and  lie  sent  for   Mr.  Price,  who  came  one  evening 


m'lean  county.  496 

to  kill  it.  The  night  was  clear  and  cold,  and  he  wont  out  occa- 
sionally to  listen,  and  could  hear  it  howl  some  distance  away.  At 
last  he  almost  gave  the  matter  up.  when  he  discovered  the  shadow 
of  the  wolf  on  the  snow  as  it  was  trotting  down  by  the  fence 
close  to  the  house.  lie  went  into  the  house  and  returned  with 
his  gun,  and  the  noise  and  disturbance  caused  the  wolf  to  stop, 
when  Mr.  Price  tired  at  it  about  eighty  yards  distant.  The  wolf 
could  only  move  twenty  or  thirty  steps,  but  when  surrounded  by 
men  and  dogs,  nothing  could  take  hold  of  it.  It  shut  its  powerful 
jaws  on  everything  within  reach,  and  the  strongest  dog  in  the 
neighborhood  was  obliged  to  stand  back.  Another  shot  killed  it. 
Tt  was  so  large  that,  when  standing  up,  a  common  sized  dog 
could  walk  under  it  without  touching.  For  this  wolf  nearly  all 
the  farmers  for  miles  around  offered  premiums  of  corn.  Jesse 
Funk  offered  fifty  bushels,  and  all  of  the  premiums  amounted  to 
more  than  a  thousand  bushels.  Zachariah  Blue  offered  a  tine 
horse  for  the  privilege  of  collecting  the  corn,  but  Mr.  Price  would 
accept  nothing.  He  said  that  the  fun  of  killing  the  wolf  was  a 
sufficient   reward. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  settlers  to  take  a  general  hunt 
towards  a  pole  put  up  in  some  central  place.  Mr.  Price  took  part 
in  a  general  hunt  when  the  pole  was  put  up  near  Long  Point,  and 
the  settlers  started  out  from  Buckles'  Grove,  Randolph's  Grove, 
Long  Point  and  Old  Town. 

Mr.  Price  has  held  some  township  offices,  bu1  beyond  this  has 
never  troubled  himself  much  with  political  matters,  lie  was  the 
fourth  justice  of  the  peace  of  Priceville  Precinct,  ami  continued 
to  hold  that  office  for  twelve  years,  until  the  organization  of  the 
township  of  Downs.  lie  was  treasurer  of  the  township  and  of 
the  Kickapoo  Union  District  when  it  was  formed,  holding  his 
office  for  sixteen  years  in  all. 

>  On  the  thirteenth  of  September,  1871,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding.  About  one  hundred  persons 
were  present  at  dinner,  and  four  of  them  were  guests  at  the 
original  wedding  half  a  century  before.  Speeches  were  made  by 
E.  II.  Wall,  Thomas  Twining,  Joseph  Weaver,  Dr.  Montgomery 
and  Mrs.  Lewis  Case.  Mr.  Wall  told  the  exploits  of  old  settlers, 
and  Mi'.  Twining  enlarged  upon  the  events  of  tin'  early  days. 
Put  Dr.  Montgomery  made  the  most  sensible  and  truthful  speech 


4!m;  old  settlers  of 

of  the  occasion,  lie  said  that  the  other  speakers  had  decidedly 
neglected  Mrs.  Price  in  making  their  remarks,  and  that  he  could 
safely  sav  she  made  the  best  coffee  of  any  woman  in  McLean 
County.  He  also  complimented  Mi-.  Trice,  and  said  the  best  job 
ever  done  by  the  latter  was  when  he,  as  justice  of  the  peace,  mar- 
ried him  (Dr.  Montgomery).  This  was  a  slight  mistake.  The 
best  job  ever  done  by  Mr.  Price  was,  when  more  than  fifty  years 
ago,  he  married  Mrs.  Price.  Various  golden  presents  were  made 
by  many  persons.  Gold-headed  ebony  canes,  gold  spectacles, 
gold  rings,  gold  coins,  etc.  One  cane  bore  the  inscription  :  "  To 
John  Price  by  P>.  II.  Price,  Sept.  13,  1871,"  and  another,  -  To 
Matilda  B.  Price  by  P.  B.  Price,  Sept.  13,  1871."  When  these 
presents  were  made,  Mr.  Price  turned  to  his  children  and  said  : 
"  My  dear  children,  you  have  been  very  kind  to  me,  and  now  I 
make  vou  a  present,"  and  he  gave  each  of  them  a  twenty  dollar 
gold  coin — a  rare  thine;  just  now. 

Mr.  Price  has  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  four  of  whom 
are  now  living",  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  They  are:  Mr.  P. 
B.  Price,  who  lives  in  Downs  township;  Mr.  B.  R.  Price,  who 
lives  in  Old  Town;  Mrs.  Polly  G.  Cowden,  who  lives  at  Gillem 
Station,  and  Mrs.  Nancy  Weaver,  who  lives  in  Miami  County, 
Kansas.  Those  children  which  are  dead  are  dames  William, 
Sarah  Frances,  Matilda  B.  and  John  Rives  Price. 

Mr.  Price  is  tall,  straight,  and  somewhat  slim.  His  counte- 
nance expresses  decision  of  character,  good  judgment  and  good 
feeling.  Self  command  is  shown  in  every  movement :  he  is  a 
man  of  fine  feeling,  and  a  gentleman  in  the  noblest  sense  of  the 
word.  His  neighbors  think  everything  of  him,  and  he  is,  indeed, 
a  splendid  American  citizens.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price  are  both  in 
good  health,  and  a  happier,  pleasantcr  or  more  sociable  husband 
and  wife  never  lived.  Time  has  dealt  with  them  tenderly,  and  it  will 
he  many  years  before  they  will  he  called  to  pass  over  the  river. 
1  nev  are  very  religious. 

Mr.  Price's  house  was  built  large  and  roomy  below  for  the 
purpose  of  being  used  as  a  church,  and  divine  service  was  held 
in  it  more  or  less  regularly  for  eight  or  nine  years. 


m'lean  county.  497 

Key.  Sylvester  Peasley. 

Sylvester  Peasley  was  born  in  Grayson  County,  Virginia,  Au- 
gust, 81,  18*23.  His  father's  name  was  Isaac  Peasley,  and  his 
mother's  name,  before  her  marriage,  was  Rachel  Holsey.  His 
father  was  of  Scotch  descent.  His  groat  grandfather  came  from 
Paisley,  in  Scotland,  and  this  was  the  family  name,  but  the  spell- 
ing was  changed  to  Peasley.  This  great  grandfather  Paisley  was 
a  general  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  served  with  distinction 
in  the  Continental  army.  Sylvester  Peasley's  grandfather,  John 
Peasley,  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  fought 
in  seven  general  engagements.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Guilford 
Court  House,  and  his  home  was  near  the  battle-ground.  When 
the  battle  opened,  Mrs.  Peasley,  Sylvester's  grandmother,  was 
told  by  some  British  officers  to  go  into  her  house  and  wrap  some 
beds  around  her  to  protect  her  from  being  shot.  They  milked 
her  cows,  but  honestly  paid  for  the  milk.  Those  who  know  any- 
thing of  army  life  will  consider  the  latter  a  very  extraordinary 
circumstance. 

In  the  fall  of  1834,  Mr.  Isaac  Peasley's  family  came  to  McLean 
County,  Illinois,  and  arrived  November  3.  On  their  journey  they 
saw  in  Kentucky  many  drovers  taking  large  droves  of  swine  to 
the  south.  He  saw  thousands  of  turkeys  driven  on  foot  to  Louis- 
ville, where  they  were  shipped  on  steamboats  down  the  river. 
When  the  family  arrived  in  McLean  County,  they  had  a  hard 
time  to  find  a  house  to  live  in  through  the  winter,  but  finally  ob- 
tained a  cabin  of  Jesse  Funk.  It  was  built  of  logs,  with  a  chim- 
ney of  sticks  on  the  outside.  This  chimney  was  built  of  sticks 
with  clay  between  them,  and  was  plastered  on  the  inside  with 
soft  clay.  The  ii re-place  was  built  of  clay  pressed  against  a  rack 
of  puncheons ;  the  hearth  was  of  pounded  clay,  and  the  mantle- 
piece  was  made  of  clay  and  sticks.  They  used  a  goods-box  for  a 
table  and  goods-boxes  or  three-legged  stools  for  chairs.  Tin; 
doors  were  made  of  clapboards  split  and  shaved  with  a  drawing- 
knife.  The  floors  were  made  of  puncheons,  which  had  been  first 
split  and  then  hewed  with  a  broad-axe.  The  cradle  was  made  of 
shaved  clapboards ;  but  sometimes  the  baby  was  rocked  in  the 
sugar  trough,  which  was  hewed  out  of  a  trunk  of  a  tree.  The 
pioneer  bedstead  has  been  so  often  described  that  anything  further 
is  superfluous  here. 
32 


498  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

The  Peasley  family  lived  for  two  years  as  renters  in  Jesse 
Funk's  cabin,  and  then  built  one  of  their  own. 

Mr.  Peasley  obtained  a  prairie  team  of  four  yoke  of  oxen  which 
drew  a  plow  with  a  shear  of  cold-hammered  iron,  which  cut  a  turn  >w 
two  feet  wide.  The  wooden  mould-board  was  from  four  to  six 
feet  long.  This  laid  down  the  sod  much  better  than  an}'  modern 
plow.  Mr.  Peasley  could  plow  twenty  acres  before  going  to  the 
shop  to  sharpen  the  shear.  The  routine  of  the  day  was  to  rise 
at  daybreak  and  hunt  the  oxen  which  had  been  turned  out  the 
night  previous  to  graze.  This  was  the  greatest  hardship,  as  the 
dew  was  on  the  hi^h  ^rass,  and  whoever  walked  through  it  be- 
came  soaking  wet  to  the  waist.  After  breakfast,  beii'an  the  work 
of  ploughing.  At  noon  the  oxen  were  allowed  to  graze  for  two 
hours,  and  at  night  thev  were  turned  loose  until  morning;.  The 
snakes  were  sometimes  very  thick,  and  they  continually  retreated 
from  the  furrow  as  the  sod  was  turned  over,  and  collected  together 
in  the  unplowed  center.  When  the  latter  part  of  the  patch  was 
plowed  the  snakes  became  so  thick  that  the  grass  would  fairly 
writrcrle  with  them.  The  rattlesnakes  were  very  thick.  Mr. 
Peasley  has  killed  fifteen  in  one  day.  The  oxen  were  sometimes 
bitten  by  rattlesnakes,  and  were  made  lame  for  sometime.  Mr. 
Peasley  never  knew  an  ox  to  die  of  snakebite.  The  oxen  dreaded 
the  rattlesnakes,  and  when  the  rattle  sounded  the  oxen  sprang  up 
faster  than  they  ever  would  because  of  the  whip.  The  danger  of 
the  rattlesnake's  bite  depends  much  on  the  season  of  the  year. 
They  are  most  dangerous  in  August,  for  then  the  poison  is  most 
virulent.  Mr.  Peasley's  brother  was  bitten  by  rattlesnakes  three 
times  in  one  season,  and  still  feels  the  effect  in  August. 

Mr.  Peaslev  lived  with  his  father  in  a  los:  cabin  on  the  prairie 
during  the  winter  of  1836  and  '37.  He  speaks  of  the  sudden 
change  of  the  weather  in  December  of  that  winter,  so  often  de- 
scribed in  this  volume,  and  says  that  the  sun  rose  on  the  follow- 
ing morning  accompanied  by  two  sundogs,  which  glistened  on 
the  ice-bound  prairie,  and  the  country  was  like  some  picture  of 
the  polar  regions.  The  longest  winter  known  among  the  early 
settlers  was  the  one  of  1842  and  '43.  Winter  weather  com- 
menced on  the  tenth  of  November,  and  did  not  break  up  until 
between  the  tenth  and  twentieth  of  April.  Xo  ploughing  could 
be  done  in  April.  Nevertheless,  the  settlers  raised  fine  crops  of 
wheat  sowed  in  May,  and  good  crops  of  corn  planted  in  June. 


m'lean  county.  499 

Sylvester  Peasley  speaks  warmly  of  the  social  feeling  which 
existed  among  the  early  settlers,  and  how  glad  they  were  to  see 
every  new  comer.  When  meeting  was  held  in  the  neighborhood 
everyone  attended.  The  Methodists  were  the  first  in  the  field, 
then  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians,  then  the  Baptists  and  then 
the  Christians.  At  a  camp-meeting  the  whole  country  had  a  re- 
union, and  families  frequently  went  fifteen  miles  to  meeting  with 
their  ox-teams.  In  warm  weather  preaching  was  held  in  the 
open  air. 

Mr.  Peasley  was  a  Democrat  until  the  formation  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  when  he  joined  the  latter  because  of  his  opposi- 
tion to  slavery.  The  political  excitement  of  that  period  is  well 
remembered,  and  when  the  Republican  and  Democratic  parties 
first  fairly  tried  their  strength  in  1856,  the  excitement  was  intense. 
Mr.  Peasley  remembers  a  practical  joke  played  upon  the  sup- 
porters of  Buchanan  by  the  friends  of  Fremont.  The  Demo- 
crats had  raised  a  hickory  pole,  and  on  it  was  a  pair  of  buck's 
horns ;  but  some  Republicans  came  and  secretly  bored  the  pole 
at  the  bottom  until  it  fell,  and  then  stole  the  buck's  horns. 

Mr.  Peasley  was  elected  one  of  the  first  Supervisors  under  the 
township  organization,  which  was  effected  in  1858. 

Mr.  Peasley  has  endured  the  privations  to  which  the  early  set- 
tlers were  subjected.  He  has  made  the  usual  trips  to  Chicago, 
lias  been  out  twenty-six  days  in  succession  exposed  to  the  coldest 
of  winter  weather,  has  waded  the  Kankakee  River  when  his 
clothes  were  frozen  as  soon  as  he  came  out,  and  he  has  slept  on 
the  ground  in  wet  weather  by  cutting  brush  and  laying  it  down 
to  protect  him  from  the  mud.  He  has  given  away  the  better  por- 
tion of  his  life  to  itinerant  work  when  the  salary  was  little  or 
nothing,  and  has  attended  to  five  churches.  He  never  had  the 
advantages  of  an  education,  and  the  information  he  possesses  has 
been  gained  in  a  great  measure  by  study  near  a  fire  at  night.  He 
is  a  very  humorous  man,  and  loves  his  joke.  His  eyes  sparkle 
when  he  tells  some  funny  anecdote,  and  he  enjoys  it  over  again 
as  well  as  at  first.  He  is  generous,  kind  and  hospitable,  and 
wishes  to  live  in  peace  with  all  men.  He  is  very  conscientious, 
but  does  not  wish  to  be  a  fanatic  in  anything.  He  has  been  an 
ardent  worker  in  Sabbath-school  enterprises  and  still  takes  great 
interest  in  the   cause.     He  is  six  feet   and  one  inch  in  height : 


500  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

his  appearance  and  manner  suggest  the  old  settler,  and  he  takes 
comfort  in  sitting  by  the  old  fashioned  tire-place. 

Mr.  Peasley,  November  3,  1842,  married  Miss  Mary  Stillman, 
who  died  October  2,  1863.  He  had  six  children  born  by  this 
marriage,  of  whom  five  are  living.  He  married,  April  6,  1864, 
Mrs.  Susan  Crosby,  and  b}*  this  marriage  had  one  child  which 
died  when  very  young.     Mr.  Peasley's  children  are  : 

Granville  Peasley,  born  October  14,  1845,  lives  in  Kendall 
County,  Illinois. 

Rachel  Susan,  born  October  29,  1848,  wife  of  Eli  Barton,  lives 
in  Downs  township. 

Isaac  Peasley,  born  October  24,  1851,  and  John  Peasley,  born 
July  16,  1854,  live  at  home. 

Bissell  Peasley  (named  after  Governor  Bissell)  born  January 
19, 1857,  died  in  infancy. 

Esther  Corneliette  Peasley,  born  October  13,  1859,  lives  at 
home. 

Sarah  Elvira  Peasley,  daughter  by  Mr.  Peasley's  second  mar- 
riage, was  born  July  25,  1866,  and  died  November  8,  1869. 

Alexander  Porter    Craig. 

Alexander  P.  Craig  was  born  June  30, 1817,  in  the  territory  of 
Illinois,  in  what  is  at  present  White  County.  His  father  was  of 
Scotch  descent,  and  his  mother  of  Irish.  They  were  both  born 
and  reared  in  Abbeyville  District,  South  Carolina.  Mrs.  Craig 
died  in  1853,  and  her  husband  died  the  following  year.  The 
Craig  family  moved  from  Illinois  to  Alabama  in  about  the  year 
1822.  No  very  important  event  occurred  there.  Porter  Craig 
there  received  his  early  education,  which  was  somewhat  limited. 
In  the  fall  of  1830  the  family  went  to  Graves  Comity,  Kentucky, 
where  they  remained  four  years.  In  the  fall  of  1834  they  came 
to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Old  Town  timber,  McLean  County,  a 
ittle  south  of  the  present  dividing  line  between  Downs  and  Old 
Town,  near  the  present  residence  of  A.  P.  Craig.  There  they 
opened  a  farm.  Mr.  Craig  has  done  his  share  of  hunting  and 
has  chased  wolves,  deer  and  turkeys,  but  had  no  dangerous 
adventure.  In  1836  the  family  moved  to  about  three  miles  north 
of  Leroy,  but  in  the  spring  of  1840  returned  near  his  present  re- 
sidence.    He    made    his    home    for   three  or  four  years   on   the 


m'lban  county.  501 

farm  of  his  mother-in-law,  Mrs.  Weaver.  In  1864  lie  built  a 
house  on  land  adjoining  this  place  and  has  lived  there  ever  since. 

He  has  had  his  experience  with  fires  on  the  prairie.  In  the 
fall  of  1834  he  and  his  father  fixed  a  log  heap  on  which  was  piled 
some  stone  to  he  burnt  into  lime.  Soon  a  lire  came  sweeping 
over  the  prairie  and  burnt  up  the  log  heap,  leaving  the  lime  in 
good  condition.  The  fires  in  that  section  of  county  nearly  always 
came  up  from  Salt  Creek  or  Randolph  Grove. 

Mr.  Craig  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height  and 
rather  slim.  His  whiskers  are  gray,  and  his  hair  is  turning  white. 
His  eyes  are  gray.  He  is  pretty  firm  and  decided  in  his  manner. 
He  possesses  the  confidence  of  his  neighbors  and  is  perfectly 
straightforward  in  his  dealings. 

Mr.  Craig  married,  July  30,  1835,  Lora  Weaver.  He  has 
had  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living,  four  sons  and 
four  daughters.     They  are  : 

Lucinda  Maria,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Silva  Dorinda,  horn  July  29,  1837,  widow  of  Heniy  Mannan, 
a  soldier  in  the  .94th  Illinois,  who  died  in  the  army. 

William  Davis  Craig,  born  February  15,  1839,  died  in  in- 
fancv. 

Mary  Jane,  born  April  6,  1840,  was  married  first  to  Captain 
C.  Williams,  of  the  39th  Illinois,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Deep  Run.  She  is  now  the  wife  of  D.  C.  Kazar,  of  Downs  town- 
ship. 

Martha  Rebecca,  born  December  21,  1841,  wife  of  John  Gard- 
ner, lives  in  Downs  township. 

Nancie  Caroline,  born  May  28,  1844,  wife  of  John  Cowden, 
lives  near  Gillem  Station. 

John  James  Craig,  born  October  21,  1846,  lives  in  Downs 
township. 

Alexander  Berry  Craig,  born  July  18, 1849,  lives  in  Old  Town 
township. 

Joseph  Johnson,  born  December  13,  1851,  and  Jesse  Wash- 
ington Craig,  born  October  2,  1854,  live  at  home. 

Mr.  A.  P.  Craig  died  February  7,  1874. 


502  old  settlers  of 

Henry  "Welch. 

Henry  Welch  was  born  November  14,  1816,  in  Northampton 
County,  Pennsylvania.  His  father  and  mother  were  Americans ; 
his  grandfather  came  from  Wales,  and  his  maternal  grandmother 
came  from  Germany.  His  parents  moved  to  Pickaway  County, 
Ohio,  when  Henry  was  six  months  old.  When  he  was  about 
seven  years  old,  they  moved  to  Vigo  County,  Indiana,  where  they 
remained  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  His  early  years  were 
not  remarkable  for  any  particular  incident  or  anything  worthy  of 
note.  He  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois,  March  30, 1835,  and 
entered  his  land  near  Diamond  Grove,  in  the  present  township  of 
Downs.  Here  he  paid  close  attention  to  his  business  of  farming, 
and  had  very  little  disposition  to  hunt,  though  game  was  plenty. 
He  once  went  on  a  general  hunt,  when  the  pole  was  placed  at 
Long  Point,  but  the  party  was  not  successful  in  killing  much 
game.  He  has  seen  many  prairie  fires,  when  the  grass  became 
dry  in  the  tall,  but  never  lost  much  by  them,  as  he  was  always 
careful  to  guard  against  them.  He  always  ploughed  around  his 
stacks  and  fences,  and  by  this  precaution  saved  his  property. 

The  sudden  change  in  the  weather  which  occurred  in  Decem- 
ber, 1836,  is  remembered  by  all  settlers  of  that  period,  and  Mr. 
Welch,  of  course,  had  an  experience.  The  day  had  been  mild 
and  the  ground  was  covered  with  a  slush  of  snow  and  water, 
when  suddenly  a  roar  was  heard  in  the  west  and  a  wind-storm 

t/ 

came  on  so  quickly  that  everything  was  frozen  up  almost  instantly. 
Mr.  Welch  says  that  when  the  wind-storm  came,  his  pigs  hud- 
dled together  in  the  pen  to  keep  warm,  but  some  half  dozen  of 
them  carelessly  allowed  their  tails  to  droop  into  the  slush  and 
were  frozen  fast.  The  next  morning  he  heard  discordant  sounds 
comino-  from  the  sty,  and  on  eroirig  there  found  it  "  exciting  and 
distressing"'  to  see  the  pigs  wriggling  to  loosen  their  tails,  and 
squealing  most  fearfully.  He  loosened  them  by  cutting  their 
tails  with  his  knife,  and  they  afterwards  looked  so  pretty  that  he 
has  ever  since  kept  the  tails  of-  his  pigs  clipped  short. 

Mr.  Welch  is  a  great  stockraiser,  and  thinks  he  has  fed  and 
raised  more  stock  than  any  other  man  in  Downs  township.  He 
seems  to  be  a  natural  stockraiser,  has  a  disposition  for  managing 
horses,  cattle,  slice})  and  pigs,  and  during  all  the  years  he  has  been 
in  the  business,  he  has  received  no  injury  from  any  domestic  ani- 


m'lean  county.  503 

mal.  He  thinks  that  of  all  stock  raised  sheep  pay  the  best  for 
the  trouble  expended  upon  them.  He  has  sold  wool  at  prices 
ranging  from  thirty-five  to  seventy  cents,  and  thinks  it  would  pay 
to  raise  sheep  with  wool  at  thirty  cents  per  pound.  Like  nearly 
all  persons  who  raise  sheep,  he  would  like  to  have  a  pretty  good 
tariff  upon  imported  wool.  He  says  the  dealers  in  wool  are  "up 
to  their  capers,"  as  well  as  dealers  in  wheat  or  any  other  produce. 
He  says  that  in  February  and  March  they  throw  as  much  wool 
on  the  market  as  possible,  for  the  purpose  of  putting  down  the 
price  when  the  new  clip  comes  in.  In  1859  and  '60,  Mr.  Welch 
began  to  go  pretty  deeply  into  the  business  of  raising  sheep,  but 
abandoned  it  because  of  the  danger  of  haying  them  killed  by 
dogs.  He  had  one  hundred  and  eleven  sheep  killed  by  dogs  in 
one  night,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  during  the  week.  This 
made  the  raising  of  sheep  uncertain  and  a  source  of  constant 
anxiety,  and  he  put  his  time  and  trouble  into  other  kinds  of 
stock,  which,  perhaps,  might  not  pay  so  well,  but  be  more  safe 
and  certain. 

Mr.  Welch's  experience  in  raising  pork  has  been  varied.  The 
price  has  ranged  from  one  dollar  per  hundred  to  ten  dollars  and 
fifty  cents;  but  when  it  reached  the  latter  figure  the  price  of  gold 
was  $2.50. 

He  made  it  pay  very  well  to  raise  horses,  but  more  capital 
was  required  for  tl lis  business. 

Mr.  Welch  has  been  very  successful  as  a  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser.  When  he  came  to  the  West  lie  was  a  poor  boy,  but  he 
exercised  discretion  in  his  business,  looked  ahead  and  guarded 
against  danger,  took  no  unnecessary  risks,  and  now  finds  himself 
in  very  independent  circumstances.  He  was  at  first  a  farmer  and 
teamster.  In  183(3  he  hauled  a  load  of  goods  from  Pekin  to 
Bloomington,  and  from  there  to  Dixon.  He  had  two  wagons, 
each  hauled  by  four  yoke  of  cattle.  One  wagon  carried  a  ton 
and  the  other  a  ton  and  a  half.  He  went  through  very  success- 
fully, but  when  he  came  to  the  Inlet  Swamp  he  found  it  impos- 
sible to  pull  through  even  by  putting  all  the  oxen  on  a  single 
wagon:  so  he  put  his  coffee  sacks  and  other  articles  on  the  backs 
of  the  oxen  and  made  them  go  through  in  that  way.  The  goods 
belonged  to  William  Covel,  and  were  the  first  ever  brought  to 
Dixon.     He  went  to  Rockford  in  1837,  and  on  his  way  from 


504  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Dixon  to  that  place  passed  over  the  famous  battle-ground  of 
Stillman's  Run.  The  graves  of  the  dead  were  then  plain  to  be 
seen. 

Mr.  "Welch  has  done  as  many  farmers  in  the  early  days  were 
obliged  to  do,  driven  his  hogs  to  Chicago  on  foot,  camping  out 
and  herding  them  at  night.  He  says  this  was  sometimes  lively 
work,  and  was  like  standing  picket.  He  has  hauled  wheat  to 
Chicago  and  received  forty-eight  cents  per  bushel. 

For  some  time  after  his  arrival  in  the  West,  Mr.  Welch  fol- 
lowed the  prairie  plow,  which  was  pulled  by  five  yoke  of  oxen, 
and  cut  a  sod  of  twenty  or  twenty-two  inches.  He  did  this  in 
Illinois  and  Wisconsin ;  at  one  time  he  broke  three  hundred 
acres  of  land  near  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  for  a  company  settled 
there. 

Henrv  Welch  is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  measured 
that  since  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  weighs  over  two 
hundred  pounds  and  is  muscular  and  healthy.  So  far  as  his 
countenance  is  concerned,  some  people  say  he  looks  like  Horace 
Greeley.  He  does  not  like  to  be  told  this,  but  would  greatly 
prefer  to  resemble  Abraham  Lincoln,  whom  he  so  much  admires. 
Mr.  Welch  is  highly  esteemed  by  his  neighbors  by  whom  he  is 
known  as  a  man  strictly  honest,  correct  in  his  judgment  and  kind 
in  his  manner.  He  has  that  hospitality  winch  the  old  settlers 
were  accustomed  to  show,  and  his  friends  are  always  welcome 
under  his  roof. 

Henry  Welch  married,  November  24,  1842,  Miss  Minerva 
Colwell,  daughter  of  James  Colwell  of  Gibbon  County,  Indiana. 
Xeither  of  her  parents  are  now  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Welch 
have  had  eisrht  children.     Thcv  are  : 

Sarah  Jane,  born  April  12,  1^45,  died  September  10,  1847. 

William  Lee  Welch,  born  February  11,  1847,  died  January 
9,  1871. 

James  Adams,  born  January  6,  1849,  lives  in  Randolph  town- 
ship. 

Susan  Ann,  born  September  24,  1850,  wife  of  George  Bishop, 
lives  in  Downs  township. 

Eliza  Matilda,  born  October  8,  1852 :  Alfred  J.  Welch,  born 
July  5,  1855;  George  Henry  Welch,  born  June  '13,  1858;  Mi- 
nerva Elizabeth,  born  June  6,1866,  live  at  home. 


m'lean  county.  505 

Hon.  John  Cusey. 

John  Cusey  was  born  April  9,  1822,  in  what  is  now  Ashland 
County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  John  Cusey,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Ford.  John  Cusey,  the  grand- 
father of  the  John  Cusey  of  whom  we  are  writing,  was  the  young- 
er son  of  an  aristocratic  family  in  England.  Being  the  younger 
son  he  was  not  allowed  to  inherit  any  portion  of  his  father's  es- 
tate, and  this  completely  disgusted  him  with  English  laws  and 
customs.  He  was  put  into  the  English  army  against  his  will, 
and  when  the  American  colonies  rebelled  against  the  mother 
country  he  was  among  the  number  sent  to  whip  them  into  sub- 
mission. But  his  sharp  experience  with  English  customs  and  his 
enlistment  in  the  army  contrary  to  his  will  had  made  him  a 
strong  Republican.  As  soon  as  he  found  an  opportunity,  he,  with 
sixty-two  others,  deserted  from  the  British  army  and  joined  the 
American  forces.  He  fought  gallantly  for  the  American  cause 
for  six  years  and  seven  months,  was  in  many  battles,  and  in  one 
of  them  was  wounded  in  the  right  lung.  He  lived  many  years 
afterwards,  but"  never  entirely  recovered  from  his  wound.  He 
died  from  its  effect  in  171*6.  .He  left  one  son  son,  Job  Cusey. 
The  latter  was  born  in  1794,  near  Ellicott's  Mills  in  Maryland. 
As  his  father  died  two  years  after  his  birth,  Job  Cusey  was  placed 
in  charge  of  E/.ekiel  Weeks,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  a  former 
messmate  of  John  Cusey.  During  the  war  of  1812  the  Weeks' 
boys  enlisted  in  the  army,  and  Job  Cusey  went  with  them,  but 
not  as  a  soldier,  for  he  was  small  for  his  age.  But  he  was  a  lively 
boy  and  acted  as  teamster  or  hostler  or  did  anything  and  every- 
thing to  make  himself  useful.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  emi- 
grated  to  the  Western  Reserve  in  Ohio,  and  there  raised  a  family. 
In  1836  he  prepared  to  come  to  Illinois,  and  told  his  boys  that 
they  could  have  a  few  weeks'  time  to  visit  their  relations.  But 
Nathan  Brooks,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  of  1812,  told  the 
boys  that  it  would  be  more  profitable  for  them  to  spend  their  time 
in  clearing  three  acres  of  timber  land  for  him,  and  if  they  would 
do  so,  he  would  give  them  one  of  Smith's  best  rifles,  with  which 
to  shoot  ijanie  in  Illinois.  The  boys  cleared  the  land  and  earned 
the  rifle.  The  family  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois,  in  the 
fall  of  1836,  and  John  and  Thomas  Cusey  used  the  gun  to  kill 
ie  chickens.     At  one  time,  while  after  prairie  chickens,  they 


506  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

found  a  herd  of  deer,  and  Thomas  Cusev  shot  a  large  buck  through 
the  nose.  It  was  stunned  at  first  and  fell,  and  Thomas  grabbed 
it  by  the  jaw  and  ear.  But  it  soon  arose  and  threshed  Thomas 
around,  though  he  hung  to  it  closely.  John  Cusey  came  to  the 
help  of  his  brother  and  grasped  the  deer  by  the  legs,  but  was 
kicked  off  instantly.  The  deer  had  shed  its  horns  and  could  not 
fight  advantageously,  but  it  was  very  plucky  and  would  not  let 
the  bovs  get  away.  It  knocked  down  first  one  and  then  another, 
and  as  each  fell  the  other  came  to  the  rescue.  Thomas  attempted 
to  load  the  gun,  but  before  he  could  do  so  the  deer  came  on  him, 
and  with  its  fore-feet  jumped  on  the  gun  and  broke  off  the  stock. 
The  boys  fought  desperately,  and  at  last  killed  the  deer  with  a 
knife ;  but  they  were  cut  in  many  places  by  the  deer's  sharp 
hoofs  ;  their  clothes  were  torn  off,  and  they  were  covered  with 
blood  from  head  to  foot.     This  was  the  first  deer  they  killed. 

Reference  has  been  made  in  the  sketch  of  John  Price  to  a 
wolf,  which  was  a  terror  to  the  settlers  from  Mackinaw  to  Salt 
Creek.  Mr.  Cusey  once  heard  this  wolf  howling  and  knew  that 
it  was  in  pursuit  of  game,  and  supposed  that  it  would  soon  get  a 
good  meal  of  venison  and  be  unable  to  run.  He  mounted  his 
horse  and  went  after  it,  and  sure  enough  it  was  eating  a  deer. 
He  came  up  with  it  after  a  short  chase  of  a  mile,  but  it  snapped 
its  large  jaws  together  as  quick  as  a  steel-trap,  and  its  appearance 
was  so  ferocious  that  Mr.  Cusev  could  not  urge  his  horse  near  to 
it  and  returned  home  disappointed.  John  Price  shot  the  wolf 
some  time  afterwards. 

Mr.  Cusev  was  for  twenty-five  years  a  clerk  for  Jesse  Funk, 
while  the  latter  bought  cattle  and  traded  in  stock.  Thev  carried 
around  large  steel-yards  to  weigh  the  hogs,  which  were  suspended 
in  the  air.  After  they  were  weighed,  one-fifth  was  deducted  in 
order  to  arrive  at  their  weight  after  being  dressed.  Mr.  Cusey 
multiplied  the  gross  weight  by  eight  and  struck  off  one  figure, 
and  the  quotient  was  the  neat  weight.  This  process  was  discov- 
ered by  Jesse  Funk,  who  could  not  write  a  cypher.  Of  course  it 
is  easy  for  any  one  at  all  familiar  with  the  arithmetic  to  under- 
stand the  process,  but  is  quite  remarkable  for  one  who  never  wrote 
a  figure.  Mr.  Funk  remembered  everything  without  the  aid  of 
memoranda.  Atone  time  he  said  :  "Cusev,  I  have  lost  twenty 
dollars  and  can  not  tell  where  it  has  gone."     Then  he  reviewed 


m'lean  county.  507 

the  purchase  of  one  thousand  and  eighty-four  hogs,  which  he  had 
bought  singly  and  in  small  lots,  and  every  purchase  was  correct  ; 
but  still  the  twenty  dollars  was  unaccounted  for.  At  last  he 
remembered  that  he  had  lent  twenty  dollars  to  a  friend.  Jesse 
Funk  had  a  habit  of  giving  people  various  nick-names.  At  one 
time  when  Funk  was  going  with  Cusey  down  in  Piatt  County  to 
purchase  stock,  Mr.  Funk  said  :  "Now,  Cusey,  we  are  going  down 
among  the  Baptist  brethren  in  Piatt  County,  and  I  must  call  you 
deacon,  and  then  I  shall  have  no  trouble  in  dealing  with  them." 
Cusey  objected  to  no  purpose,  and  whenever  Funk  had  a  misun- 
derstanding it  was  settled  by  Deacon  Cusey  to  the  satisfaction  of 
all.  Mr.  Cusey  was  an  administrator  for  Jesse  Funk's  estate,  and 
saw  the  first  tax-receipt  the  latter  ever  paid.  It  was  given  by 
Martin  Scott,  Sheriff  and  Collector,  and  wTas  for  the  sum  of 
thirty-five  cents.  But  the  last  tax  paid  by  Mr.  Funk  amounted  to 
two  thousand  three  hundred  dollars. 

Mr.  Cusey  was  a  cabinet  maker,  which  was  an  easy  trade  for 
him  to  learn,  as  his  rather  had  been  a  carpenter. 

Job  Cusey,  the  father  of  John  Cusey,  was  an  old-time  aboli- 
tionist. He  was  made  so  by  a  scene  which  he  witnessed  in  Mary- 
land, before  he  came  to  the  West.  There  was  a  negro  preacher, 
a  most  excellent  man,  who  held  meetings  among  the  negroes  of 
the  neighborhood.  But  after  awhile  his  master  became  involved 
in  debt  and  was  obliged  to  sell  his  slaves,  and  the  negro  preacher 
was  sold  with  the  rest.  He  was  chained  to  a  slave-gang,  which 
started  on  its  journey  to  the  farther  south.  As  it  was  moving  off, 
he  looked  up  and  saw  his  master  and  the  crowd,  which  lined  the 
road,  and  said  : 

•'My  suffering  time  will  soon  be  o'er, 
When  I  shall  sigh  and  weep  no  more." 

Just  then  a  person  passed  along  the  crowd  with  a  hat  in  which  he 
received  contributions.  Enough  money  was  raised  on  the  spot 
to  buy  the  negro  preacher  from  the  slave  driver.  The  slave 
owners  of  the  neighborhood  contributed,  because  the  preacher 
kept  their  slaves  quiet.  This  incident  so  impressed  Mr.  Cusey 
that  he  became  an  Abolitionist  forth  with,  and  remained  so  during 
his  life.  When  Mr.  Lovejoy  came  to  speak  at  Bloomington,  a 
great  many  years  ago,  many  citizens  thought  that  he  should  not 
be  allowed  to  use  the  court  house.     It  was  then  that  Job  Cusey 


508  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

and  George  Dietrich  stood  by  liim  and  insisted  that  the  court 
house  should  be  open  to  him.  They  walked  with  him  through 
the  streets,  while  the  excited  crowd  threw  eggs  at  them,  but  the 
two  men  continued  at  their  post. 

John  Cusey  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  during  the  cam- 
paign of  1872.  His  attendance  at  the  Legislature  was  marked  by 
some  happy  hits.  During  the  session  of  1873  one  Senator  pro- 
posed a  great  reform  in  the  choosing  of  School  Superintendents 
in  the  various  counties  of  the  State,  and  insisted  upon  civil  ser- 
vice reform,  and  that  School  Superintendents  should  pass  an 
examination  to  find  whether  they  were  qualified  to  perform  the 
duties  of  their  office.  Mr.  Cusey  observed  that  in  the  election  of 
County  Superintendents  the  people  passed  on  their  qualifications, 
and  he  asked  if  the  persons  chosen  by  the  people  were  to  be  ex- 
amined as  to  their  qualifications  for  their  positions,  what  would 
become  of  the  Senator  who  introduced  the  bill !  The  proposition 
was  defeated. 

In  the  Daily  Leader  of  April  1,  1874,  we  find  the  following: 

"In  the  Illinois  State  Senate  there  are  two  men  whose  names 
are  so' nearly  alike — Casey  and  Cusey — that  the  telegraph  and 
newspapers,  during  the  recent  session,  got  them  badly  confused 
occasionally.  Casey  is  a  Democratic  Senator  from  'away  clown  in 
Egypt,'  and  Cusey  is  a  Republican  Senator  from  McLean  County. 
Just  before  the  final  adjournment  on  Saturday,  Mr.  Casey  intro- 
duced the  following  bill  : 

*  A  Bill  for  an  act  to  change  the  name  of  John  Cusey  to  George 
Washington  McLean. 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
represented  in  the  General  Assembly,  That  the  name  of  John  Cusey, 
of  McLean  County,  Illinois,  is  hereby  changed  to  George  Wash- 
ington McLean,  and  by  said  last  mentioned  name  lie  shall  be 
hereafter  known,  designated  and  respected ;  and  that  all  the 
rights,  privileges  and  hereditaments,  whether  corporeal  or  incorpo- 
real, that  appertained  to  the  said  Cusey,  be  and  are  hereby  rested 
in  the  said  George  Washington  McLean  ;  and  in  the  said  latter 
cognomen  he  may  sue  and  be  sued,  the  same  as  if  was  single 
and  unmaaried. 

'  Sec  2.  Whereas,  the  interests  of  another  respectable  gentle- 
man have  been  jeopardized  by  the  name  of  Cusey,  therefore  an 


m'lean  county.  509 

emergency  exists,  and  this  act  shall  take  effect  and  be  in   force, 
from  and  after  its  passage. 

A  roar  of  laughter  greeted  this  effort.  Its  point  will  be  un- 
derstood when  the  fact  is  stated  that  the  types  have  almost  daily 
intermixed  Cusey  and  Casay  to  such  an  extent  that  was  exasper- 
ating to  both. 

Mr.  Cusey  is  a  very  entertaining  man  in  conversation,  and 
nearly  everything  he  says  has  point  to  it  or  humor  in  it.  He  says 
that  at  one  time,  while  Jesse  Funk  was  taking  a  drove  of  swine 
along  the  road  to  market,  he  pointed  to  a  pig  in  the  rear  of  the 
drove,  and  said  :  "See  there,  Deacon  Cusey,  that  pig  is  going  to 
break."  Mr.  Cusey  watched  it  closely  and  noticed  that  it  was 
restless,  and  was  gradually  passing  the  other  pigs  in  the  drove. 
AVhen  it  came  pretty  well  towards  the  head  of  the  drove,  sure 
enough,  it  broke.  "Xow,"  said  Mr.  Cusey,  "when  professional 
politicians  see  a  man,  whom  they  are  unable  to  manage,  going 
ahead,  they  say,  'Watch  him,  watch  him,'  and  the}T  try  to  hold 
him  back,  long  before  the  people  see  what  is  going  on." 

Mr.  Cusey  is  about  live  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height.  His 
hair  is  dark  and  thick,  and  sprinkled  with  gray.  His  face  is  broad 
and  humorous.  His  conversation  is  very  entertaining,  and  every- 
thing he  says  displays  his  shrewdness  and  his  -correct  ideas. 
His  pleasantry  is  of  the  best  kind.  He  is  not  a  man  who  loves 
his  enemies,  though  he  would  not  do  them  injustice  if  he  knew 
it.  He  is  a  pretty  quick  judge  of  men,  and  it  requires  only  a 
short  time  for  him  to  understand  them  pretty  well.  He  has  not 
had  the  advantages  of  a  good  education,  but  his  vigorous  intel- 
lect and  his  shrewdness  bring  success  without  the  training  of  the 
schools. 

On  the  23d  of  November,  1843,  Mr.  Cusey  married  Miss 
Hannah  Bishop.  They  have  had  nine  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  living.  One  child  died  in  infancy,  and  one,  Sarah  Elizabeth, 
died  in  her  sixteenth  year.  Those  living  are  Charity  E.,  Thomas 
H.,  John  A.,  James  0.,  Joseph  M.,  Mary  J.,  and  Hannah  E. 
Cusey.     The  first  two  are  married. 


510  old  settlers  of 

Samuel  Troop  Richardson. 

Troop  Richardson  was  born  July  14, 1809,  in  Cayuga  County, 
IS"  cm-  York,  near  Auburn.  His  father,  Samuel  L.  Richardson, 
and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ann  Wright,  were  both 
of  English  descent.  The  ancestors  of  his  mother  came  from 
England  with  William  Penn. 

In  October,  1818,  the  Richardson  family  started  to  Fort  Har- 
rison, three  miles  from  Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  They  had  an  all 
winter's  journey  of  it,  and  came  to  their  destination  in  March, 
1819.  The  journey  was  made  by  water  on  a  flat-boat  and  was 
full  of  adventure.  At  Rising  Sun,  about  thirty  miles  above  Jef- 
fersonville,  on  the  Ohio  River,  they  were  crushed  into  the  ice 
which  was  running.  The  ice  above  came  down  and  crushed 
them  into  the  ice  below.  Their  boat  was  raked  fore  and  aft,  and 
raised  up  out  of  the  water,  but  by  good  management  they  released 
themselves  from  their  dangerous  situation.  They  crossed  the 
Ohio  Falls  while  the  water  was  low,  and  had  great  difficulty  in 
avoiding  rocks  and  going  through.  In  Indiana  they  followed 
farming,  and  when  Troop  Richardson  became  about  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  went  to  flatboating.  He  left  Fort  Harrison, 
Indiana,  December  27,  1827,  on  a  flatboat  with  Solomon  Welch, 
the  father  of  .Henry  Welch  of  Downs  township.  They  started 
for  ]STew  Orleans.  They  floated  out  into  the  Wabash,  ran  through 
cut-offs,  storms  and  cold  winds  down  into  the  Ohio.  The  first 
day  on  the  Ohio  was  calm,  and  they  decided  to  run  at  night.  But 
during  the  night  they  had  a  stern  storm,  that  is,  one  that  blew 
down  stream.  The  night  was  perfectly  black,  and  they  learned 
their  position  in  the  stream  by  hallooing  and  listening  to  the  echo 
from  the  bank.  They  went  at  tremendous  speed,  at  steamboat 
rates,  and  any  little  accident  would  have  thrown  them  all  into 
the  water.  They  came  down  the  Ohio  into  the  Mississippi.  When 
they  left  New  Madrid  they  went  through  a  second  storm.  Mr. 
Richardson  was  cableman,  that  is,  it  was  his  duty  to  throw  the 
cable  around  a  stump  or  post  to  stop  the  boat,  This  storm  blew 
them  down  so  swiftly  that  they  were  unable  to  stop  before  reach- 
ing Vicksburg,  and  when  Mr.  Richardson  threw  the  seagrass 
cable  around  a  stump,  it  was  drawn  so  tight,  that  when  struck,  it 
would  hum  like  a  fiddle-string.  The  seagrass  cables  were  very 
strong  and  elastic,  and  if  broken  by  the  strain  of  the  flatboat  the 


M?LEAN    COUNTY.  511 

cableman  was  in  a  dangerous  situation,  for  the  elastic  cable  might 
recoil  and  strike  him.  Thev  also  landed  at  Natchez,  which  was 
then  noted  as  the  hardest  place  on  the  Mississippi  River.  Many 
murders  were  committed  there  every  day  and  human  life  was 
held  very  cheap.  In  the  South  Mississippi  River  they  heard  every 
night  the  voices  of  panthers  and  alligators.  The  latter  makes  a 
noise  which  sounds  much  like  that  of  a  yearling  calf.  Their 
voices  were  sometimes  as  numerous  as  the  croakings  of  frogs  in 
a  pond.  But  no  alligators  were  seen  during  that  time  of  the  year 
as  they  were  back  in  the  swamps  and  bayous,  and  would  not  come 
out  until  warm  weather.  The  flatboat  went  down  to  New  Or- 
leans, and  when  the  cargo  was  disposed  of  the  party  returned 
home.  Mr.  Richardson  on  his  return  went  by  steamboat  up  to 
Port  Gibson,  then  rowed  in  a  skiff  down  to  Natchez,  and  there 
went  on  a  steamboat  which  took  him  up  to  Evansville,  within  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  of  home.  lie  was  obliged  to  row  back 
to  Natchez,  because  he  could  not  land  there  while  coming  up  the 
river.  Steamboats  in  those  days  landed  at  very  few  points,  as  they 
were  in  constant  danger  of  being  captured  on  shore  by  bands  of 
thieves.  Mr.  Richardson  carried  several  hundred  dollars  in  money 
with  him,  which  lie  could  not  have  done,  had  it  been  known.  lie 
walked  from  Evansville,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  home. 
The  boatmen  on  the  river  were  a  hard  set  of  customers,  but 
would  tight  for  each  other  until  death.  Mr.  Richardson  tells  of 
a  very  unpleasant  predicament  in  which  he  was  caught  in  1836, 
while  at  New  Orleans.  He  had  two  rlatboats  lashed  together  by 
seagrass  inch  chords,  and  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  get  into  the 
wake  of  a  steamboat.  The  swell  struck  his  flatboats  sideways, 
and  the  seagrass  chords  snapped  in  two.  The  bottom  of  one  boat 
could  be  seen  as  it  rolled  up  in  the  swell. 

In  1835,  Mr.  Richardson  moved  the  widow  of  Solomon  Welch 
and  her  family  to  Illinois.  There  the  former  entered  land,  hauled 
out  logs  for  a  cabin  and  returned  to  Indiana.  In  the  summer  of 
1838,  he  again  came  out  to  Illinois.  The  season  was  not  very  dry 
and  he  mired  down  nearly  half  a  dozen  times  between  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant (Farmer  City)  and  the  present  town  of  Leroy.  He  went  on 
his  farm  and  commenced  February  1,  1839,  with  three  yoke  of 
cattle,  to  improve  it.  He  hauled  all  his  lumber  and  timber  three 
miles  to  make  a  rive  board  fence  on  three  sides  of  a  thirty  acre 


512  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

lot:  the  fence  on  the  fourth  side  he  built  with  rails.  He  broke 
his  land,  put  it  into  corn,  wheat  and  oats,  broke  ten  acres  for  Mr. 
Kimler,  completed  all  this  by  the  first  of  May,  and  his  only  help 
was  a  teamster  hired  for  one  month.  Then  he  went  to  Ottawa 
and  broke  prairie  for  Mr.  Welch.  He  did  a  great  deal  of  team- 
ing, slept  in  his  wagon,  cooked  his  own  victuals,  always  took  his 
own  half  of  the  road,  and  always  gave  the  other  half  when  he 
passed  a  team. 

In  1841  Mr.  Richardson  made  two  trips  to  Chicago  and  one  to 
Rockford  with  a  load  of  apples.  The  country  there  was  in  great 
excitement  over  the  lynching  of  two  men,  named  Driscoll,  father 
and  son,  who  lived  in  Ogle  County.  They  had  been  shot  over 
their  own  graves  and  it  was  known  that  the  entire  country  was 
infested  with  thieves.  Mr.  Richardson  was  therefore  very  cau- 
tious, and  on  his  return  during  the  Rockford  trip  he  remained  up 
all  night  to  watch  his  money  and  horses. 

Mr.  Richardson  has  never  done  much  hunting.  He  has  killed 
prairie  chickens  and  wildgeese  occasionally,  and  has  chased  prairie 
wolves.  He  savs  the  wolves  in  Illinois  were  numerous  enough, 
but  never  so  thick  as  in  Indiana.  AVhile  he  was  in  the  Wabash 
country  in  Indiana  the  wolves  came  to  the  house  and  peeped  in 
at  the  window.  It  was  impossible  to  get  the  pig-pen  close  enough 
to  the  house  to  protect  the  pigs  from  the  wolves.  The  great 
amount  of  timber  in  Indiana  afforded  cover  to  the  wolves  and 
they  were  therefore  more  numerous  and  saucy  than  in  Illinois. 

Mr.  Richardson  has  had  much  experience  with  fires  on  the 
prairie.  He  says  that  when  they  sweep  over  the  prairie  they  run 
in  currents  or  veins,  that  is,  one  part  shoots  far  ahead  of  the  rest 
and  the  fire  on  each  side  moves  more  slowly.  He  has  often  fouerht 
fire,  but  learned  t<>  manage  the  matter  without  becoming  excited. 
One  of  his  houses  occupied  by  a  tenant  came  near  destruction  by 
a  prairie  fire,  but  Mr.  Richardson  hastened  out  and  made  a  back 
fire  which  saved  it.  The  fire  had  a  large  sweep  over  the  prairie 
as  scarcely  anything  interposed  to  check  it  between  Diamond 
and  Randolph's  Grove  on  the  west  and  Buckle's  Grove  on  the 
east. 

Mr.  Richardson  followed  up  teaming  until  the  railroads  began 
to  come  through.  He  hauled  wheat  to  Chicago,  Peoria  and  Pe- 
kin.     He  worked  harder  than  he  should  have  done:  nevertheless 


m'lean  county.  513 

helms  enjoyed  good  health,  and  never  had  a  doctor  called  on  his 
account  since  he  was  eleven  of  age.  His  habitB  have  been  re- 
markably temperate.  He  never  chewed  or  smoked  tobacco,  or 
drank  liquor  enough  to  affect  him.  He  has  lived  since  the  year 
1841  on  the  place  where  he  now  resides,  south  of  Diamond  Grove, 
in  Downs  Township. 

On  the  fourth  of  September,  1863,  Mr.  Richardson  took  a  trip 
to  New  Orleans  to  visit  his  son,  John  W.  Kiel lardson,  who  was 
sick  in  the  hospital  there.  He  went  to  Cairo  and  there  took  the 
steal uboat  Champion,  loaded  with  government  supplies,  and  went 
to  Memphis.  From  that  place  the  steamboat  was  escorted  by  a 
gunboat  as  it  was  liable,  if  unprotected,  to  be  tired  into  by  the 
rebels.  He  went  down  to  a  convalescent  hospital,  seven  miles 
this  side  of  Kew  Orleans,  and  there  found  his  son,  who  was  better 
than  expected.  While  returning,  Mr.  Richardson  took  a  deck 
passage  with  twenty-two  sick  soldiers,  lie  waited  on  the  soldiers 
as  well  as  he  could  and  tried  to  make  them  comfortable.  When 
they  arrived  at  Memphis  the  boat  was  pressed  to  go  on  the  lied 
River  expedition  with  General  Banks,  and  Air.  Richardson  was 
obliged  to  reship.  The  boat  which  he  left  was  manned  by  a  crew 
of  rebel  sympathizers  and  it  caught  tire  and  was  burnt  up,  and  it 
was  thought  that  the  crew  set  it  on  tire.  At  Vicksburg  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson went  to  see  Whistling  Dick,  a  famous  gun  near  there, 
which  shot  a  long  distance.  As  he  was  rather  curious  to  see  the 
inventions  which  are  made  for  the  destruction  of  life,  he  exam- 
ined some  percussion  shell  which  he  saw  lying  in  a  pile,  and, 
without  knowing  the  dangerous  material  he  was  handling,  care- 
lessly tossed  one  of  them  back  into  the  pile  !  By  good  fortune 
it  did  not  explode.  He  returned  home  without  further  adventure. 
He  was  well  treated  by  the  soldiers  on  this  trip  and  always  felt 
himself  safe  with  them. 

Mr.  Richardson  married,  January  17,  1833,  at  Fort  Harrison, 
Indiana,  Alary  Welch,  a  sister  of  Henry  Welch,  of  Downs  town- 
ship. She  died  March  6,  1870,  aged  fifty-seven  years  and  six 
months. 

Mr.  Richardson  has  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living.     They  are : 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  Duncan  M.  Funk,  lives  in  Bloomingtou. 

Caroline,  widow  of  Charles  Barker,  lives  in  Bloomington. 

33 


514  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Susan,  wife  of  Daniel  Mason,  lives  in  Downs  township. 

Misses  Sarah  and  Ann  Richardson  live  at  home  with  their 
father. 

The   eldest  son,  Samuel  L.  Richardson,  lives  in  Downs  town- 
ship. 

The  second  son  is  John  W.  Richardson. 

Mr.  Richardson  is  of  medium  height,  rather  slim,  but  well 
formed,  wiry  and  tough.  He  has  a  good-natured  Roman  nose,  and 
his  face  wears  a  pleasant,  kind  expression.  He  is  a  very  plucky  and 
determined  man,  and  he  has  a  lively  sense  of  justice.  His  dispo- 
sition is  well  shown  by  his  remark  that  while  passing  a  stranger 
he  always  took  one-half  of  the  road  and  gave  the  other  half.  In 
other  words,  he  is  willing  and  anxious  to  give  men  their  due,  but 
insists  that  they  shall  give  up  what  belongs  to  him.  He  is  a  man 
of  honor,  and  never  deserted  the  post  of  danger.  His  neighbors 
speak  highly  of  him,  and  say  that  while  that  most  dreaded  pesti- 
lence, the  cholera,  was  carrying  off  its  victims  in  1853,  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson never  hesitated  a  moment  about  visiting  the  sick,  and 
affording  all  the  relief  in  his  power.  He  has  grandchildren 
around  him,  and  leads  a  happy  life,  and  his  friends  hope  that  his 
days  may  yet  be  long  and  that  he  may  enjoy  the  competence  he 
has  worked  so  hard  to  obtain. 


DRY  GROVE. 

Henry  Yansickles. 

The  following  items  of  Mr.  Yansickles  were  furnished  by  his 
son-in-law,  diaries  J.  McClure,  of  Eldora,  Iowa: 

Henry  Yansickles  was  born  in  Green  County,  Pennsylvania. 
March  4,  1793.  At  the  age  of  seven  years  he  emigrated  to  "West- 
ern Virginia  with  his  parents,  Anthony  and  Rebecca  Yansickles. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  enlisted  under  his  father,  Captain  An- 
thonv  Yansickles,  and  served  six  months  in  the  war  of  1812. 
enduring  many  hardships  and  privations. 

In  about  the  year  1815  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Gilston,  of 
Louisburg,  Virginia,  and  shortly  afterwards  moved  in  a  flat-boat 
to  White  County,  Illinois,  near  the  present  village  of  Carmi. 
There  they  lived  in  a  log  cabin,  with  a  bed  quilt  for  a  door.    One 


m'lean  county.  515 

day  a  large  panther  came  in  front  oi*  the  house,  while  Mrs.  Van- 
sickles  was  there  alone.  The  animal  raised  itself  up,  placing  its 
fore-feet  on  a  log,  and  took  a  good  view  of  the  premises.  -Mrs. 
Vansickles  picked  up  an  axe  and  stood  at  the  door  ready  for  tight, 
but  the  panther  walked  off. 

The  Vansickles  family  came  to  McLean  County  in  the  tall  of 
1826,  and  commenced  improving  land  at  the  west  end  of  Bloom- 
ing Grove  on  Sugar  Creek.  There  he  made  an  improvement  on 
the  creek  bottom,  and  in  the  following  spring  he  planted  a  crop. 
But  the  rains  descended  and  the  Hoods  came,  and  a  June  freshet 
destroyed  a  portion  of  his  crop  and  washed  away  his  fence. 
Before  this  lie  had  dug  out  some  logs  to  use  as  vats  in  tanning- 
deer  skins,  and  he  lashed  these  vats  together  and  used  them  as  a 
boat  to  save  his  rails. 

He  left  Sugar  Creek  after  this  wet  experienee,  went  to  Dry 
Grove,  built  a  cabin  and  took  possession  of  it  in  January,  1828. 
The  nearest  market  then  was  Springfield,  which  was  eighty  miles 
distant.  He  supplied  the  family  with  venison  and  honey  by  his 
skill  in  hunting.  He  raised  corn,  pounded  it  in  a  mortar,  or  took 
it  to  some  little  "corn  cracker"  mill  to  get  it  ground.  He  raised 
wheat,  cut  it  with  a  sickle,  threshed  it  out  with  a  flail  or 
tramped  it  out  with  his  horses,  took  it  one  hundred  and 
sixty  miles  distant,  to  Chicago,  sold  it  for  thirty-five  cents 
per  bushel,  and  took  one-half  of  Ids  pay  in  store  goods, 
when  coffee  was  fifty  cents  per  pound  and  calico  was  from  twen- 
ty-five  to  fifty  cents  per  yard.  He  then  drove  a  four-horse  team, 
managing:  it  with  a  single  line  and  riding  the  wheel-horse.  He 
raised  sheep,  and  his  daughters  learned  to  card  wool  and  spin. 
He  made  a  loom,  and  his  active,  industrious  daughters  made 
cloth  enough  for  family  use  and  some  to  sell.  He  was  very  suc- 
cessful,  notwithstanding  all  of  his  difficulties,  and  he  owed  his 
success  in  a  great  measure  to  his  daughters,  who  always  made 
themselves  useful.  They  were  a  Messing  to  their  father  and 
mother,  and  those  who  were  afterwards  married,  were  a  blessing 
to  their  husbands. 

The  eldest  daughter,  Clarinda,  was  never  married,  but  still 
lives  with  her  mother,  and  tenderly  cares  for  her. 

The  seeond  daughter,  Sarepta,  was  married  in  1845  to  Charles 
J.  McClure,  second  son  of  Colonel  Robert  McClure,  of  Stout's 
Grove,  and  now  lives  near  Eldora,  Iowa. 


516  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

The  third  daughter,  Rebecca,  was  married  in  1854  to  John 
Peters,  and  now  also  lives  near  Eldora,  Iowa. 

The  fourth  daughter,  Maria  Louise,  was  married  in  the  year 
1845  to  James  M.  Buckner,  son  of  Henry  Buckner,  of  Stout's 
Grove,  and  now  lives  near  Salem,  Nebraska. 

James  G.  Vansickles,  the  eldest  son,  married  in  1845  Miss 
Mary  Green,  daughter  of  Reilley  Green.  He  lives  at  the  present 
time  in  Hardin  County,  Iowa,  near  Steamboat  Rock. 

John  H.  Vansickles  went  to  Bourbon  County,  Kansas,  and 
there  married  Miss  Martha  Stevenson.  During  the  war  he  served 
two  years  as  Captain  of  a  company  of  home  guards,  and  was 
finally  killed  while  charging  on  a  rebel  camp. 

After  all  of  Mr.  Vansickles'  children  were  married,  except 
Clarinda,  he  sold  his  farm  to  a  Mr.  Otto,  and  his  residence  in 
Concord  (now  Danvers)  to  Levi  Danley,  and  in  the  fall  of  1864 
moved  to  Eldora,  Iowa.  There  he  bought  a  fine  residence  and  a 
fine  farm,  and  lived  in  the  enjoyment  of  reasonable  health  and 
plenty  until  the  tenth  of  September,  1867,  when  he  died  from  a 
stroke  of  apoplexy.  Mrs.  Vansickles  and  her  daughter  Clarinda 
still  reside  at  the  homestead  at  Eldora.  A  beautiful  marble  mon- 
ument, three  miles  east  of  Eldora  in  the  Cumberland  Presbyte- 
rian  Cemetery,  marks  the  spot  where  sleeps  all  that  is  earthly  of 
Henry  Vansickles. 

Stephen  Webb. 

Stephen  Webb  was  born  May  8, 1797,  in  Burke  County,  Xortk 
( Jarolina.  His  father's  name  was  William  Webb,  and  his  mother's 
name,  before  her  marriage,  was  Nancy  Humphreys.  I  lis  father 
was  of  English  descent  and  a  little  of  Irish.  His  mother's  an- 
cestors came  from  Ireland,  but  were  probably  originally  from 
England.  Mr.  Webb  lived  in  Burke  County,  Xorth  Carolina, 
until  he  was  seven  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Barron  County, 
Kentucky,  where  he  lived  twelve  years. 

In  about  the  year  1815,  he  moved  with  his  father's  family  to 
Overton  County,  Tennessee,  where  he  went  to  tanning.  He  was 
;i  sharp  sportsman,  and  hunted  turkeys,  deer  and  wolves.  About 
three  miles  from  where  he  lived  was  a  cave,  which  made  a  den 
for  a  pair  of  large  gray  wolves,  which  had  raised  eight  cubs.  One 
of  the   old  wolves   was  caught  in  a  steel-trap,   and   the  settlers 


m'lean  county.  517 

turned  out  to  catch  the  rest  in  the  den.  The  dogs  were  sent  into 
the  den  and  they  killed  and  brought  out  the  eight  cubs,  but  the 
old  wolf  was  protected  by  a  crevice,  where  only  her  head  ap- 
peared, and  the  dogs  could  not  get  hold  of  her  to  bring  her  out. 
Mr.  Webb  volunteered  to  go  in  and  shoot  her.  He  crawled  into 
the  den  with  his  knife  at  his  side  and  his  gun  in  his  hand,  and 
was  lighted  by  a  candle,  fastened  to  the  muzzle  of  his  gun.  His' 
brother  James  followed  after  him.  Stephen  Webb  crawled  in 
until  he  saw  the  wolf,  fired  at  it,  handed  his  gun  hack  to  his 
brother,  and  dragged  the  animal  out.  It  was  shot  between  the 
eves,  but  a  little  too  low.  It  revived  after  being  brought  out  and 
showed  fight,  but  was  easily  killed.  Stephen  and  James  "Webb 
received  ten  dollars  for  their  exploit.  Mr.  Webb  says  that  when 
the  gun  was  fired  in  the  cave  it  sounded  no  louder  than  a  pop- 
gun. 

The  Webb  family  had  a  farm  in  Tennessee,  and  they  also 
kept  a  tavern  on  the  Cumberland  Mountains  on  the  turnpike 
road  between  Nashville  and  Knoxville.  Their  tavern  was  about 
midway  between  these  places.  Stephen  Webb  hauled  corn  with 
a  four  horse  team  from  a  plantation  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains 
up  to  the  top  to  supply  the  hotel.  He  drove  the  team  by  riding 
one  of  the  wheel  horses,  and  driving  with  a  single  line.  At  one 
time,  while  driving  down  the  mountain,  his  horses  took  fright  at 
sonic  pigs  that  came  suddenly  out  of  the  brush,  and  team  and 
wagon  went  sailing  down  the  mountain  side.  Mr.  Webb  stuck 
to  his  horses  but  unfortunately  broke  his  line  in  trying  to  stop 
them.  At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  was  a  sharp  turn,  but  the 
horses  went  straight  ahead  over  an  enormous  log  three  feet  thick. 
Mr.  Webb  tried  to  leap  from  his  horse,  when  he  came  within 
twenty  feet  of  the  log,  but  landed  on  the  other  side  of  it.  When 
the  wagon  struck  tin1  log,  the  box  went  sailing  over  the  helpless 
driver.  Mr.  Webb  laid  where  he  fell,  for  his  knee  was  dislocated 
and  also  his  ancle,  lie  feels  in  his  knee,  at  the  present  time,  the 
effect  of  that  fall. 

On  the  10th  of  December,  1X24,  Mr.  Webb  married  Penina 
Hinshaw.  They  lived  in  Tennessee  until  they  came  to  Illinois  in 
182t!.  During  that  year  he  made  a  visit  to  Illinois  with  old 
George  Hinshaw.  They  traveled  in  a  little  two-horse  wagon 
over  Central   Illinois,  and   started  for  Chicago,  but  lost  their  way 


518  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

and  could  find  nothing  but  Indians,  who  wore  unable  to  direct 
them.  They  came  down  the  Desplains  River  to  where  Ottawa 
now  is,  and  there  found  three  families.  From  this  place  they  re- 
turned to  Tennessee.  In  June,  1827,  the  families  of  Stephen 
Webb,  "William  McCord  and  George  and  Jacob  Hinshaw,  started 
for  Illinois  with  teams.  They  had  a  pleasant  journey  until  they 
reached  the  Ohio  River.  While  there  the  wet  season  set  in.  and 
the  streams  were  all  overflowing.  The  travelers  were  frequently 
water-bound.  They  crossed  the  streams  by  taking  their  goods 
over  in  canoes  and  swimming;  their  horses  across  with  the  wagons. 
At  the  Sangamon  River  they  determined  to  make  a  raft  and  were 
obliged  to  swim  the  stream  and  push  their  clothes  across  in  wash- 
tubs.  They  made  their  raft  and  brought  over  their  teams  and 
wagons.  When  they  arrived  at  Cheney's  Grove,  old  George 
Hinshaw  said  he  would  go  no  farther,  as  he  was  sick  of  unpacking 
his  goods  at  every  little  stream  in  order  to  get  across.  The  Hin- 
shaws  remained  there  for  a  time,  and  Mr.  Webb  and  Mr.  Mc- 
Cord went  on.  They  were  water-bound  for  a  while  at  Money 
Creek,  but  after  crossing  it  they  came  to  Twin  Grove.  Here 
they  stopped,  intending  in  the  fall  to  go  up  to  the  Kankakee 
River,  where  Mr.  Webb  had  made  a  claim  during  the  previous 
year.  But  in  the  fall  many  rumors  came  concerning;  the  difti- 
culties  with  the  Winnebago  Indians  in  the  mining;  country  around 
Galena,  and  Mr.  Webb  thought  it  hardly  safe  to  go  any  farther 
north;  so  he  made  a  claim  at  Twin  Grove  in  the  southwestern 
corner.  When  the  land  came  into  market  he  traded  his  improve- 
ment for  eighty  acres  of  entered  land  on  the  northwestern  corner 
of  the  grove.  During  the  third  winter  after  their  arrival,  Mr. 
Webb,  George  Hinshaw  and  "William  McCord  started  north  to 
the  Kankakee.  They  each  furnished  a  horse  which  they  hitched 
to  Mr.  Webb's  wagon  and  started.  When  thev  arrived  near 
Ottawa,  two  of  their  horses  strayed  off  during  the  night.  Mr. 
Webb  and  Mr.  Hinshaw  went  to  hunt  for  them  while  Mr.  McCord 
remained  with  the  wagon.  The  two  men  followed  the  trail  of  the 
lost  horses  one  day  and  slept  in  some  brush  at  night.  They  had 
nothing  to  cat  but  an  ear  of  corn.  Mr.  Hinshaw  came  near  freez- 
ing to  death,  but  was  warmed  by  a  fire  which  they  succeeded  in 
kindling.  They  came  to  the  Mackinaw  and  found  it  waist  deep 
with  drift  ice   running.     Thev    waded    it   and   came   out   on    the 


m'lean  county.  519 

prairie,  and  there  they  found  a  road  which  Mr.  Webb  recog- 
nized. But  he  was  so  confused  by  cold  and  the  suffering  they  en- 
dured that  he  could  not  decide  which  end  of  the  road  led  towards 
home.  After  traveling  on  the  road  some  distance  they  came  to 
some  holes  where  Indians  had  formerly  buried  corn,  and  there 
Mr.  Webb  saw  that  they  had  been  going  the  wrong  way.  Mr. 
Hinshaw  suffered  so  much  with  cold  that  he  said  "Let's  crawl 
into  these  holes  and  die."  But  Mr.  Webb  insisted  on  making 
another  trial  for  life.  They  turned  towards  home  and  came  to  a 
creek,  which  was  frozen  over  with  ice  too  thin  to  bear  them  while 
walking;  so  they  laid  down  and  scratched  and  wriggled  across. 
While  Hinshaw  was  scratching  and  working  himself  over,  the 
ice  cracked  under  him,  but  he  was  suffering  so  severely  that  he 
was  almost  anxious  to  die,  and  said:  "Let  it  break,  let  it  break;" 
but  he  succeeded  in  dragging  himself  over.  They  went  down  to 
Lewis  Soward's  house,  stayed  there  all  night  and  went  home. 
As  soon  as  possible  Mr.  Webb  took  two  horses  and  went  to  Otta- 
wa and  brought  back  McCord  and  the  wagon.  On  their  return, 
during  one  foggy  day,  their  heads  became  "  turned  around,"  and 
they  thought  that  north  was  south  and  east  was  west,  and  the 
first  intimation  they  had  of  their  mistake  was  finding  themselves 
traveling  back  on  their  own  track. 

Mr.  Webb  did  not  suffer  much  during  the  winter  of  the  deep 
snow,  as  he  had  previously  gathered  his  corn  and  was  ready  for 
any  emergency.  On  the  day  when  the  heavy  fall  of  snow  came, 
he  was  on  the  prairie  returning  from  Orendorff  's  mill.  He  was 
obliged  to  leave  his  wagon  and  come  home  with  the  horses.  He 
has  a  very  lively  recollection  of  the  sudden  change  which  took 
place  in  December,  1836.  He  says  that  some  cocks  which  were 
standim?  in  the  slush  at  that  time  had  their  tails  frozen  fast  and 
in  getting  loose  left  their  feathers  in  the  ice. 

In  about  the  year  1848  Mr.  Webb  went  to  Texas  to  pay  his 
brother-in-law  a  sum  of  money,  and  on  his  return  was  ice-bound 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  River  by  a  gorge  in  the  Mississippi.  He 
was  obliged  to  walk  through  the  sloughs  to  Springfield  and  from 
there  went  home  by  stage. 

Mr.  Webb  has  six  living  children.     They  are  : 

John  Webb,  who  was  born  in  Tennessee  and  lives  in  Indian- 
ola,  Warren  County,  Iowa. 


520 


OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


Kelly  Webb  lives  three  miles  north  of  his  father's. 

William  "Webb lives  three  miles  south  of  his  father's. 

Benjamin  Webb  lives  near  Kelly  Webb,  three  miles  north  of 
his  father's. 

Thomas  Webb  lives  in  Dale  County,  Missouri. 

Milton  Webb  lives  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  his  father's. 

Stephen  Webb  is  six  feet  and  two  inches  in  height.  His  hair 
and  beard  are  full  and  white.  He  is  very  strong  and  courageous, 
but  his  modesty  and  good  nature  are  greater  than  his  courage. 
He  has  a  humorous  disposition  and  a  hopeful  temperament.  It  is 
clearly  seen  that  heisavery  honestman,fornotmanypeopleinthis 
world  would  travel  to  Texas  to  pay  a  debt.  He  says,  however, 
that  he  was  curious  on  that  trip  to  see  the  country  and  that  this  was 
one  of  his  reasons  forgoing.  The  old  gentleman's  modesty  and 
good  nature  make  him  peculiarly  pleasant  and  companionable. 

George  M.  Hixshaw. 

George  M.  Hinshaw  was  born  April  25,  1820,  in  Overton 
County,  Tennessee.  His  father's  name  was  Jacob  Hinshaw,  and 
his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Marietta  Johnson.  Jacob  Hin- 
shaw was  born  in  North  Carolina,  but  was  of  Irish  descent. 
When  twenty-one  or  two  years  of  age,  he  came  to  Tennessee,  and 
there  was  married.  He  had  a  common  school  education  and 
taught  school  in  Tennessee  for  two  terms.  In  1827  he  came  to 
McLean  County  with  his  brother  George  Hinshaw,  William  Mc- 
Cord  and  Stephen  Webb.  They  came  with  teams,  and  were 
often  water-bound,  because  of  the  heavy  rains,  but  arrived  at 
Blooming  Grove  on  the  last  of  July,  1827.  There  the  Hinshaws 
farmed  for  three  years,  and  then  moved  to  Dry  Grove.  When 
Jacob  Hinshaw  came  to  the  latter  place,  he  sold  all  of  his  stock, 
except  a  cow  and  a  horse,  in  order  to  enter  eighty  acres  of  land. 
During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  he  and  young  George 
gathered  corn  in  sacks  and  brought  it  in  from  the  Held  on  horse- 
back. 

Jacob  Hinshaw  was  deformed  in  his  feet,  and  while  chopping 
in  the  timber  stood  on  his  knees  and  often  Walked  in  this  way 
after  the  plow.  He  could  never  hear  the  taste  or  even  the  smell 
of  whisky,  and  he  ate  no  meat  except  fish.  He  died  in  1845  in 
easy  circumstances,  lie  had  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are 
living.     They  are : 


m'lean  county.  521 

Susannah,  widow  of  Amasa  Stout,  lives  in  Dry  Grove. 

Nancy,  widow  of  Jesse  Benson,  lives  at  White  Oak  Grove. 

George  M.  Hinshaw  lives  in  Dale  township. 

Mary,  wife  of  Solomon  Mason,  lives  in  Linn  County,  Kansas. 

Jane  G.,  widow  of  Amos  Mason,  lives  in  Iowa. 

Benjamin  Hinshaw  lives  in  Linn  County,  Kansas. 

George  M.  Hinshaw  was  only  seven  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  came  to  the  West  in  1827.  He  was  not  much  exposed  to 
the  terrible  rain  storms,  hut  remained  in  the  covered  wagon.  He 
saw  the  hardships  common  to  the  early  pioneers.  In  1842  he 
joined  the  Christian  Church.  In  1848  he  wTas  chosen  elder,  and 
holds  this  office  at  the  present  time.  The  Twin  Grove  Christian 
Church  is  strong  in  numhers  and  spirit,  and  its  members  enjoy 
good  religious  feeling.  In  the  spring  of  1845,  Mr.  Hinshaw 
moved  to  the  plaee  where  he  now  lives,  just  south  of  Dry  Grove 
and  west  of  Twin  Grove.  He  lives  in  Dry  Grove  township,  but 
belongs  to  the  Twin  Grove  church,  and  his  children  attend  the 
Twin  Grove  school. 

On  the  twentieth  of  November,  1844,  Mr.  Hinshaw  married 
Martha  Ann  Ward,  lie  lias  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  six 
are  living.     They  are  : 

Emma,  Avif'e  of  John  Wyatt,  lives  at  Stephen  Webb's. 

I  .aura,  wife  of  Eli  Johnson,  lives  just  south  of  her  father's. 

Orlando,  Fernando,  Ernest  and  Vitula,  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Hinshaw  is  six  feet  in  height,  is  slim  in  build,  lias  rather 
a  long  faee,  with  tine  regular  features.  His  hair  is  partly  gray, 
and  is  full  on  his  head.  He  wears  spectacles  while  reading.  He 
is  considerate  with  regard  to  other  men's  rights  and  feelings,  and 
is  absolutely  honest  in  all  things.  His  countenance  wears  the 
pleasant  expression  of  honesty  and  content.  He  has  been  suc- 
cessful in  his  dealings,  and  is  an1  example  of  the  care  of  an  over- 
ruling Providence. 

Benjamin  Sanders  Beeler. 

Benjamin  S.  Beeler  was  born  October  18,  1825,  in  Butler 
County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  George  Beeler,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Delila  Sheeley.  He  is  of  English  and 
German  descent.  His  grandfather  Beeler  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.     Benjamin  Beeler  came   to  Twin  Grove  in 


522  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Tazewell,  now  McLean,  County  in  October,  1830.  He  had  a 
rough  time,  and  was  three  weeks  on  his  journey.  He  came 
through  in  Indiana,  where  the  roads  were  in  a  great  measure 
blockaded  by  timber,  which  had  been  blown  down  by  a  hurri- 
cane. His  father,  George  Beeler,  bought  a  claim  and  lived  du- 
ring the  first  year  in  a  little  log  cabin.  It  was  for  a  while  very 
difficult  to  get  something  to  eat,  and  the  family  was  obliged  to 
pay  fifty  cents  per  bushel  for  corn  and  gather  it  themselves.  They 
were  much  troubled  by  wolves,  and  could  not  set  their  stock 
near  enough  to  the  house  for  protection.  The  wolves  were  im- 
pudent during  the  day  time,  and  came  up  within  fifty  yards  of 
the  house.  The  wild-cats  were  very  dangerous  and  troublesome 
in  Twin  Grove  when  the  early  settlers  came,  and  people  often  had 
very  exciting  sport  in  chasing  them.  They  sometimes  started  out 
on  ring  hunts  after  all  kinds  of  game.  This  was  exciting  and 
dangerous  sport ;  it  was  not  particularly  dangerous  on  account  of 
the  ferocious  character  of  the  game,  but  it  was  dangerous  because 
the  excited  hunters  would  sometimes  run  into  ant-hills  or  badger's 
holes  and  break  their  horses'  necks. 

Benjamin  Beeler  remembers  the  sudden  change  in  the  weather 
in  December,  1836,  when  everything  was  so  suddenly  frozen  up, 
and  he  also  remembers  another  sudden  change  since  then,  which 
was  very  severe.  He  was  going  to  Bloomington,  and  was  cross- 
ing Sugar  Creek,  when  his  horse  broke  the  ice  very  easily,  but  on 
his  return,  without  delay,  the  ice  on  the  creek  bore  his  horse's 
weight  without  cracking.  Nevertheless,  this  sudden  change  was 
not  so  severe  as  the  one  in  1836,  which  was  the  worst  ever  known 
in  the  West. 

Benjamin  Beeler  married,  February  25,  1849,  Sarilda  Robin- 
son. He  has  had  ten  children,  of  whom  eight  are  living.  He  is 
five  feet  and  ten  or  eleven  inches  in  height,  has  a  good  head,  has 
brown  hair  which  inclines  to  curl,  is  rather  slow  of  speech,  is 
straightforward  in  his  transactions,  wishes  to  do  by  his  neighbors 
fairly,  and  is  much  respected  in  the  community  where  he  re- 
sides. 

Mr.  Beeler  has  eight  living  children.  They  are  :  Benjamin 
F.,  who  is  a  carpenter,  Mary  Delila,  George  L.,  Huldah  Ellen, 
Alpharetta,  Owen,  Warren  and  Rosa.     All  live  at  home. 


M'LEASf  COUNTY.  523 

<  >RMOND    ROBISON. 

Ormond  Robison  was  born  in  Tennessee,  January  23,  1805. 
He  was  married,  February  17,  1826,  in  Overton  County,  Tennes- 
see. In  1830  he  came  to  Blooming  Grove,  in  what  is  now  Mc- 
Lean Countv,  Illinois.  His  family  suffered  on  the  iournev  very 
much  for  want  of  water  and  because  of  the  dust,  for  the  season 
was  very  dry.  In  1832  they  moved  to  Dry  Grove,  and  in  1835  to 
White  Oak  Grove,  where  they  lived  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Robi- 
son, which  occurred  in  1851. 

"When  they  first  came  to  Illinois,  they  had  very  unpleasant 
times,  and  were  oppressed  by  the  dangers  and  difficulties  of  a 
new  country.  They  paid  fifty  cents  per  bushel  for  the  corn  they 
ate,  and  they  picked  it  from  the  field  themselves.  When  the  deep 
snow  fell,  Mr.  Robison  and  William  Hinshaw  had  gone  fifty  miles 
distant  to  mill,  and  they  had  a  fearful  time  in  returning.  Three 
teams  went  out  to  meet  them  and  assist  them  out  of  the  snow. 

Mrs.  Robison,  who  gives  the  items  for  this  sketch,  speaks  par- 
ticularly of  the  fires  which  swept  over  the  prairie  and  sometimes 
came  into  the  timber  and  burnt  up  the  young  trees,  and  those 
which  were  dead.  Sometimes  a  tree  would  burn  for  several  days 
before  it  would  fall.  The  settlers  were  so  frightened  by  the 
prairie  fires  that  they  wished  to  go  back  to  where  they  came  from  ; 
but  this  was  impossible,  as  the  most  of  them  found  it  difficult  to 
get  awav. 

The  settlers  killed  game  of  all  kinds,  for  it  was  plenty.  They 
killed  prairie  chickens  by  catching  them  in  traps.  They  had  what 
was  called  the  fall-door  trap.  A  hole  was  dug  with  a  board  put 
over  it  on  a  pivot,  and  a  bait  fastened  to  x>ne  end.  When  a 
chicken  attempted  so  seize  the  bait  the  board  allowed  the  chicken 
to  drop  into  the  hole,  and  then  turned  back  to  its  place.  The 
hunters  killed  a  great  many  turkeys  in  the  spring,  in  gobbling 
time.  They  chirped  through  a  quill,  making  a  sound  resembling 
that  of  a  hen  turkey,  and  soon  some  gobbler  would  make  his  ap- 
pearance and  the  hunter  would  shoot  him  down.  The  settlers 
were  much  troubled  by  wildcats,  which  caught  lambs  and  pigs, 
but  would  never  fight  the  hunters  unless  cornered. 

Mr.  Robison  endured  the  trials  to  which  nearly  all  of  the.  early 
settlers  were  subjected.  He  worked  for  fifty  cents  per  day, 
cradled  wheat  for  that,  and  was  glad  of  the  opportunity. 


524  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Ormond  Robisou  had  ten  children,  of  whom  five  are  now 
living.     They  are : 

Mrs.  Sarilda  Beeler,  wife  of  Benjamin  Heeler,  who  lives  on 
the  east  side  of  Twin  Grove.  Her  aged  mother,  Mrs.  Robison, 
resides  with  her. 

Levi  Preston  Robison  lives  at  New  Windsor,  Knox  County, 
Illinois. 

Mrs.  Louisa  Williams,  wife  of  Philip  Williams,  lives  on  the 
old  homestead  at  White  Oak  Grove,  in  Woodford  County. 

George  Hamilton  Robison  lives  at  White  Oak  Grove  in 
Woodford  County. 

Mrs.  Neetv  Ann  Benson,  wife  of  George  H.  Benson,  lives  in 
Champaign  County,  Illinois. 

( )rmond  Robison  was  a  man  of  medium  height,  rather  slim, 
pretty  strong  and  very  healthy.  He  had  seldom  or  never  been 
sick,  before  he  contracted  the  disease  which  was  fatal  to  him. 
He  was  a  good  workman  and  pretty  skillful  at  anything,  whether 
it  was  farming,  carpenter  work  or  blacksmithing.  He  was  pretty 
successful  in  life,  and  by  his  skill  and  industry  acquired  enough 
property  to  make  him  comfortable. 

John  Enlow. 

John  Enlow  was  born  June  15,  1801,  in  Christian  County, 
Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  Abraham  Enlow,  and  his 
mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Jemima  Johnson.  John 
Enlow  was  partly  of  Dutch  descent.  He  married  in  February, 
1826,  Catherine  Lander.  He  lived  on  a  farm  in  Kentucky,  which 
lie  sold  on  coming  to  Illinois,  which  was  in  the  fall  of  1835.  He 
had  no  particular  adventure  on  his  journey.  On  his  arrival  he 
settled  on  the  east  side  of  Twin  Grove  on  the  prairie  and  went  to 
fanning.  He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
which  he  joined  three  or  four  years  after  he  came  to  the  West. 
He  died  April  li»,  1860.  He  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  now  living.     They  are  : 

Mrs.  Sally  Ann  Depew,  widow  of  Joel  Depew,  lives  in  Bloom- 
ington:    ' 

Mrs.  Jemima  lane  Myers,  wife  of  Aaron  Myers,  lives  in 
Bloomington. 

.lames  Enlow  lives  near  Covel  in  Dale  township. 


m'lban  county.  525 

Mrs.  Ann  Eliza  Kennedy,  wife  of  "William  L.  Kennedy,  lives 
in  Bloomington. 

John  Enlow,  jr.,  and  Jesse  Enlow  both  live  near  the  east  side 
of  Twin  Grove,  on  parts  of  the  homestead  land. 

Mrs.  Ella  Shope,  wife  of  Adam  Shope,  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Mr.  John  Enlow  was  six  feet  in  height  and  rather  a  slender 
man.  He  had  a  dark  complexion,  dark  hair  and  eyes.  He  was 
a  kind  father  to  his  family  and  a  very  honest  and  much  respected 
man.  * 

Eleazer  Munsell. 

Eleazer  Munsell  was  born  July  28,  1824,  in  Seneca  County, 
Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  Roswell  Munsell  and  his  mother's 
name  was  Sarah  Austin.  Eleazer  Munsell  lived  in  Ohio  until  the 
year  1831,  when  he  came  with  his  father's  family  to  Laporte 
County,  Indiana.  There  he  lived  until  1837  when  he  came  to 
Illinois. 

While  he  lived  in  Indiana  he  was  often  accustomed  to  go 
hunting  with  the  little  Indian  hoys  and  kill  birds  and  sqirrels 
with  their  bows  and  arrows.  He  frequently  attended  Indian 
dances,  and  has  often  seen  the  Pottawatomies  perform  their  war 
dance,  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  and  go  through  with  their  reli- 
gious eeremonies.  At  their  war  dances  they  had  weasel  skins  to 
which  bells  were  attached.  They  would  divide  into  two  parties 
and  come  together  with  their  weasel  skins  and  war  clubs,  and 
pretend  to  kill  each  other.  Some  would  fall  down,  apparently 
lifeless,  while  others  would  go  through  the  motions  of  scalping. 
They  would  often  collect  together  in  a  wigwam  and  dance  to  the 
music  of  a  gourd  containing  stones  or  shot.  Sometimes  they 
would  hit  each  other  a  tap  with  a  weasel  skin  ;  this  was  an  invi- 
tation to  dance.  The  young  braves  asked  the  young  squaws  to 
dance  by  tapping  them  with  the  weasel  skin,  and  the  young 
squaws  asked  the  braves  to  dance  in  the  same  way.  They  began 
dancing  in  the  morniiig,  and  at  about  one  o'clock  stopped  for 
dinner,  which  consisted  of  soup  made  of  dried  meat,  dried  corn 
and  dried  blood,  all  boiled  together  in  copper  kettles.  They  ate 
their  dinner  out  of  large  wooden  bowls,  which  held  six  or  eight 
gallons.  Each  had  a  ladle  and  helped  himself.  About  a  dozen 
of  them  sat  down  in  a  place,  and  ate  out  of  a  bowl.     The  dance 


526  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

was  generally  continued  in  the  afternoon  and  evening  and  lasted 
usually  two  days.  At  the  end  of  two  days  they  had  a  religious 
ceremony,  the  sacrifice  of  a  white  dog.  On  one  of  these  grand 
occasions,  when  about  five  hundred  Indians  were  present,  the 
chief  became  drunk,  and  the  white  dog  was  not  burned  as  the 
ceremony  required.  When  it  was  pretty  well  roasted,  it  was 
snatched  from  the  tire  and  eaten  up.  The  sacrifice  of  the  white 
dog  usually  ended  the  dance.  While  the  young  braves  and  squaws 
were  dancing,  the  old  folks  would  'gather  into  a  wigwam  and 
smoke  the  pipe  of  peace.  Each  would  smoke  and  hand  the  pipe 
to  his  neighbor  until  it  went  clear  around.  The  Indians  were 
very  still  in  their  dances  and  said  nothing  until  one  of  them  struck 
another  with  a  weasel  skin,  as  an  invitation  to  dance.  The  strik- 
ing with  the  weasel  skin  was  accompanied  by  an  exclamation 
"ye  pooh,"  and  no  other  words  were  spoken.  Mr.  Munsell  says 
that  so  far  as  he  had  any  dealings  with  the  Indians  he  found  them 
very  honorable  and  friendly.  They  were  peaceable  even  when 
drunk.  The  Indian  braves  never  failed  to  get  drunk  whenever 
they  had  an  opportunity.  They  raised  corn  sometimes,  which 
was  tended  by  squaws,  who  cultivated  it  with  hoes  altogether, 
digging  up  the  hills  as  high  as  if  for  sweet  potatoes.  Whenever 
they  moved  they  packed  everything  on  their  ponies,  even  their 
dogs  and  squaws.  Their  pappooses  were  carried  lashed  to  a 
board,  from  which  they  were  not  usually  taken  for  several  month>. 
These  boards  had  attached  to  them  pieces  of  buckskin,  which 
went  around  the  heads  of  the  squaws.  When  the  squaws  came 
into  camp  they  cut  branches  of  trees  and  set  them  up  and  hung 
the  pappooses  to  them  or  to  the  limbs  of  trees.  It  was  the  duty 
of  the  squaws  to  chop  the  wood  and  build  the  fires  in  the  middle 
of  the  wigwams.  Around  a  fire  sat  an  Indian  and  his  family  on 
mattresses  made  of  rushes.  The  Indians  cooked  fish,  chickens, 
muskrats,  squirrels,  coons,  venison,  and  in  fact  every  kind  of 
meat  they  might  happen  to  have,  in  a  kettle  at  once.  In  the 
spring-time  the  Indians  caught  sugar  water  in  troughs  made  of 
birch  bark,  with  the  ends  stopped  up  by  drawing  them  together 
and  sewing  them  tight.  These  troughs  would  usually  be  large 
enough  to  hold  a  bucket  of  water. 

The  Black  Hawk  war  in  1832  was  a  great  event  in  the  West, 
and  the  scare  extended  to  Indiana,  where  the  settlers  built  forts 
for  protection.     Mr.  Munsell  lived  for  six  months  in  a  fort. 


m'lean   COUNTY.  527 

The  Munsell  family  came  to  Twin  Grove,  McLean  County, 
Illinois,  in  the  spring  of  1837.  They  arrived  here  on  the  first  of 
June.  Mr.  Munsell,  sr.,  after  farming  for  some  time,  broke  up 
housekeeping  and  lived  with  his  eldest  son.  He  died  in  1854. 
He  brought  the  first  threshing  machine  to  the  country  from  Indi- 
ana. It  was  a  machine  which  only  threshed  the  wheat.  It  was 
necessary  after  threshing  the  wheat  to  rake  off  the  straw  and  run 
the  mixed  wheat  and  chaff  through  a  fanning  mill  and  a  sepa- 
rator. 

Eleazer  Munsell  has  often  driven  stock  to  Chicago.  He  re- 
members one  very  exciting  adventure  with  a  drove  of  cattle  and 
sheep,  which  he  was  taking  to  Chicago.  When  he  arrived  near 
Pontiac  they  became  frightened  one  night  at  about  eleven  o'clock, 
by  wolves,  and  stampeded.  The  cattle  ran  over  the  sheep  and 
killed  some  thirty  of  them.  The  men  in  charge  of  the  cattle  did 
everything  possible  for  two  hours  to  quiet  them,  but  notwith- 
standing all  exertions,  about  fifty  head  of  cattle  broke  away. 
Their  trail  was  followed  the  next  day,  and  they  were  found  near 
Lexino-ton  and  brought  back.  Mr.  Munsell  savs  that  the  excite- 
ment  during  a  stampede  is  intense,  and  he  never  wishes  to  see 
another. 

The  prices  of  cattle  formerly  varied  very  much  and  sometimes 
were  so  low  as  to  seem  almost  to  be  given  away.  Mr.  Munsell 
bought  good  cows  for  six  dollars  apiece,  and  good  yokes  of 
oxen  for  twenty-five  dollars.  He  has  bought  sheep  for  fifty  cents 
per  head.  He  has  sold  number  one  fall  wheat  for  twenty-five 
cents  per  bushel,  and  oats  for  five  cents. 

Mr.  Munsell  married,  October  24,  1850,  Zerilda  Perry,  and 
has  seven  children  living.  Mrs.  Munsell  is  a  very  kind  lady,  and 
thinks  everything  of  her  children.  She  likes  to  see  them  do  well 
at  school,  and  takes  a  great  interest  in  the  progress  they  make  in 
their  studies. 

Eleazer  Munsell  is  six  feet  in  height.  His  hair  begins  to  show 
the  effect  of  time,  and  a  few  gray  hairs  make  their  appearance  in 
his  beard.  He  is  very  clever,  loves  a  joke  as  well  as  Abraham 
Lincoln  ever  did ;  is  very  kind  to  his  family;  is  careful  in  the 
management  of  his  farm  ;  has  been  successful  in  life,  and  is 
much  respected  by  his  neighbors.  His  face  is  broad  and  good- 
natured,  and  it  indicates  good  feeling  and  good  sense. 


528  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Munsell's  children  are  :  Milon,  wlio  attends  school  at 
Eureka;  Stephen  Alpheus,  Zerilda,  John  Roswell,  Josephine, 
Minnie  Warren,  and  Austin  Eleazer,  who  all  live  at  home. 


EMPIRE. 

Robert  Franklin  Dickerson. 

As  Mr.  Dickerson  is  known  to  be  quite  lively  with  his  quill, 
the  author  requested  him  to  write  a  sketch  of  his  life,  and  he 
has  given  the  following,  which  is  very  interesting  : 

I  was  horn  in  Hamilton  County,  Illinois,  October  30,  1822. 
My  father,  Michael  Dickerson,  died  in  1836.  My  mother  is  yet 
living  and  is  seventy-one  years  old  past.  We  emigrated  to  this 
county,  then  Fayette,  in  1825,  and  settled  near  Sugar  Creek,  near 
the  western  line  of  the  county.  In  1826  my  parents  moved  to 
Randolph's  Grove,  to  the  place  where  Martin  L.  Bishop  now 
lives.  My  father  built  a  small  water  mill  on  Ivickapoo,  where 
the  early  settlers  came  to  get  their  grinding  done.  Many  a  day 
I  have  sat  and  fed  in  the  flour  to  be  bolted. 

On  the  23rd  of  June,  1827,  the  great  storm  came,  which  rooted 
up  and  blew  down  the  trees  in  its  course  through  Old  Town  tim- 
ber. In  the  fall  of  1828  my  father  sold  his  claim  and  his  mill  to 
William  Hampton,  a  Tennesseean,  who  is  remembered  by  many 
who  are  yet  living.  My  father  then  settled  at  Long  Point,  now 
in  De  Witt  County,  and  lived  there  until  the  fall  of  1830.  He 
then  sold  his  claim  to  Frederick  Troxwell  and  purchased  the  claim 
of  Mr.  Bennett,  where  Henry  C.  Dickerson  now  lives,  near  the 
present  town  of  Leroy.  He  moved  on  this  place  November  2, 
1830.  The  famous  deep  snow  began  falling  December  3  of  the 
following  winter,  and  continued  nearly  every  day  through  the  fore 
part  of  January,  1831.  I  well  remember  the  events  of  those  days 
and  could  give  the  names  of  all  old  settlers  around  the  groves  of 
McLean  County. 

The  hydrophobia  broke  out  among  the  canine  race  domestica- 
ted, in  1832,  and  two  persons  were  said  to  have  been  bitten;  but 
the  only  suffering  they  endured  resulted  from  distress  of  mind. 
I  am  no  great  lover  of  dogs. 

The  great  fall  of  meteors  occurred  November  14,  1833.  Thev 
seemed  to  be  showers  of  fiery  rain  falling  to  the  ground. 


m'lean  county.  529 

At  the  first  school  I  ever  attended  I  was  allowed  to  do  pretty 
much  as  I  pleased.  I  went  out  of  the  school-room  and  came 
back  when  I  pleased,  and  no  one  dared  to  molest  me  or  make  me 
afraid.  But  at  the  next  school  I  attended,  in  1832, 1  was  obliged 
to  do  a  little  as  others  said.  I  went  to  school  for  a  while  to  lame 
"William  Johnson,  now  of  Kansas  and  learned  to  spell  as  far  as 
"  baker,"  "  brier,"  etc.  I  next  went  to  Amasa  C.  Washburn,  now 
of  your  city.  He  once  chastised  me  for  fighting,  but  the  boys  had 
to  be  dealt  with  severely  then,  though  not  more  so  than  some  boys 
should  be  dealt  with  now.  A  larger  boy  kicked  my  dog  and  I 
gave  the  vicious  lad  a  blow  in  the  eye.  Mr.  "Washburn  caught 
us  at  this  interesting  performance  and  at  evening  after  prayer  he 
said:  "Reuben, 'I  will  have  to  chastise  you,"  and  Reuben  re- 
ceived five  gentle  strokes  with  a  switch,  and  was  dismissed.  I  and 
Mr.  Washburn  then  remained  about  half  an  hour  enjoying  each 
other's  society.     That  licking  hurt  me. 

■J  o 

Mr.  Washburn  and  his  lady  taught  the  first  Sabbath  school  I 
ever  attended. 

I  am  sorry  to  sa}T  that  in  my  youthful  days  I  played  some 
rather  practical  jokes.  Old  Uncle  Thomas  Tovery,  M.  E.  preach- 
er, once  held  church  at  the  school-house,  and  during  the  progress 
of  the  services  I  and  another  boy  outside  arranged  a  cat  and  dog 
fight,  and  the  terrible  scrimmage,  the  howls  of  the  cat  and  the 
barking  of  the  dog,  broke  up  the  services.  The  people  ran  out 
and  said:  "Kill  the  cat,  it's  mad;  take  up  the  dog,  run  ;"  etc. 
We  were  obliged  to  tell  what  we  did,  in  order  to  save  the  cat's 
life.  Uncle  Tom's  text  was  :  "  I  am  the  bright  and  the  morning 
star,  the  first  and  the  last."  Old  Uncle  Tom  is  dead ;  he  departed 
this  life  at  Oskaloosa,  Iowa. 

This  grove  was  settled  by  John  Buckles,  sr.,  in  1828.  He 
was  a  heavy  man,  weighing  three  hundred  and  eighty  pounds. 
The  Buckles  family  were  Virginians,  but  part  of  them  are  Suck- 
ers, being  born  in  this  State.  Some  of  them  live  among  us  vet. 
They  are  kind-hearted,  generous  and  hospitable  people,  and  love 
to  hunt  and  fish.  James  Merrifield,  sr.,  now  deceased,  with  his 
family,  settled  here  in  the  spring  of  1830.  Daniel  and  Henry 
Crumbaugh  and  Otho  Merrifield,  are  early  settlers,  now  living. 
Ambrose  Hall,  now  of  Atlanta,  Logan  County,  Illinois,  was  an 
early  settler.  Thomas  O.  Rutledge,  sr.,  was  about  to  remove  to 
34 


530  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

this  grove,  but  he  sickened  and  died,  August  20,  1830,  and  was 
buried  in  the  cemetery  oast  of  Leroy.  We  have  one  soldier  of 
the  war  of  1812;  it  is  Daniel  Crumbaugh,  who  fought  under 
General  Harrison. 

I  grew  up  to  manhood  very  much  as  other  hoys  have  done. 
I  have  worked  hard,  have  plowed  for  twenty-five  cents  per  day, 
chopped  wood  for  thirty,  reaped  wheat  for  fifty  cents  per  day  and 
cradled  for  fifty.  I  carried  from  Salt  Creek  the  stone  which  was 
placed  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Leroy,  and  for  this  I  received 
from  A.  Gridley  the  sum  of  twenty-five  cents.  I  have  had  many 
dealings  with  Gridley  and  Oovel,  and  always  found  them  gentle- 
men. I  paid  my  first  tax  of  sixty-six  cents  to  William  McCul- 
lough,  and  received  a  receipt  from  his  deputy,  B.  H.  Coffey.  It 
reads : 

"  Rec'd  of  Robert  F.  Dickerson  66  cts  in  full  of  his  State  & 
County  Tax  for  the  year  1844. 

"  ¥m.  McCullough,  Col. 
By  B.  H.  Coffey." 

I  was  married,  January  1,  1845,  to  Miss  Harriet  R.  Karr.  We 
kept  house  for  three  months  on  rented  lands,  without  bedstead, 
chair  or  table.  I  had  one  pony,  but  no  cow,  hog,  sheep  or  money. 
My  wife,  Harriet,  was  the  only  daughter  of  her  father,  Jacob 
Karr,  by  his  first  marriage.  We  have  raised  nine  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living.  When  the  rebellion  broke  out  I  sent  two  of 
my  sons  into  the  army.  In  political  matters  I  have  voted  for 
men,  when  I  knew  them,  regardless  of  party,  but  if  I  was  unac- 
quainted with  the  candidates  I  voted  the  Democratic  ticket.  I 
voted  for  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  I  took  the  stump  for  the  Indian- 
apolis, Bloomingtoii  and  Western  Railroad.  I  have  considered 
it  a  privilege  to  help  the  soldiers  and  their  widows  and  orphans. 
My  children  are  nine  in  number.     They  are : 

Merrit  M.  Dickerson,  who  lives  in  Monticello,  Illinois.  He 
was  in  the  army  for  a  short  time  during  the  rebellion.  He  en- 
listed, February  15,  1865,  in  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois,  and  was 
present  at  the  battles  of  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakeley.  He 
was  afterwards  transferred  to  the  Thirty-seventh  Illinois,  became 
clerk  at  headquarters  at  Galveston,  Texas,  and  was  discharged  in 
February,  1866,  at  Houston,  Texas. 

James  L.  Dickerson  lives  one  mile  northeast  of  Leroy. 


m'lean  county.  531 

Martha  E.,  wife  of  George  Pray,  lives  at  Smithland,  Johnson 
County,  Kansas. 

Emma  E.  Dickerson  was,  during  the  last  year,  a  school-teacher 
at  Heyworth. 

Clara  C,  Ida  May,  Franklin  jr.,  Mary  and  Ilattie,  (the  pet,) 
live  at  home. 

Henry  Caleb  Dickerson. 

Henry  C.  Dickerson  was  born  August  30,  1825,  in  Hamilton 
County,  Illinois.  His  father's  name  was  Michael  Dickerson,  and 
his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Jane  Rutledge.  She 
still  lives  near  Leroy  with  her  youngest  son  Wesley.  The  Dick- 
erson family  emigrated  to  that  part  of  Fayette  County,  which 
now  forms  the  county  of  McLean,  in  1825,  and  settled  near  Sugar 
Creek,  not  far  from  the  western  boundary  of  the  present  McLean 
County.  In  1826  the  family  moved  to  Randolph's  Grove,  and 
afterwards  to  Buckles'  Grove. 

Mr.  Dickerson  attended  school  during  three  months  in  the 
year,  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  asje.  He  first  attended  a  school 
kept  by  William  Johnson,  usually  called  "lame  Billy."  His 
plan  of  teaching  was  the  one  common  to  the  time,  that  is,  to  re- 
quire the  scholars  to  study  their  lessons  aloud.  Sometimes  "lame 
Billy''  would  come  to  the  school-room  in  bad  humor,  and,  in- 
deed, he  was  very  changeable  in  his  disposition.  He  usually 
made  a  profession  of  religion  about  once  a  month.  At  one  time 
while  coming  home  from  meeting,  where  he  had  made  a  profes- 
sion of  religion,  a  prairie  chicken  flew  up  near  the  head  of  his 
horse,  and  the  animal  took  fright  and  threw  him  to  the  ground. 
Under  the  excitement  of  the  moment  he  used  profane  language 
and  swore  at  his  luck.  Since  that  .time  all  kinds  of  misfortune 
have  been  called  Johnson's  luck.  Mr.  Dickerson  also  attended 
school  kept  by  A.  C.  Washburn. 

In  the  year  1845,  Mr.  Dickerson  commenced  tanning  on  his 
own  account,  and  soon  afterwards  began  stock-raising.  He  bought 
stock  first  for  other  people  and  afterwards  for  himself.  He  first 
bought  forty  acres  near  Leroy,  but  afterwards  bought  the  home- 
stead farm,  containing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  known 
as  the  Michael  Dickerson  place.  On  this  place  is  a  large  apple 
tree,  which  was  planted  by  Michael  Dickerson.    The  trunk  of  the 


532  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

tree  is  nine  feet  and  nine  inches  in  circumference.  It  is  of  the 
variety  called  "Lady-finger."  It  bears  fruit  every  year,  and  du- 
ring one  season  bore  forty-five  bushels  of  apples.  Henry  C. 
Dickerson  has  now  nearly  one  thousand  acres  of  land  in  McLean 
County,  and  between  five  and  six  hundred  in  Kansas.  He  is 
quick  to  see  what  will  pay.  He  and  his  son-in-law,  Hobart,  built 
the  large  flouring-mill  at  Leroy,  at  a  cost  of  $35,000.  It  is  one 
of  the  best  in  the  State.  Mr.  Dickerson  is  not  now  interested 
in  it. 

In  the  year  1849  he  bought  a  great  deal  of  stock  in  the  West- 
ern States  for  Crawford  &  Miller  in  Champaign  County,  Ohio. 
During  this  time  he  traveled  on  horseback,  from  Fort  Des  Moines 
to  Oskaloosa,  Iowa.  He  had  with  him  fifteen  thousand  dollars. 
On  his  journey  he  came  to  the  hollow  or  bank  of  a  creek,  and 
there  found  a  band  of  thieves,  belonging  to  the  celebrated  Red- 
don,  Long  and  Fox  gang.  They  gave  him  a  sharp  chase,  but  his 
good  horse  saved  him.  The  next  morning  from  fifty  to  one  hun- 
dred men  went  out  to  hunt  the  gang,  and  found  one  of  the  Longs, 
a  boy  of  nineteen.  He  was  tied  to  a  tree  and  whipped  in  order 
to  compel  him  to  tell  where  the  remainder  of  the  gang  were  con- 
cealed. Mr.  Dickerson  could  not  bear  the  sight  of  the  whipping 
and  went  away.  The  gang  was  not  captured.  Mr.  Dickerson 
was  very  successful  during  this  trip,  though  at  one  time  his  cattle 
gave  him  some  trouble  by  stampeding. 

In  1871  Mr.  Dickerson  took  a  pleasure  excursion  to  Califor- 
nia. He  started  in  April  of  that  year,  in  company  with  two 
friends,  Mr.  McKenny  and  Rev.  J.  B.  Seymour.  On  their  route 
they  stopped  at  Salt  Lake  City  and  called  on  Brigham  Young. 
They  were  introduced  to  the  Mormon  Prophet  by  Mr.  Wickizer, 
who  performed  the  ceremony  in  a  peculiar  manner.  He  said  : 
"This  is  Mr.  Dickerson,  an  enlightened  heathen."  The  remainder 
of  the  company  were  introduced  in  the  same  manner.  Brigham 
Young  is  a  pleasant,  unassuming  man,  lives  in  a  ten-acre  spot 
surrounded  by  a  stone  wall.  In  this  enclosure  is  his  large  dwell- 
ing and  various  houses  for  his  many  wives.  The  tabernacle  is  a 
large  edifice,  and  accommodates  about  fifteen  thousand  worship- 
pers. The  organ  in  the  tabernacle  cost  an  immense  sum  of 
money,  and  is  remarkable  for  its  fine  tone.  Mr.  Dickerson  was 
favorably  impressed  with   Salt  Lake  City,  its  theatre,  beautiful 


M'LEAN    COUNTY.  533 

shops,  and  streams  of  water  flowing  down  from  the  mountain  and 
forming  rivulets  on  both  sides  of  the  streets.  He  listened  to  the 
preaching  of  Orson  Pratt,  and  was  much  pleased  with  the  elo- 
quence of  this  Mormon  divine. 

On  the  twenty-seventh  of  October,  1850,  Mr.  Diekerson  mar- 
ried Miss  Leodiey  Maxwell,  only  daughter  of  William  Maxwell, 
of  Old  Toavii.     He  has  had  five  children.     They  are  : 

Elizabeth  Jane,  wife  of  Gilbert  J.  Hobart.  She  lives  one  and 
a  half  miles^southwest  of  her  father's. 

Cordelia,  wife  of  Joseph  Patterson,  lives  in  Leroy. 

Adalaide,  Rosaline  and  Georgie  Belle  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Diekerson  is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  is  wTell 
proportioned,  has  blue  eyes,  which  do  not  require  spectacles,  is 
very  quiet  in  his  manner  and  is  a  first-class  business  man.  His 
meniory^is  remarkably  good.  During  his  western  trip  in  1849, 
he  bought  three  hundred  and  fifty-seven  head  of  cattle,  and  he 
can  call^to  mind  the  price  paid  for  each  one  of  them.  The  father 
of  Henry  C.  Diekerson  was  Michael  Diekerson.  The  following; 
are  the  names  of  his  children,  seven  in  number  : 

James  W.  Diekerson  lives  in  California. 

Sarah  Ann,  wife  of  Roley  Williams,  lives  near  Leroy. 

Robert  Franklin  Diekerson,  whose  sketch  appears  in  this 
volume. 

Henry  C.  Diekerson,  whose  sketch  appears  above. 

Caleb  C.  Diekerson  lives  about  three  miles  southwest  of 
Leroy. 

Matilda,  widow  of  John  M.  Downing,  lives  near  Leroy. 

Wesley  Diekerson  lives  three  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of 
Leroy. 

Thomas  Buckles. 

Thomas  Buckles  was  born  January  18, 1812,  in  White  County, 
Illinois.  His  father's  house  was  burnt  while  the  old  gentleman 
was  serving  with  the  rangers  and  protecting  the  frontier.  His 
father  moved  to  Edwards  County  at  an  early  day,  from  there  to 
Sangamon  County,  and  in  1824  he  went  to  Lake  Fork,  Logan 
County.  He  traveled  with  an  ox-team,  and  was  exposed  to  the 
weather.  He  camped  one  night  near  Horse  Creek,  and  was 
sleeping  under  the  wagon  when  it  rained  so  hard  that  they  were 


534  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

overflowed,  and  the  water  came  down  the  hillside  and  ran  over 
their  bed  on  which  they  were  Bleeping.  They  crossed  Lick  Creek 
by  making  a  raft  and  bringing  over  their  stock  with  it.  Mr. 
Buckles,  si*  was  received  by  his  son  Robert  in  Logan  County  and 
built  a  house  there.  In  this  work  he  was  helped  by  the  Indians, 
who  were  good  neighbors.  They  gave  a  dance  when  the  house- 
raising  was  ended.  One  of  the  Indians  became  drun  k,  but  was 
carried  away  and  tied  down  until  he  could  sober  oft". 

Thomas  Buckles'  experience  with  the  Indians  began  at  an 
early  date.  When  he  was  a  very  little  boy  he  was  chased  by 
some  Indians,  who  seemed  anxious  to  take  him  prisoner,  but  his 
heels  and  his  cunning  saved  him.  He  hid  in  the  grass  and  wil- 
lows of  a  creek  so  that  even  the  Indians  did  not  find  him.  After 
the  Indians  left  him  he  heard  a  mournful  noise  and  found  a  coon 
with  its  hair  burnt  off  by  a  prairie  fire  which  had  passed  over  the 
country  a  short  time  previous.  The  Buckles  boys  were  accus- 
tomed to  run  races  with  the  Indians  and  wrestle  with  them  and 
engage  with  them  in  all  kinds  of  athletic  sports.  At  one  time  a 
party  of  Indians  came  to  run  races.  They  bet  their  buckskins 
against  whatever  was  put  up.  They  called  on  Andrew  Buckles, 
a  brother  of  Thomas,  and  put  up  their  buckskins  against  some 
watermelons.  Andrew  ran  with  an  Indian  named  Little  Turkey, 
and  allowed  the  latter  to  come  out  ahead  in  the  first  race.  Then 
both  parties  put  up  larger  bets  for  a  second  race,  and  this  time 
Andrew  came  out  ahead.  Andrew  was  indeed  a  swift  runner. 
He  returned  to  Tennessee,  and  while  there  once  saw  some  dogs 
after  a  deer ;  he  immediately  ran  after  it  himself,  intending  to 
catch  it  before  it  reached  the  Cumberland  River.  But  the  deer 
reached  the  river  a  little  ahead  and  plunged  in  and  Andrew  fol- 
lowed it.     He  out-swam  the  deer  and  killed  it  by  drowning. 

In  1827  the  Buckles  family  left  Logan  County  and  came  to 
Buckles'  Grove.  Here  they  devoted  themselves  to  farming  and 
hunting. 

Thomas  Buckles'  experience  with  the  deep  snow  was  interest- 
ing. A  few  days  before  the  heavy  fall  of  snow  came,  Thomas 
and  refer  Buckles  and  Alvin  Barnett  started  out  to  hunt  for  wild 
hogs.  They  killed  several  pigs  and  three  or  four  deer.  They 
stopped,  during  the  night  before  the  heavy  snowfall,  with  a  man 
named  Mulkie.     It  was  elear  and  beautiful  and  the  stars  were 


m'lean  county.  535 

bright  and  thick  in  the  sky.  The  morning  opened  clear  and 
Mnlkie  started  to  accompany  Thomas  Buckles  home.  Soon  a 
bank  of  snow  arose  and  it  began  to  fall.  When  they  had  gone 
four  miles  they  abandoned  their  wagon  and  followed  the  oxen. 
The  snow  fell  so  fast  that  they  could  not  see  ten  feet  abead  of 
them,  and  the  snow  and  icicles  collected  and  froze  two  or  three 
inches  thick  on  their  cheeks.  Mr.  Buckles  says  it  came  as  fast 
as  if  it  were  thrown  with  a  scoop-sbovel.  When  within  two 
miles  of  home  they  were  almost  broken  down,  but  they  took  hold 
of  the  tails  of  their  steers  and  were  pulled  safely  through.  The 
snow  was  then  more  than  three  feet  deep.  Mulkie  was  com- 
pletely exhausted,  and  eoiild  do  nothing  but  sleep.  Mr.  Buckles 
says  that  when  he  arrived  home  he  stayed  there  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  snow  storm,  and  had  no  ambition  for  travel. 

Mr.  Buckles  speaks  of  the  sudden  change  in  the  weather  in 
December,  1836,  ami  says  that  the  water  froze  in  ridges  as  it  was 
blown  by  the  wind.  His  brother  Robert  was  then  taking  a  drove 
of  hogs  to  Alton,  and  when  the  wind-storm  struck  him  he  was. 
obliged  to  go  a  quarter  of  a  mile  for  shelter.  When  his  men 
arrived  there  they  could  scarcely  stand.  The  hogs  demanded 
the  most  constant  attention,  for  if  left  to  themselves  they  would 
pile  on  top  of  each  other  as  high  as  a  hog  could  climb,  and  those 
at  the  bottom  of  the  pile  would  be  smothered  and  crushed  to 
death. 

The  Buckles  family  were  great  hunters,  and  made  a  specialty 
of  killing  wolves.  Thomas  Buckles  has,  perhaps,  killed  more 
wolves  than  any  other  man  in  McLean  County.  He  ran  them 
down,  shot  them  and  caught  them  in  traps  and  pens.  A  pen  for 
catching  wolves  is  made  of  loo;s  and  is  so  heavy  that  a  wolf  can 
not  raise  it.  The  bottom  is  made  of  logs  or  poles  so  that  a  wolf 
cannot  escape  by  digging  under.  He  usually  took  a  wolf  hunt 
every  spring,  and  generally  killed  five  or  six.  He  chased  one 
wolf  "fifteen  miles  before  catching  it,  and,  when  caught,  it  could 
not  have  been  made  to  live  fifteen  minutes.  It  was  run  to  death. 
It  was  chased  from  Buckles'  Grove  to  near  the  west  end  of  Old 
Town  timber,  then  down  to  Long  Point,  then  back  to  Buckles' 
Grove,  then  down  into  Be  Witt  County  where  it  was  caught. 
One  wolf,  after  being  chased  many  miles,  jumped  into  a  well  and 
there  was  killed. 


536  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Buckles  has  had  an  interesting  experience  in  hunting 
deer.  He  once  wounded  a  deer  in  the  fore  leg  and  it  turned  for 
fight  with  its  hair  all  standing  up.  When  one  of  the  dogs  took 
hold  of  it,  it  turned  so  fiercely  and  quickly  and  made  so  sudden 
a  dart  that  it  ran  its  horns  in  the  ground  and  turned  over  on  its 
back.  Another  shot  ended  its  life.  William  and  Thomas 
Buckles  once  chased  a  fawn  until  it  was  tired  out  and,  when  Wil- 
liam approached,  it  made  a  spring  from  him  into  Thomas  Buckles' 
arms.  But  it  died  shortly  after,  because  of  the  length  and  se- 
verity of  the  chase.  During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  two  of 
the  Buckles  brothers  caught  a  deer  and  hoppled  it,  and  tried  to 
drive  it  home.  It  was  very  docile  until  Thomas  Buckles  tapped 
it  on  the  nose  with  a  weed,  when  it  sprang  up  and  knocked  him 
down  and  jumped  away.  The  next  morning  it  was  found  frozen 
to  death.  As  it  was  hoppled  it  could  not  exercise  and  the  circu- 
lation of  blood  was  checked.  • 

Mr.  Buckles  is  a  skillful  woodman  and  seldom  deceived  as  to 
his  position.  He  could  always  find  his  camp,  even  at  night  when 
it  was  so  dark  that  he  could  hardly  see  his  hand  before  him.  He 
often  hunted  bees  in  the  timber  and  had  a  sharp  eye  to  detect 
their  holes  in  the  trees.  He  once  went  with  a  party  of  bee  hunters 
down  on  the  Kankakee  River,  and  was  gone  five  weeks.  They 
found  from  fifty  to  sixty  bee  trees. 

Mr.  Buckles  has  never  had  any  very  dangerous  experience 
with  fire  on  the  prairie.  He  once  was  overtaken  by  a  prairie  fire 
and  jumped  into  a  creek  to  save  himself  and  the  flames  leaped 
over  him.  When  a  prairie  fire  moves,  the  heat  goes  a  hundred 
feet  or  more  in  front  of  the  blaze,  and  this  sometimes  makes  the 
fire  jump  enormous  gaps  when  it  is  under  full  headway.  The 
game  on  the  prairie  will  seldom  turn  and  face  a  fire,  though  Mr. 
Buckles  once  saw  a  buck  turn  and  charge  directly  through  the 
flame.  He  once  made  a  ring  of  fire  around  a  piece  of  bottom 
land,  leaving  a  gap,  where  the  frightened  deer  were  shot,  as  they 
came  out,  by  two  hunters  stationed  there. 

Mr.  Buckles  has  seen  the  vexations  to  which  the  old  settlers 
were  subjected.  He  was  obliged  to  pound  his  corn  before  the 
deep  snow,  for  one  entire  summer.  He  made  a  mortar  out  of  an 
ash  stump.  The  stump  was  burnt  out  and  could  hold  three  pecks 
of  corn,  which  was  beaten  with  an  enormous  pestle.     He  after- 


m'lean  county.  537 

wards  made  a  little  horse  mill  out  of  nigger-heads,  and  with  this 
ground  five  bushels  of  corn  per  day.  He  has  often  gone  to  Peoria 
to  mill  and  far  above  there. 

Mr.  Buckles  went  down  to  Logan  County  about  seven  years 
ago,  but  moved  back  to  near  Buckles'  Grove  during  the  middle 
of  March,  1878,  and  there  he  now  resides.  He  is  a  little  more 
than  six  feet  in  height,  is  muscular  and  active,  and  is  an  accurate 
marksman.  But  that  which  is  most  remarkable  is  his  quickness 
of  sight.  He  usually  sees  the  game  before  the  game  sees  him. 
He  is  a  good-natured  man,  and,  like  all  of  the  old  settlers,  is  hos- 
pitable and  kind.  He  has  done  his  fair  proportion  of  hard  work, 
and  lias  split  more  rails  than  Abraham  Lincoln  ever  did. 

He  married,  February  2, 1837,  Elizabeth  Jane  Kimler.  He  has 
five  children  living.     They  are  : 

William  Marion,  who  lives  in  Leroy,  Illinois. 

Robert  Franklin  lives  now  with  his  father,  as  he  is  a  widower. 

Amanda  B.,  wife  of  George  Lucas,  lives  in  Davis  County, 
Missouri. 

Mary  Ann  and  Peter  Leander  live  at  home. 

James  Harvey   Conaway. 

James  H.  Conaway  was  born  July  14,  1819,  in  Bourbon 
County,  Kentcky,  within  three  miles  of  Millersburg.  His  fath- 
er's name  was  Aquilla  Conaway,  and  his  mother's  name  was  Ra- 
chel Barnett.  His  father  and  mother  were  American  born  citi- 
zens. Aquilla  Conaway  came  to  Kentucky  from  Maryland  at  a 
very  early  day.  The  Conaway  family  left  Kentucky  when  James 
was  only  eight  years  of  age,  and  he  does  not  remember  much  of 
that  State.  The  only  thing,  which  impressed  his  boyish  imagina- 
tion, was  a  little  incident  which  happened  while  a  negro  woman 
was  "toting"  water  from  a  spring.  Her  bucket  of  water  was  on 
her  head,  and  as  she  passed  under  a  tree,  a  squirrel,  which  was 
jumping  from  one  branch  to  another,  missed  its  hold  and  fell  on 
the  edge  of  the  bucket  and  was  killed. 

In  the  fall  of  1827  Aquilla  Conaway  brought  his  family  to  Illi- 
nois. He  came  very  near  becoming  swamped  in  the  quicksands 
of  White  River.  His  wagon  was  driven  by  an  obstinate  negro, 
named  Moses.  When  the  journey  was  ended,  Moses  was  sent 
back  to  Kentucky  with  the  wagon  and  team,  and  instructed  to 


538  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

take  care  of  everything  and  not  to  steal  from  the  people  on  the 
route.  Moses  faithfully  obeyed  all  instructions  except  those  with 
regard  to  stealing. 

Mr.  Conaway  came  first  to  Vermilion  County,  where  he  re- 
mained for  a  few  monthe,  and  then  came  to  Buckles'  Grove,  Mc- 
Lean County,  Illinois,  where  he  arrived  February  8,  1828. 

The  first  notable  event,  which  James  Conaway  remembers, 
was  that  some  of  the  Buckles  bovs  caught  a  large  black  wolf  in 
a  trap  and  fastened  the  wolf  to  the  middle  of  a  pole  and  showed 
it  alive  to  the  new-comers.  He  has  often  seen  the  black  wolves 
play  on  the  snow  where  Leroy  now  stands.  This  was  during  the 
winter  of  the  deep  snow.  During  that  winter  he  saw  several  deer 
frozen  to  death  standing  in  their  tracks.  The  deer  lived  during  that 
winter  on  the  bark  of  the  sumach,  and  in  the  following  spring 
the  groves  of  sumach  were  completely  skinned  of  bark.  Mr. 
Conaway  has  often  chased  wolves  and  deer  and  has  sometimes 
run  down  two  or  three  in  a  day.  He  remembers  when  a  party 
chased  a  deer  until  it  was  so  exhausted  that  one  of  their  number, 
John  Knott,  jumped  on  its  back  and  cut  its  throat. 

James  H.  Conaway  is  about  five  feet  and  five  inches  high. 
His  head  is  a  little  bald  and  his  eves  are  dark  and  bright.  He 
has  a  pleasant,  smiling  countenance,  and  seems  a  very  straight- 
forward man.  He  is  a  very  hardy,  active  man,  and  enjoys  the 
best  of  health.  He  married,  December  6,  1849,  Axey  Defien- 
baugh,  and  has  six  children.  He  has  never  lost  any  of  his  chil- 
dren by  sickness  and  never  caliled  a  doctor  on  their  account. 

Esek  Eddy   Greenman. 

Esek  Eddy  Greenman  was  born  January  23,  1616,  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Ohio,  about  twenty-three  miles  from  Marietta,  the 
county  seat.  Three  miles  from  his  birth-place  was  the  little  town 
of  Waterford  with  its  block-house,  which  afforded  protection  to 
the  people  during  the  war  of  1812.  Mr.  Greenman's  father  was 
John  Greenman,  of  Welch  descent.  His  mother's  name  was 
Ruth  White,  before  her  marrirge.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Deacon 
David  White,  who  came  from  Vermont  to  the  Muskingum  River, 
Ohio.  He  was  of  the  fourth  generation  from  Elder  White,  of 
Revolutionary  fame.  Mr.  Greenman's  grandfather,  Jeremiah 
Greenman,  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  parti- 


M  LEAN    COUNTY. 


539 


cipated  in  many  of  the  contests  of  that  seven-years'  struggle. 
He  was  twice  captured,  once  on  board  of  a  ship  and  once  by  the 
Indians,  and  his  life  was  one  of  suffering  and  adventure.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  became  a  member  of  the  Order  of  the  Cincin- 
nati, which  admitted  to  its  membership  all  who  had  been  com- 
missioned officers  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  But  the  order 
was  short  lived,  as  General  Washington  and  many  others  were 
afraid  it  might  be  the  beginning  of  a  titled  aristocracy.  The  old 
gentleman  kept  a  journal  for  a  long  time,  but  would  never  allow 
it  to  be  published. 

John  Greenman,  the  father  of  Esek,  was  a  farmer  in  summer 
and  a  school  teacher  in  winter.  The  last  winter  of  his  school 
teaching  was  the  one  of  the  memorable  one  of  the  deep  snow, 
when  he  kept  school  at  Blooming  Grove.  While  living  in  Ohio, 
John  Greenman  was  for  a  while  deputy  sheriff,  and  it  required  a 
good  deal  of  nerve  sometimes  to  serve  in  that  capacity.  During 
those  early  days,  as  well  as  at  the  present  time,  medical  gentle- 
men were  very  anxious  to  obtain  subjects  for  dissection  and  were 
willing  to  pay  quite  a  sum  of  money  for  them.  The  love  of 
money,  which  is  occasionally  the  root  of  some  evil,  induced  a 
person  named  Dow,  to  decoy  a  crazy  man  into  the  woods  for  the 
purpose  of  killing  him  and  selling  him  to  the  medical  institute; 
but  the  crazy  man  escaped.  Dow  afterwards  stole  a  corpse  from 
the  grave  where  it  was  buried  and  dragged  it  through  the  fields 
and  hid  it  in  a  barn  and  covered  it  with  corn-stalks.  There  it 
was  found  by  Constable  Greenman  who  arrested  Dow  and  his  ac- 
complice. 

When  Esek  Greenman  was  nine  years  of  age  his  father  moved 
to  Waterford,  where  he  kept  a  hotel ;  and  one  year  later  Esek  be- 
came a  little  water-rat  and  could  run  a  ferry  across  the  Muskin- 
gum  Riveri  In  about  the  year  1826  the  Greenman  family  moved 
on  a  farm  about  three  miles  up  the  river  and  there  Esek  could 
work  to  his  heart's  content.  His  associates  were  some  very 
had  little  boys  who  loved  trickery  better  than  they  loved  their 
mush  and  milk ;  nevertheless  he  worked  faithfully  at  grubbing 
trees  and  stumps. 

In  July,  1829,  the  Greenman  family  started  for  Illinois,  where 
they  arrived  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  August.  They  came  with 
Major  Seth  Baker's  family  to  Blooming;  Grove.     The  roads  were 


540  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

very  muddy  and  at  one  time  they  passed  through  a  place  where 
the  wheels  sank  to  the  axletree,  and  were  obliged  to  put  all  their 
horses  on  each  wagon  separately  in  order  to  get  through.  It  was 
called  the  Devil's  Mush-pot.  There  were  two  roads  leading- 
through  it,  and  they  were  told  to  take  their  choice,  with  the 
warning  that  whichever  road  they  went  they  would  wish  they  had 
taken  the  other ! 

Upon  their  arrival  they  rented  a  house  of  Squire  OrendorfT, 
and  in  October,  Mr.  Greenman,  sr.,  began  teaching  school.  Esek 
went  to  work  for  Thomas  OrendorfT;  he  husked  corn  and  took 
the  "  down  row,"  and  worked  hard  until  winter  set  in.  In  1830 
he  cut  logs  for  the  double  log  cabin  built  by  James  Allin,  it  being 
the  first  house  in  Bloomington.  It  is  the  one  now  occupied  by 
Dr.  Stipp.  In  the  spring  of  1830,  Mr.  James  Allin  offered  Mr. 
John  Greenman  some  money  to  enter  the  W.  half  of  the  S.  "W\ 
quarter  of  section  four,  township  twenty-three,  range  two  east, 
on  condition  that  Greenman  would  deed  to  Allin  a  part  of  the 
east  side  of  said  land,  amounting  to  about  twenty  acres,  for  the 
purpose  of  being  used  to  lay  out  a  town.  The  offer  was  accepted. 
Mr.  Greenman  entered  the  land,  deeded  a  part  of  it  to  Allin,  who 
gave  it  to  the  town  of  Bloomington. 

When  his  school  was  ended,  John  Greenman  cut  logs,  built 
a  cabin  between  Washington  and  Front  streets,  broke  five  acres 
of  land,  sowed  it  in  wheat  and  fenced  it ;  but  before  being  fenced 
it  was  rooted  up  by  pigs  and  sowed  over  again.  The  following 
winter  was  the  one  of  the  deep  snow;  but  the  wheat  was  un- 
injured, and  was  pronounced  the  finest  west  of  Maryland. 

Mr.  Esek  Greenman  had  very  little  to  do  with  the  Indians. 
He  remembers  that  a  great  crowd  of  them  once  came  to  a  spring 
near  the  north  shaft,  to  see  his  sisters  wash  clothes,  for  this  ope- 
ration was  a  novelty  to  the  savages. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow,  John  Greenman  was 
teaching  school  on  the  old  Jim  Cannaday  place.  Esek  remem- 
bers that  the  great  storm  of  snow,  which  really  commenced  the 
period  of  the  deep  snow,  fell  on  Friday.  That  day  his  father  let 
out  school  early,  as  he  had  a  little  "  chore"  to  attend  to,  which 
was  to  transport  to  his  house  a  hog  which  he  had  obtained  in  the 
neighborhood.  He  carried  it  on  horseback  and  young  Esek  fol- 
lowed on  foot.     But  the  snow  fell  so  deep  that  Esek  stayed  over 


m'lean  county.  541 

night  at  old  Johnny  Maxwell's  house,  while  Mr.  Greenman,  sr., 
proceeded.  He  reached  home  with  the  porker,  but  was  two 
hours  in  traveling  the  last  quarter  of  a  mile. 

The  day  before  the  deep  snow,  Moses  Baker  and  William 
Oney  went  to  Ollendorff's  mill  on  Sugar  Creek,  about  twenty-five 
miles  from  Bloomington,  and  on  their  return,  at  Murphy's  Grove, 
William  Oney  wanted  to  lay  down  and  sleep  ;  but  Baker  whip- 
ped him  and  abused  him,  and  at  last  he  was  read}?-  to  fight ;  but 
Baker  insisted  that  he  should  arouse  himself  or  he  would  cer- 
tainly freeze.  Then  they  scuffled  and  wrestled,  and  ran  about 
and  climbed  trees  to  keep  from  freezing,  until  morning  broke, 
when  they  heard  roosters  crowing,  and  found  themselves  within 
three  hundred  yards  of  a  house  ! 

People  caught  deer  and  wolves  very  easily  until  a  slippery 
crust  formed  on  the  snow,  after  which  they  could  catch  the  deer, 
hut  not  the  wolves.  The  crust  was  slippery  and  the  wintry  winds 
whistled  over  it  and  had  the  whole  matter  to  themselves.  Occa- 
sionally a  man  would  lose  his  hat  and  see  it  scud  away  out  of 
sight. 

In  1830  the  doctors  were  not  so  numerous  as  at  present. 
Young  Esek  remembers  some  horseback  exercise  when  he  rode 
to  Pekin,  a  distance  of  thirty-three  miles,  without  saddle  or  stir- 
rups, for  the  doctor.  On  his  return  with  the  doctor  he  forded  the 
Mackinaw  on  the  upper  side,  so  that,  if  swept  from  his  horse  by 
the  current,  the  doctor  could  catch  him. 

In  the  spring  of  1830  there  were  three  houses  between  the 
spot  where  Bloomington  now  stands  and  Mackinawtown,  and 
fourteen  houses  at  the  latter  place,  including  barns.  Between 
the  latter  place  and  Pleasant  Hill  were  no  houses  at  all,  and  Pekin 
only  contained  fourteen  or  fifteen  houses,  including  barns. 

In  July,  1831,  Mr.  Greenman,  sr.,  sold  his  land  in  Blooming- 
ton and  moved  three  miles  below  Waynesville.  But  he  found  it 
a  sickly  spot.  Out  of  three  families,  numbering  in  all  twenty- 
four  persons,  twenty-two  had  the  ague.  After  a  long  sickness, 
John  Greenman  died  there,  and  was  buried  at  Pilot  Grove,  and 
his  family  returned  to  Blooming  Grove  and  entered  the  last  re- 
maining eighty  acres  there.  It  was  the  eighty  adjoining  the 
Nathan  Low,  sr.,  place  at  the  old  camp-ground.  They  lived  in 
the  Isaac  Murphy  house  during  the  winter.     In  the  summer  fol- 


542  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

lowing,  Esek  Greenman  had  his  last  shake  with  the  ague.  This 
memorable  event  occurred  on  his  sixteenth  birthday.  For  three 
days  previous,  he  had  taken  each  morning  a  teacupful  of  whisky 
and  ginger,  and  the  ague  departed  forever. 

In  the  summer  of  1832,  Esek  Greenman  worked  in  a  brick- 
yard for  Peter  Whipp.  During  the  hot  summer  days  he  arose 
early  every  morning  and  went  to  work.  Then  he  had  a  rest 
while  eating  breakfast  and  while  Mr.  Whip})  gave  them  a  season 
of  prayer.  But  Mr.  Whipp  finally  concluded  to  dispense  with 
the  prayer  as  it  delayed  the  men  too  long  from  their  work. 
During  1832  and  '33,  the  Greenman  family  lived  north  of  Old 
Town,  but  in  the  latter  year  they  went  to  Bloomington,  and  there 
Mrs.  Greenman  was  married  to  Dr.  Isaac  Baker. 

In  1833  the  sporting  fraternity  began  to  make  their  appear- 
ance. It  was  then  that  the  first  race-track  in  McLean  County 
was  prepared.  The  first  purse  ran  for  amounted  to,  Mr.  Green- 
man thinks,  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Four  horses  were 
entered  for  it :  the  Bald  Hornet,  owned  by  Henry  Jacobv,  was 
ridden  bv   Esek    Greenman :  the  Gun  Fannon.  owned  by  Jake 

t  7  mi 

Herald  (Mr.  Greenman  thinks) ;  the  Tiger  Whip,  owned  by  Pete 
Hefner  and  ridden  by  James  Paul,  and  Ethiopian,  owned  by  a 
man  near  Waynesville.  Mr.  Greenman  put  Bald  Hornet  in 
training  sometime  before  the  race.  He  kept  the  horse  in  a  stable 
on  the  Leroy  road :  but  one  morning  he  found  that  his  horse  had 
been  turned  loose  to  green  corn  in  a  field  near  by.  It  was  sup- 
posed  that  Bald  Hornet's  racing  days  were  over,  but  care  restored 
him.  After  this,  Esek  slept  with  the  owner  of  the  horses  in  the 
haymow,  and  watched  the  animal  every  night.  When  the  race 
came  on,  the  owner  of  Gun  Fannon  hinted  to  Esek  that  he  could 
make  something  by  holding  up  his  horse:  but  Esek  neglected  to 
take  the  hint.  When  the  race  came  off  the  Bald  Hornet  was 
coming  in  finely,  but  the  Tiger  Whip  came  up  behind  and  trod 
on  its  heels,  and  the  Bald  Hornet  was  beaten.  (See  Peter  Hef- 
ner's sketch  !)  He  was  badly  crippled,  and  beaten  on  a  second 
race.  Some  time  before  the  race  a  Mr.  Vesey  was  struck  bv 
lightning  while  putting  a  horse  in  training  for  the  course.  This 
was  not  considered  a  visitation  of  God,  for  the  horse  was  ridden 
on  the  course  by  T.  J.  Barnett.  Bad  luck  seemed  to  attend  it, 
for  it  fell  in  the  midst  of  the  track.     But  the  horse   started  up. 


m'lean  county.  543 

followed  the  other  horses,  and  saved  its  distance;  nevertheless,  it 
was  beaten  a  second  time  worse  than  ever.  "  It  never  rains,  but 
it  pours."  This  ended  Mr.  Greenman's  career  <>n  the  turf.  He 
had  ridden  horses,  but  never  staked  his  money  on  the  result  of  a 
race. 

When  Mrs.  Greenman  was  married  to  Dr.  Baker  a  load  of 
responsibility  was  taken  from  the  shoulders  of  Esek  and  he  was 
no  longer  obliged  to  look  after  the  welfare  of  the  family.  Nev- 
ertheless he  worked  at  whatever  his  hands  could  find  to  do.  He 
helped  Father  Baker  to  lay  out  the  school  section  into  five  and 
ten  acre  lots ;  he  worked  in  a  brick-yard  at  Chatham's  Spring ; 
he  broke  prairie  for  Wilson  Lindley  south  of  Blooming  Grove, 
started  at  daylight  and  hunted  his  oxen,  had  a  little  shed  of  prai- 
rie grass  in  the  field  to  protect  him  from  the  storm,  and  worked 
fourteen  hours  a  day.  He  drove  up  calves  for  General  Gridley 
from  where  Leroy  now  stands ;  indeed  he  did  anything  and  every- 
thing in. the  line  of  honorable  employment.  In  1834  he  began  to 
learn  the  carpenter's  trade  of  Wilson  Allen  and  G.  D.  McEl- 
hiney.  He  had  a  very  good  opinion  of  McElhiney,  and  of 
him  learned  to  be  a  Democrat.  The  workshop  where  he  labored 
belonged  to  the  widow7  Yesey,  but  in  some  way  it  came  into  the 
possession  of  Allen  who  incautiously  allowed  himself  to  be  drawn 
into  some  litigation  with  Mrs.  Yesey.  He  learned  to  his  cost  to 
"bevare  of  the  vidders,,'  for  Mrs.  Yesey  took  forcible  possession 
of  the  shop  while  the  hands  were  at  dinner,  and  Allen  brought 
suit  to  recover  it.  The  widow's  case  was  pleaded  by  'Squire  C. 
C.  Cory  (an  uncle  of  Mr.  Greenman).  The  jury  of  Western 
men  always  sympathised  with  a  woman  in  distress  and  were  nat- 
urally inclined  in  her  favor ;  in  addition  to  this  they  were  great 
lovers  of  humor,  and  'Squire  Cory  succeeded  in  winning  the  case 
by  telling  the  pig  and  puppy  story.  It  was  as  follows  :  A  child 
wished  to  present  his  aunt,  on  Christmas  day,  with  a  little  pig, 
and  started  to  her  with  one  in  a  basket.  But,  having  incautious- 
ly set  down  his  basket,  the  pig  was  stolen  from  him  and  a  puppy 
inserted  in  its  place.  When  he  came  to  his  aunt  he  opened  the 
basket  and  found  the  puppy,  and  returned  home  disappointed. 
But  in  the  meantime  the  puppy  was  stolen  and  the  pig  returned 
to  its  place.  So  when  the  innocent  child  opened  the  basket  again 
and  saw  the  pig,  he  exclaimed :     "  It  can  be  a  pig  when  it's  a 


544  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

mind  to  and  puppy  when  it's  a  mind  to."  "IsTow,  gentlemen  of 
the  jury,"  said  'Squire  Cory,  "that  is  the  way  with  the  plaintiff 
in  this  case,  who  would  steal  the  property  of  a  widow.  He  can 
be  a  pig  when  he  has  a  mind  to  and  a  puppy  when  he  has  a  mind 
to."  Mr.  Allen  was  unable  to  bear  up  against  the  combined  in- 
fluence of  'Squire  Cory,  the  widow,  the  pig  and  the  puppy,  and 
lost  the  case. 

From  1833  to  1835  the  fine  gentlemen  of  Bloomington  seemed 
to  think  it  necessary  to  take  their  occasional  sprees,  and  Mr. 
Greenman  remembers  one  famous  spree  which  perhaps  some  old 
settlers  of  Bloomington  can  now  call  to  mind,  for  some  of  them 
were  in  it.  Perhaps  they  can  remember  when  one  of  the  party 
became  weary  and  went  home  and  crawled  into  a  garret  and  went 
to  sleep  on  a  board  plank,  and  how  the  crowd  followed  him  and 
brought  him  back ;  how  they  weighed  out  liquor  in  scales  and 
drank  it ;  how  the}'  weighed  out  oysters  and  ate  them ;  how  they 
stood  across  the  room  and  threw  oysters  at  each  others'  mouths, 
and  how,  in  order  to  vary  the  amusement,  they  marched  around 
the  stove  and  at  last  pitched  it  out  of  the  window,  and  did  many 
other  things  which  must  be  nameless. 

In  the  fall  of  1835  Mr.  Greenman  started  for  Northern  Illinois 
with  a  man  named  Jim  Paul.  The  latter  was  "on  his  muscle," 
and  occasionally  indulged  in  a  match  fight.  They  went  to  Dixon's 
Ferry,  and  while  there  made  an  excursion  to  the  battle  ground  of 
Stillman's  Run.  They  worked  hard  and  built  cabins  for  persons 
making  claims.  After  spending  a  few  weeks  there,  Mr.  Green- 
man and  a  man  named  James  Durley  started  for  Platteville,  Wis- 
consin, and  on  their  way,  not  far  from  Dixon,  he  saw  the  grave 
of  Joe  Draper,  who  had  been  killed  in  the  Black  Hawk  war. 
After  some  delays  he  went  to  Platteville  and  clerked  for  John 
Lytle  who  kept  a  grocery  store.  After  a  while  he  went  to  Galena 
and  there,  it  is  to  be  regretted,  fell  into  evil  ways.  He  learned 
to  play  cards  and  led  rather  a  hard  life.  In  the  spring  he  started 
to  dig  for  mineral  and  found  very  good  signs,  but  stopped  digging 
to  play  euchre  and  attend  to  other  duties  equally  important,  and 
lost  his  claim.  Shortly  after  this  he  met  an  impecunious  "dead 
broke"  miner  and  bought  his  claim  for  one  dollar,  but  the  con- 
ditions were  that  if  he  struck  mineral  he  should  pay  the  miner 
five  dollars.     But  Mr.  Greenman  played   euchre  and  neglected 


m'lean  county.  545 

the  claim  and  lost  it  altogether.  It  afterwards  turned  out  to  be 
worth  twelve  thousand  dollars.  His  tirst  claim,  where  lie  had 
found  signs  of  mineral,  was  pushed  by  other  parties  and  one-half 
of  it  was  sold  for  thirty  thousand  dollars.  He  had  better  have 
burnt  his  cards.  But  after  a  while  he  determined  to  reform,  so 
he  took  a  good  game  of  euchre,  drank  some  ale,  went  to  a  revival 
and  walked  forward  to  the  anxious  seat  and  reformed. 

In  the  spring  of  1837  he  went  to  Savannah,  with  Deacon 
George  Davidson.  He  carried  the  mail  from  Galena  to  Cleve- 
land on  Rock  River,  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  from  Rock  Island. 
He  carried  it  regularly  twice  a  week  for  a  month  or  two. 

He  returned  to  Bloomington  and  worked  as  a  carpenter  du- 
ring the  following  winter.  He  went  to  McIIenry  County  and 
there  worked  for  a  Mr.  Foster,  for  a  dollar  a  day  and  his  board, 
and  was  dunned  b}-  Mrs.  Foster  for  his  Sunday  board.  The  next 
summer  he  went  to  Cedar  County,  Iowa,  on  foot,  and  had  various 
adventures,  made  a  claim  at  Onion  Grove  where  a  town  was  after- 
wards laid  out,  and  after  various  travels  and  adventures  he  found 
himself  in  Leroy,  McLean  County,  Illinois,  with  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  in  his  pocket.  He  borrowed  a  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  more  and  went  to  Chicago  for  goods  and  there  was  offered 
two  lots  in  the  heart  of  the  city  for  a  horse  and  buggy.  He 
spent  fourteen  years  in  the  dry  goods  business,  and  has  been  a 
very  successful  merchant.  He  was  for  four  years  in  the  grocery 
business,  and  in  everything  has  prospered  well. 

He  married,  February  14,  1848,  Miss  Martha  Pierce.  Mrs. 
Greenman  died  July  14,  1864,  and  since  then  he  has  remained 
unmarried.  He  has  had  eight  children,  of  whom  three  are  living, 
two  boys  and  one  girl.  In  1844  or  1845  he  was  postmaster  at 
Leroy,  and  this  is  all  the  public  office  he  ever  held.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat  until  1856  when  he  became  a  Republican  and 
has  remained  so  ever  since. 

Mr.  Greenman's  character  is  pretty  well  shown  by  his  life. 
He  is  very  plucky  and  adventurous,  but  very  kind  and  polite. 
After  he  really  settled  down  to  business  he  succeeded  well  and 
acquired  property.  He  is  obliged  to  look  at  a  thing  several  times 
to  understand  it,  but  is  pretty  sure  to  see  through  it  in  the  end. 
He  is  a  self-made  man,  and  his  success  in  later  life  was  due  to 
himself,  for  certainly  his  early  experience  and  training  would  not 
35 


546  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

be  recommended  as  conducive  to  moral  elevation.  His  judgment 
is  the  very  best,  and  he  is  possessed  of  a  great  deal  of  natural 
shrewdness.  He  loves  fun  and  a  good  story,  and  enjoys  a  practi- 
cal joke.  He  is  of  medium  size  and  is  finely  proportioned.  His 
hair  is  very  white,  and  his  cheeks  have  a  healthy,  pleasant  "-low. 
In  his  youth  he  must  have  heen  quite  a  favorite  with  ladies.  He 
takes  a  great  interest  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  early  settlement 
of  the  country,  for  he  has  seen  the  adventurous  side  of  it,  which 
is  pretty  sure  to  he  the  humorous  side,  and  is  very  pleasant  to 
remember  though  not  always  pleasant  to  endure. 

Mr.  Greenman  has  three  children  living.     Thev  are : 
Mary  Belle,  wife  of  Gideon  Scott  Crumbaugh,  born  October 
18,  1853,  lives  at  Leroy. 

John  Emmet,  horn  September  6,  1855,  and  Charles  Emery 
Greenman,  born  March  1,  1861,  live  at  home. 

Otho  Merrifield. 

Otho  Merrifield  was  born  Xovember  4,  1814,  near  Xenia, 
Green  County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  James  Merrifield. 
and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Haines.  In  the  fall 
of  1829  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  father's  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren. They  traveled  with  a  four-horse  team,  and  had  no  particu- 
lar trouble  except  with  the  green-head  flies,  which  bit  the  horses 
and  made  them  nearly  crazy.  They  first  stopped  at  Cheney's 
Grove,  but  stayed  during  the  first  winter  over  on  Ivickapoo,  about 
ten  miles  west  of  Leroy.  In  the  spring,  Mr.  Merrifield,  sr.,  took 
a  claim  on  the  east  side  of  Buckles'  Grove,  and  moved  there 
April  2,  1830.  It  was  the  business  of  Otho  Merrifield  and  his 
brother  to  take  care  of  the  stock,  and  when  thev  had  a  little  extra 
time  they  went  on  a  deer  or  wolf  chase.  They  hunted  wolves 
with  hounds,  and  kept  for  this  purpose  three  bloodhounds  and 
two  or  three  greyhounds.  The  latter  will  run  faster  and  fight 
better  than  bloodhounds,  but  cannot  run  so  long.  Mr.  Merrifield 
is  proud  to  say  that  his  dogs  were  always  game  and  never  were 
whipped.  Mr.  Merrifield  thinks  the  wolf  is  sometimes  the  most 
impudent  and  daring  of  wild  animals.  It  will  drive  the  chickens 
into  the  yard,  and  it  will  steal  pigs  in  the  daytime  so  close  to  the 
house,  that  they  can  be  heard  to  squeal.  During  the  deep  snow, 
the  Merrifield  family  pounded  their  corn,  as  all  the  settlers  of  that 


m'lean  county.  547 

period  did.     During  that  winter  Otho   and  his  brother  ran  dowi] 
eleven  deer,  which  was  pretty  fair  work  for  boys. 

Mr.  Merrifield  saw  plenty  of  Indians  when  lie  came  to  the 
country,  but  never  lost  anything  by  them  that  lie  knows  of,  nor 
had  any  difficulty  with  them.  The  Indians  usually  went  on  their 
hunts  in  companies.  They  started  from  Indian  Grove  and  went 
to  Old  Town  timber,  then  down  Salt  Creek  as  far  as  the  Lake 
Fork  near  Mt.  Pulaski,  and  then  returned  to  Indian  Grove.  Their 
hunting  companies  varied  in  size  from  one  hundred  to  three  hun- 
dred. They  walked  in  single  tile,  and  Mr.  Merrifield  has  seen 
a  string  of  Indians  five  miles  in  length. 

Mr.  Merrifield  lived  in  Empire  township  from  1829  to  1856, 
and  then  went  to  Missouri,  where  he  stayed  four  years,  and  then 
came  back  to  his  old  home.  He  liked  the  country  in  Missouri 
very  much.  On  the  7th  of  April,  1860,  he  had  his  leg  broken. 
He  then  vent  back  to  his  farm,  where  he  lived  until  the  fall  of 
1864.  Up  to  this  time  he  succeeded  pretty  fairly  with  the  world, 
and  made  enough  money  to  enable  him  to  live  comfortably.  He 
was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity,  but  perhaps  a  little  too  un- 
suspecting. In  I860  he  sold  his  farm  and  went  into  the  drug 
business,  but  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  lose  the  results  of  years  of 
toil.  He  is  now  left  with  little  property,  and  in  the  decline  of 
life  must  still  earn  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow. 

Mr.  Merrifield  is  six  feet  in  height,  and,  though  he  has  passed 
through  many  hardships,  is  still  a  man  of  good  personal  appear- 
ance. His  eyes  are  dark  and  expressive,  and  his  countenance 
shows  his  good  faith  ami  his  honesty. 

He  married  Mrs.  Prudence  Conaway,  December  8, 1842.  He 
has  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

Henry  Crumbaugh. 

Henry  Crumbaugh  was  born  April  26,  1789,  in  Frederick 
County,  Maryland.  There  he  received  his  schooling  very  much 
as  other  boys  did,  nothing  of  special  importance  occurring.  He 
was  very  skillful  in  boxing  and  wrestling,  and  while  between  the 
ages  of  twenty-one  and  thirty-one,  he  never  found  his  match.  In 
the  year  1810  he  moved  to  Kentucky,  where  he  remained  eight 
or  nine  years.  In  April,  1820,  he  married  Sarah  Baldock  and  has 
had  twelve  children,  of  whom  five  are  living.     He  moved  to  Elk- 


548  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

hart  Grove,  in  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  in  1828,  and  to  Buckles' 
Grove,  McLean  County,  in  March,  1830,  and  settled  on  the  land 
where  he  has  lived  ever  since.  He  had  a  hard  time  to  find  some- 
thing to  eat,  and  was  forced  to  go  a  long  distance  to  a  horse-mill 
to  have  his  corn  ground.  It  required  a  week  to  go  to  Springfield, 
get  his  corn  ground,  do  his  trading  and  return.  He  was  obliged 
to  work  under  many  disadvantages,  and  exercise  great  ingenuity 
to  supply  the  want  of  articles  common  to  civilization.  When  he 
broke  prairie  he  attached  the  oxen  to  the  plough  by  hickory 
bark. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  he  beat  his  meal  in 
kettles  and  obtained  his  water  by  melting  snow.  This  winter  as 
is  well  known  was  very  severe  for  the  deer.  He  has  seen  deer 
caught  by  wolves,  for  the  sharp  feet  of  the  former  broke  through 
the  crust,  while  the  latter  could  run  over  the  snow  with  ease.  At 
one  time  he  saw  from  his  house  three  wolves  catch  a  deer.  He 
jumped  on  a  horse  and  took  the  deer  from  them  and  gave  it  to 
his  pigs  to  eat,  as  it  was  too  poor  for  use  at  home. 

Mr.  Crumbaugh  had  his  experience  in  the  sudden  change  in 
the  weather  which  occurred  in  December,  1836.  The  day  was 
mild,  and  the  ground  was  covered  with  water  and  snow,  when 
suddenly  the  cold  west  wind  came  with  a  roar,  and  froze  up  every- 
thing immediately.  On  that  day  John  Dawson  was  going  to  Leroy 
to  mill,  but  when  the  wind  struck  him  he  turned  to  go  to  Henry 
Crumbauarh's  farm.  He  was  unable  to  cross  Salt  Creek,  and  after 
getting  into  it  cut  his  oxen  loose  and  tried  to  drive  them  over, 
but  they  refused  to  go.  He  himself  became  wet  to  the  waist,  and, 
letting  the  oxen  go,  crossed  the  creek  and  started  for  Mr.  Crum- 
bauo-h's  house,  a  few  rods  distant;  but  when  he  reached  the 
fence,  his  clothes  were  frozen  so  stiff  that  he  could  not  climb  over 
without  Mr.  Crumbaugh's  assistance.  Mr.  Crumbaugh  drove  the 
oxen  across  the  creek  and  up  to  his  stable.  They  were  covered 
with  a  double  coating  of  ice  an  inch  thick. 

Mr.  Crumbaugh  thought  it  fun  to  go  to  Chicago.  He  hauled 
from  there  the  first  lumber  brought  to  this  section  of  country, 
bringing  it  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  with  an  ox  team. 

Mr.  Crumbaugh  has  bad  much  difficulty  with  prairie  tires. 
At  one  time  he  came  from  Springfield  with  Maria  Dawson,  then 
a  girl  of  fifteen,  when  he  saw  ahead  of  him  a  prairie  fire ;  he 


m'lean  county.  549 

escaped  by  driving  his  horses  into  a  pond  until  the  fire  passed  on. 
Mr.  Crumbaugh  was  accustomed  to  hunt  wolves  and  kept  hounds 
particularly  for  this  sport.  He  was,  for  a  long  time,  the  only  per- 
son in  the  country  who  had  hounds  trained  for  this  purpose.  At 
one  time  a  wolf  came  up  to  the  house  and  caught  a  chicken,  and 
when  pursued  by  the  dogs  did  not  give  it  up  until  caught.  One 
wolf  held  to  a  pig,  which  it  had  captured,  and  ran  with  it  for  a 
mile  before  dropping  it,  though  hotly  pursued  by  the  dogs.  It 
gave  them  a  race  of  eight  miles  before  they  caught  it.  Mr. 
Crumbaugh  often  set  wolf-traps  and  caught  many  wolves.  He 
was  accustomed  to  set  the  trap  and  tie  a  chicken  or  a  leg  of  mut- 
ton near  it  to  decoy  the  wolves  ;  but  when  they  were  caught  they 
seldom  ate  the  bait.  He  caught  live  wolves  with  a  rooster  for 
bait,  and  four  with  a  leg  of  mutton ;  but  one  old  wolf  ate  the 
bait  after  beino;  cauffht,  and  showed  fight  when  taken  from  the 
trap. 

Mr.  Crumbaugh  has  also  hunted  other  game  occasionally.  He 
caught  eleven  turkeys  with  his  hounds  in  about  twenty  minutes, 
on  a  wet  winter's  day.  He  once  caught  two  lynxs  in  the  edge  of 
Old  Town  timber.  These  animals  are  of  the  wildcat  species  and 
very  large.  Hunters  have  sometimes  mistaken  them  for  dogs. 
They  have  spots  and  stripes  on  them,  and  are  quite  pretty.  They 
are  not  considered  dangerous  to  human  beings,  but  are  strong, 
and  would  be  very  unpleasant  animals  to  tight  with. 

Henry  Crumbaugh  is  about  six  feet  in  height.  In  his  younger 
days  he  was  very  strong.  He  sometimes  liked  to  attend  a  horse- 
race, but  never  was  carried  away  by  such  sport.  Although  very 
old  he  is  still  possessed  of  a  great  deal  of  shrewdness  and  good 
sense.  He  was,  in  his  younger  days,  a  man  of  steady  nerve,  a 
good  hunter  and  an  accurate  shot.  He  appears  to  be  a  pleasant, 
cheerful  gentleman,  wears  spectacles,  is  quick-witted,  and  observes 
what  is  o-oins;  on  around  him. 

Henry  Crumbaugh  has  been  a  hard  worker  and  a  shrewd 
manager.  During  the  winter  of  1819  he  started  from  Frankfort, 
Kentucky,  to  Xew  Orleans,  with  four  flatboats,  with  freight  be- 
longing to  Col.  Johnson.  He  made  the  trip  down  the  river  in 
ten  days,  but  was  made  very  sick  by  drinking  the  river  water. 
He  received  for  his  pay  two  hundred  dollars  for  each  boat.  He 
returned  on  horseback  through  the   Indian  territory,  and  passed 


550 


OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


over  the  land  belonging  to  the  Chocktaws  and  Chickasaws.  They 
treated  him  with  the  greatest  kindness. 

Mr.  Crumbaugh  has  been  very  kind  to  his  children,  and  has 
given  them  each  six  thousand  dollars  to  start  in  life.  His  chil- 
dren are  : 

Emily,  born  November  15,  1821,  died  in  September,  182G. 

Xarcissie,  born  January  7,  1824,  is  married  to  Simpson  E. 
Thompson,  and  lives  three  miles  south  of  her  parents. 

James  II.  L.  Crumbaugh,  born  May  1,  1826,  lives  six  miles 
south  of  "his  parents. 

Emily  Crumbaugh,  born  August  2,  1828,  died  in  1838. 

Nancy  H.,  born  August  12,  1830,  died  in  1833. 

Louisiana  C,  was  born  March  10,  1834,  and  died  Mav  12, 
1866. 

John  Edgar  Howard  Crumbaugh,  born  August  3,  1837,  lives 
a  half  a  mile  south  of  his  parents. 

Andrew  Jackson  Crumbaugh,  born  September  5,  1840,  lives 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  his  father. 

Allen  Montgomery  Crumbaugh,  born  December  12,  1842, 
died  in  1844. 

Lewis  Cass  Crumbaugh,  born  March  10,  1845,  lives  at  the 
homestead. 

Daniel  Crumbaugh. 

Daniel  Crumbaugh  was  born  December  7,  1791,  in  Frederick 
County,  Maryland.  His  father  and  mother  were  Germans,  his  father 
having  come  to  America  from  Germany  when  very  young.  Daniel 
received  a  little  schooling  there,  but  not  enough  to  hurt  him.  He 
used  to  assist  the  scholars  in  barring  out  the  schoolmaster  on 
Christmas  days.  At  one  time  they  compelled  the  teacher  to  give 
them  two  weeks'  vacation,  but  he  compelled  the  parents  to  pay 
him  for  these  two  weeks  as  if  school  had  been  in  session,  and 
some  of  the  scholars  came  pretty  near  "  catching  it"  from  their 
angry  fathers  in  consequence.  In  1812  Mr.  Crumbaugh  came 
west  to  Cincinnati,  and  from  there  went  to  Scott  County,  Ken- 
tucky.  In  1813  he  enlisted  in  the  army  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Richard  M.  Johnson  to  fight  against  the  British  and  In- 
dians.  He  went  first  to  Fort  Meigs  on  the  Miami  Rapids  above 
where  Toledo  now  stands,  where  General  Harrison  had  a  gam- 


m'lean  county.  551 

son.     From  there  they  went  to  Lower  Sandusky  on  Lake  Erie, 
then  back  home  to.  recruit  their  horses. 

They  were  then  sent  to  Kaskaskia,  Illinois.  This  town  was 
threatened  by  Indians,  and  it  seemed  that  the  place  which  was  af- 
terwards to  be  the  first  capital  of  the  Sucker  State  was  to  be  blot- 
ted out  entirely.  But  the  Indians  were  headed  off,  and  the  regi- 
ment to  which  Mr.  Crumbaugh  belonged  was  sent  back  to  Fort 
Meigs.  While  there  they  heard  the  roar  of  the  guns  during  the 
battle  when  Commodore  Perry  gained  his  celebrated  victory  over 
the  British  on  Lake  Erie.  Shortly  after  this  they  went  to  De- 
troit, crossed  over  to  Windsor  (then  called  Sandwich)  and  followed 
the  British  and  Indians  under  the  Command  of  General  Proctor 
and  the  chief  Tecumseh.  At  the  River  Thames  the  enemy  made 
a  stand  and  here  was  fought  the  battle  which  practically  closed 
the  contest  in  the  north.  The  enemy  was  completely  defeated, 
with  the  loss  of  baggage  and  eight  hundred  prisoners  and  a  large 
number  of  killed  and  wounded.  Tecumseh  was  among  the  slain. 
It  has  been  a  matter  of  speculation  as  to  who  killed  him.  Mr. 
Crumbaugh  can  shed  no  light  upon  it.  Col.  R.  M.  Johnson,  the 
commander  of  their  regiment,  was  wounded  five  times.  The 
muskets  used  by  the  Americans  in  this  battle  were  the  old  flint- 
locks, and  the  cartridges  contained  a  ball  and  two  buck-shot. 
The  regiment  opposed  to  the  one  in  which  Mr.  Crumbaugh  served 
was  the  Forty-fourth  Irish  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Baubee.  "When  the  battle  was  over,  the  company  to  which  Mr. 
Crumbaugh  belonged  was  sent  as  a  guard  for  General  Harrison 
and  the  captured  British  officers,  down  to  Lake  St.  Clair  where 
they  took  shipping  and  came  to  Detroit.  There  they  remained 
until  Harrison  made  a  treaty  with  some  tribes  of  Indians, 
and  then  returned  home  to  Georgetown,  Kentucky.  There  Mr. 
Crumbaugh  lived  a  rough-and-tumble  life  for  some  years.  In 
1828  he  moved  to  Elkhart  Grove  in  Sangamon  County,  and  on 
the  sixth  of  March,  1830,  he  came  to  Buckles'  Grove,  McLean 
County,  Illinois,  where  he  has  lived  ever  since.  He  was  obliged 
to  accustom  himself  to  the  western  climate  by  a  course  of  fever 
and  ague,  but  it  came  at  an  unfortunate  time.  During  the  win- 
ter of  1830  and  31,  which  was  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow,  he 
had  fever  and  ague  every  third  day  and  could  not  take  care  of  his 
stock.     He  had  eighty  pigs  at  home  and  one  hundred  and  fifty 


552  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

bushels  of  corn  at  the  Elkhart,  but  could  not  drive  his  pigs  there 
nor  bring  his  corn  home,  and  many  of  his  pigs  died.  But  he 
succeeded  in  keeping  his  other  stock  on  corn-fodder. 

Of  course  every  settler  has  an  individual  experience  to  relate 
of  the  cold  snap  in  the  winter  of  1836.  When  the  ground  was 
covered  with  a  slush  of  water  and  snow,  and  the  air  was  warm,  the 
freezing  wind  came  from  the  west  and  everything  was  made  solid 
immediately.  Mr.  Crumbaugh  says  that  Salt  Creek  was  frozen 
across  in  one  place  where  the  willows  were  thick.  The  cold  was 
so  intense  that  the  creek  was  frozen  to  the  bottom,  stopping  the 
flow  of  water  underneath.  It  then  dammed  up  and  began  to 
flow  over,  but  froze  as  it  ran,  and  the  dam  of  ice  grew  higher 
and  higher,  until  it  was  five  feet  above  the  level  of  the  creek. 

Mr.  Crunibaugh  has  had  great  difficulty  with  tire,  as  every  old 
settler  has.  The  grass  grew  taller  than  a  man's  head,  and  in  the 
fall  when  it  was  dry  the  fires  were  terrible.  Mr.  Crumbaugh  had 
a  litte  grove  of  cherry  trees  burned  up  by  the  fire.    ■ 

Daniel  Crumbaugh  is  six  feet  and  four  inches  in  height.  He 
has  worked  hard  during  his  life-time  and  has  fairly  earned  the 
home,  which  he  has  provided  for  his  family.  He  is  straightfor- 
ward and  honest  in  his  dealings  in  every  particular,  and  expects 
other  men  to  be  straightforward  and  honest  with  him.  He  has 
paid  close  attention  to  his  business  and  acquired  a  fair  compe- 
tence. He  has  been  twice  married  and  has  had  fourteen  children, 
ten  of  whom  are  now  living.  He  is  now  too  old  to  work,  but 
lives  a  contented  and  happy  life.  He  has  a  kind  heart  and  good 
judgment. 

Daniel  Crumbaugh  married,  in  1816,  Miss  Susan  Winters, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Winters,  of  Scott  County,  Kentucky.  By  this 
marriage  he  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living.  His 
children  are : 

William  Henry  Crumbaugh,  born  May  30, 1817,  lives  in  John- 
son County,  Missouri. 

John  Jacob  Crumbaugh,  born  January  19,  1819,  died  in  the 
Mexican  war  in  1847.     He  was  in  John  Moore's  regiment. 

Ann  Margaret  Crumbaugh,  born  December  2,  1820,  is  mar- 
ried to  Thomas  Wiley  and  lives  in  Moultrie  County,  Illinois, 

Susan  Jane  Crumbaugh,  born  July  19,  1823,  died  July  1, 
1824. 


m'lean  county.  553 

Mrs.  Crumbaugli  died  during  the  fall  of  1823. 

In  January,  1825,  Mr.  Crumbaugh  married  Miss  Martha  M. 
Robinson,  of  North  Carolina.  She  died  June  4, 1857.  The  chil- 
dren of  this  marriage  are  : 

Sarah  E.,  born  April  6,  182(3,  was  married  to  William  Craig, 
and  died  April  6,  1857. 

Mary  Catharine,  born  October  3,  1827,  is  married  to  Charles 
Cope  and  lives  two  miles    south  of  her  father's. 

Leonard  Alexander  Crumbaugh,  born  November  13,  1829, 
lives  two  miles  east  of  his  father's. 

James  T.  Crumbaugh,  born  January  24, 1832,  lives  three  miles 
miles  east  of  his  father's. 

Daniel  T.  Crumbaugh,  born  January  24,  1832,  (twin  brother 
of  James),  lives  two  miles  east  of  his  father's. 

Emily  Maria  Crumbaugh,  born  May  1,  1834,  lives  in  Johnson 
County,  Missouri. 

Francis  Marion  Crumbaugli,  born  January  6,  1837,  married 
Rebecca  Riddle,  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Mary  Riddle.  He  lives 
at  the  homestead. 

Caroline  T.  Crumbaugh,  born  July  14,  1839,  was  married  to 
Anthony  Rogers,  of  Johnson  County,  Missouri.  She  died  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1873. 

Martha  Gary  Crumbaugh,  wife  of  George  W.  Bartlett,  of 
Johnson  County,  Missouri,  was  born  November  3,  1841. 

Nancy  Turner  Crumbaugh,  wife  of  Anderson  McConnell, 
lives  one-half  of  a  mile  south  of  her  father's. 

Sinah  Guilford  Crumbaugh  was  born  June  4,  1848,  was  mar- 
ried to  William  Bartlett,  and  died  March  11,  1869. 

James  Henry  Lyon  Crumbaugh. 

James  H.  L.  Crumbaugh  was  born  May  1,  1826,  in  Hender- 
son County,  Kentucky.  His  father  was  Henry  Crumbaugh, 
whose  sketch  is  given  above,  and  his  mother  was  Sarah  Bal- 
dock.  His  father  was  of  German  descent,  and  his  mother  was  of 
French  and  Irish  stock.  When  James  Crumbaugh  was  two  years 
old  his  father  moved  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  afterwards  to 
Elkhart  Grove.  There  the  family  remained  two  years  and  then 
came  to  Buckles'  Grove,  where  they  have  lived  ever  since.  James 
Crumbaugh  received  his  early  education  at  the  Claywater  school, 


554  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

which  was  kept  about  one  mile  south  of  the  present  town  of 
Leroy.  He  went  four  miles  to  school  to  receive  instruction  from 
William  -Johnson,  who,  when  barred  out,  treated  his  scholars  to 
whisky  and  made  them  intoxicated.  Mr.  CrunibausHi  afterwards 
went  to  the  first  school  in  Leroy,  and  his  wife  attended  the  same. 
His  teacher  was  'Squire  Lincoln,  now  living  in  Leroy.  Mr. 
Crumbaugh  tells  an  incident  which  occurred  during  the  school 
days  of  Thomas  Buckles,  when  they  were  both  boys  together. 
Buckles  and  some  of  his  companions  caught  a  blue-racer,  tied  a 
strip  of  bark  around  its  neck,  and  proposed  to  lead  it.  At*  first 
the  snake  held  back ;  but  soon  it  took  a  start  and  went  after 
young  Buckles.  The  latter  ran  at  the  top  of  his  speed  to  get  rid 
of  the  snake,  and  was  clear  out  of  breath  before  it  occurred  to 
him  to  let  loose  of  the  bark. 

In  1840  Mr.  Crumbaugh  had  an  opportunit3'to  go  to  Chicago, 
which  was  then  a  town  of  thirty-five  hundred  people.  Old  Fort 
Dearborn,  the  block  house  and  the  palisades  were  still  standing. 

Mr.  Crumbaugh  went  on  his  first  wolf  hunt  when  he  was  only 
nine  years  of  age.  His  father  caught  wolves  in  a  pen  with  a  lid 
to  it.  "When  the  wolf  came  to  eat  the  bait  placed  there  for  him, 
it  touched  the  trigger,  which  let  down  the  log  and  held  him  in 
the  pen.  Mr.  Crumbaugh  has  often  chased  wolves  and  caught 
them.  When  they  are  chased  in  the  winter  time,  they  take  to 
the  ice  on  the  creeks  and  sloughs.  Mr.  Crumbaugh  has  seen  a 
wolf  follow  a  slough  in  all  its  angles  and  turns  and  get  quite 
away  from  the  dogs,  for  it  had  longer  claws  and  was  lighter 
built. 

Mr.  Crumbaugh  married  Amanda  Melcena  Buck,  September 
28,  1851.  She  is  a  daughter  of  'Squire  Hiram  Buck,  whose 
sketch  appears  in  this  volume.  She  was  a  school-mate  of  her 
husband  in  the  days  when  they  were  young.  After  their  mar- 
riage they  lived  with  Henry  Crumbaugh  until  1857,  when  they 
moved  to  the  farm  where  they  now  reside,  about  three  miles 
southwest  of  Leroy  in  Empire  township. 

Mr.  Crumbaugh  is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  high.  He  is  a  man 
of  great  energy  and  gets  up  bright  and  early  in  the  morning  to 
attend  to  his  business.  He  has  been  remarkably  successful  in 
life.  He  has  had  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  They 
are  : 


m'lean  county.  555 

Laura  Elizabeth,  born  August  2(5,  1852,  is  married  to  William 
Scott  Lafferty,  and  lives  in  Downs  township. 

Edith  May,  born  May  8,  1856,  and  Hiram  Henry,  born  .lune 
29,  1861,  live  at  home. 

Silas  Waters. 

Silas  Waters  was  born  November  19,  1803,  in  Stafford  Coun- 
ty, Virginia.  His  father,  whose  name  was  also  Silas  Waters,  was 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  was  born  in  Virginia.  The  maiden 
name  of  the  mother  of  Silas  Waters,  jr.,  was  Margaret  Duffy. 
She  was  born  in  Maryland  and  was  probably  of  Irish  descent. 
In  1814  the  family  moved  to  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky.  They 
went  to  Winchester,  then  came  down  the  river  in  a  flat-boat  to  a 
place  called  Maceville,  and  from  there  went  by  team  to  Bourbon 
County,  Kentucky.  Here  young  Silas  passed  his  days  pleasantly. 
He  had  great  sport  in  catching  shad,  herring  and  other  fish,  with 
which  the  waters  of  Kentucky  abound. 

On  the  12th  of  February,  1824,  Silas  Waters  married  Chris- 
tiana Conaway.  He  worked  hard  to  support  his  family  and  lived 
for  three  years  as  a  renter  under  slave-holding  landlords;  but  at 
last  determined  to  come  west.  He  went  first  to  Rush  County, 
Indiana,  where  he  remained  a  year.  In  June,  1828,  he  came  on 
horseback  to  Illinois  and  settled  near  Judsretown  in  Vermilion 
County.  But,  being  still  unsatisfied,  he  sold  out  in  1830,  and  on 
November  7th  of  that  year  came  to  Empire  township,  in  what  is 
now  McLean  County,  Illinois.  At  that  time  the  house  of  Wil- 
liam Bishop  was  the  only  one  between  Mr.  Waters'  and  Bloom- 
ing Grove  ;  and  on  the  road  to  Danville  were  only  four  houses. 
Deer,  wolves  and  Indians  were  plenty.  But  the  deep  snow  sent 
all  of  them  away,  except  the  wolves.  The  deer  were  frozen  to 
death,  and  the  Indians  left  because  of  the  scarcity  of  game  ;  but 
the  wolves  remained.  They  lived  through  the  winter  on  the 
frozen  deer;  but  when  the  deer  were  no  more,  the  wolves  ac- 
quired a  taste  for  mutton  and  seemed  to  relish  it  well. 

On  the  day  before  the  heavy  fall  of  snow  in  December,  1830, 
Mr.  Waters  went  to  the  old  Murphy  mill  on  thcKickapoo,  about 
fifteen  miles  from  home,  stayed  there  all  night  and  started  home 
the  following  morning  by  daybreak.  When  he  passed  the  house 
of  Jesse  Funk,  about  sunrise,  the  snow  began  to  fall.     When  he 


55B  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

had  gone  about  a  mile  and  a  half  farther,  he  thought  lie  would 
turn  back,  but  was  astonished  to  find  that  the  heavy  snow  covered 
up  the  track  behind  him.  He  had  no  road  or  compass  and  was 
obliged  to  direct  his  course  by  the  wind.  He  faced  the  storm  and 
struck  Buckles'  Grove  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  where  he 
wished,  and  arrived  home  in  safety.  The  snow  fell  thirty-three 
inches,  while  his  oxen  went  ten  miles  as  fast  as  they  could  be 
driven.  The  tall  weeds  were  covered  up,  and  as  the  eye  was  di- 
rected over  the  prairie,  absolutely  nothing  could  be  seen,  except 
the  white  snow. 

Mr.  Waters  had  no  particular  experience  during  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  He  went  to  Bloomingtoh  to  see  if  he  was  drafted, 
but  found  that  volunteers  sufficient  had  gone. 

Mr.  Waters  has  lived  in  Empire  township  ever  since  his  set- 
tlement  there,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  (1852-3)  which 
he  spent  in  Farmer  City  as  a  merchant. 

Mr.  Waters  first  married  Christiana  Conaway,  and  by  this 
marriage  had  six  children,  of  whom  four  are  living.     They  are  : 

Chalton  Differ  Waters,  born  June  2,  1826,  lives  on  the  home- 
stead farm,  one  mile  west  of  Leroy. 

John  Thomas  Waters,  born  August  22,  1827,  lives  one  and  a 
quarter  miles  northwest  of  Leroy. 

America  Waters,  born  November  9,  1828,  married  Andrew 
Cummings  of  Farmer  City. 

Nancy  Waters,  born  January  30,  1831,  married  first  Jeremiah 
Greenman,  and  sometime  after  his  death  was  married  to  Hamp- 
ton Roach.     She  lives  in  Normal,  and  is  a  second  time  a  widow. 

Sometime  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Waters,  Mr.  Waters  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Mary  Jane  Karr,  an  English  lady. 

Mr.  Waters  is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  and  rather 
stout  in  appearance.  He  seems  well-formed,  and  walks  erect. 
His  hair  is  gray  and  thick  on  his  head.  His  eyes  are  blue*,  and 
his  complexion  healthy  and  rather  sanguine.  He  is  very  much 
respected  by  his  neighbors.  He  thinks  much  of  the  old  settlers, 
and  would  now  prefer  to  live  in  a  new  country,  or,  at  all  events, 
would  like  the  manners  and  o-ood  feeling  of  a  new  countrv.  Mr. 
Waters  has  inherited  a  healthy  constitution,  as  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  that  all  of  his  eight  brothers  and  sisters,  who  crossed 
the  Alleo-henv  Mountains  in  1814,  are  living.     He  was  Associate 


m'lean  county.  557 

Judge  of  McLean  County,  while  .Judge  McClun  was  in  office. 
Mr.  Waters  lias  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  since 
1825,  and  has  held  nearly  every  position  in  the  church  which  is 
given  to  a  layman. 

James  Bishop. 

James  Bishop  was  born  in  Fauquier  County,  Virginia,  April 
3,  1806.  The  Bishops,  from  whom  he  was  descended,  came  to 
the  American  colonies  from  England  with  William  Penn.  They 
were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 

In  the  fall  of  1809  the  Bishop  family  moved  to  that  part  of 
the  territory  of  Ohio,  which  is  now  called  Clark  County.  During 
the  war  of  1812,  a  part  of  General  Shelby's  army  camped  near 
where  the  Bishops  lived.  All  of  the  boys  and  young  men  above 
the  age  of  fifteen  were  taken  into  the  army.  Only  a  few  children 
and  women  and  Revolutionary  soldiers  were  left  to  protect  the 
neighborhood.  When  the  war  broke  out,  many  persons  were 
suspicious  and  fearful  of  the  Indians  and  mistrusted  them.  A 
council  of  the  Indians  was  called,  to  which  the  whites  were  in- 
vited, but  many  were  afraid  to  attend.  Tecumseh,  the  great 
chief,  contemptuously  called  those  who  were  afraid,  "  big  babies," 
and  the  name  clung  to  them  for  many  years.  Tecumseh  was  a 
remarkably  fine-looking  man,  a  splendid  chief,  and  was  possessed 
of  a  great  deal  of  natural  dignity.  He  had  a  lively  sense  of  honor 
and  the  whites  had  great  confidence  in  his  word.  Some  of  the 
Indians  favored  the  whites  and  were  spies  for  them.  Among 
these  were  Logan,  Captain  John,  and  another  whose  name  Mr. 
Bishop  does  not  recall.  But  some  of  the  whites  were  afraid  that 
these  Indians  were  not  really  acting  in  good  faith,  so  the  latter 
determined  to  show  their  good  faith  by  bringing  in  some  scalps 
of  their  enemies.  They  went  out  on  an  expedition  for  this  pur- 
pose, but  unluckily  were  themselves  surprised  and  captured.  But 
when  captured,  they  pretended  friendship  to  the  opposite  party, 
and  were  allowed  the  use  of  their  weapons.  When  the  three 
captive  Indians  found  a  favorable  opportunity,  they  each  shot 
down  one  of  their  captors,  and  grasped  their  knives  and  rushed 
upon  three  others.  They  succeeded  in  killing  their  captors,  but 
Logan  was  so  badly  injured  that  after  his  return  he  died  of  his 
wounds.     Just  before  his  death  he  burst  out  laughing,  and,  when 


558  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

asked  the  reason,  said  he  remembered  the  fiu-ht  and  laughed  to 
see  Captain  John  ride  that  big  Indian. 

James  Bishop  went  to  school  in  Ohio.  There  he  assisted  in 
barring  out  the  schoolmaster  on  Christmas  days,  as  this  was  the 
common  practice.  At  one  time  they  barred  out  the  schoolmaster 
and,  after  a  long  and  severe  contest,  baptized  him  in  a  spring. 
The  schoolmaster  afterwards  brought  suit  and  recovered  ten  dol- 
lars apiece  from  four  of  the  boys,  who  took  a  prominent  part  in 
this  transaction.  At  one  time  they  had  a  schoolmaster  named 
Peleg  Whitridge,  who  rather  got  the  start  of  them.  lie  elimbed 
on  the  roof,  covered  the  chimney  and  smoked  out  the  scholars. 
After  that  they  provided  themselves  with  poles  to  push  off  the 
obstruction,  when  the  schoolmaster  covered  the  chimney. 

James  Bishop  came  West  in  May,  1831,  the  spring  after  the 
deep  snow.  He  came  first  to  Lafayette,  Indiana,  then  went  to 
Fort  Clark  (now  Peoria)  and  to  Pekin,  then  down  to  the  Missis- 
sippi bottom,  where  he  bought  cattle,  and  finally  returned  to 
Ohio.  He  came  back  every  year  until  1837,  when  he  was  mar- 
ried, and  that,  of  course,  settled  him. 

Mr.  Bishop  has  often  had  wolf  hunts.  At  one  time  he  ran 
down  a  wolf  and  tried  to  capture  it  alive  as  it  held  down  its  head 
so  piteously  ;  but  when  he  tried  to  take  hold  of  it  the  treacherous 
animal  sprang  at  him  and  attempted  to  bite.  Mr.  Bishop  killed 
it  with  his  stirrup,  and  never  again  felt  merciful  towards  a  wolf. 
The  fountains  of  his  sympathy  ran  completely  dry.  He  had 
great  difficulty  in  protecting  his  little  pigs  from  the  wolves.  The 
latter  would  come  up  and  steal  the  pigs,  even  though  the  pen  was 
fairlv  against  the  house. 

One  morning,  when  about  to  rise,  he  heard  an  ominous  squeal, 
and  he  knew  what  it  meant.  He  ran  out  without  waging  to 
dress,  and  saw  a  vicious  wolf  dragging  off  one  of  his  darling 
pigs  by  the  ear.  He  prided  himself  on  his  speed  as  a  foot-racer, 
and  he  went  after  that  wolf  across  the  field,  through  the  corn- 
stalks and  over  a  fence.  When  the  wolf  came  to  the  second 
fence,  it  saw  that  Mr.  Bishop,  seantily  dressed  as  he  was,  traveled 
rather  too  swiftly,  and  it  dropped  the  pig,  which  Mr.  Bishop  ear- 
ned home  in  triumph.  When  the  race  was  ended  Mr.  Bishop 
noticed  for  the  first  time  that  the  rough  cornstalks  had  bruised 
the  cuticle  on  his  le°-s  so  much  that  the  blood  was  streaming 


m'lean  county.  0.39 

down:  but  his  joy  at  the  recovery  of  the  pig  was  so  great  that 
he  eared  little  for  bruises.      The   settlors  all   over  the  country 
were   annoyed  very  much   by  this  same   troublesome  wolf,  and 
were  anxious  to  catch  him.     Joshua  Hale  had  a  large  dog,  called 
Rover,  big  enough  to  pick  up  a  wolf  and  run  off  with  it.     Joshua 
was   always    bragging   of  his  dog.  and   said  if  only  Rover   could 
"•ct  hold  of  that  wolf,  it  would  be  the  last   of  him.     The  settlers 
all  turned  out  on  horseback  to  hunt  the  troublesome  wolf,  and 
finally  cornered  him   in   a   fence  and  sent  one  of  their  number 
for  .Joshua  Hale  and  Hover.     The  dog  came  up   on  the  opposite 
side;  the  settlers  let  out  the  wolf  and  Hale   said:  "Seek  him, 
Rover  !"  and  it  would  be   supposed  that  Rover  killed  that  wolf 
in  fine  style.     Nothing  of  the  kind;  the  big  dog  put  his  tail  be- 
tween his  legs  and  ran  for  home  with  the  little  wolf  after  him,  and 
the  disappointed  settlers  after  them  both ;  the  big  dog  ran  into 
the  house  and  upset  the  baby's  cradle,  but  the  wolf  ran  past  the 
door  into  the  brush  and  escaped.       Then   those    settlers    were 
"wrathy,"  and  were  going  to  kill  the  dog  then  and  there;  but 
Joshua  Hale  turned  towards  them,  and  his  eyes  were  filled  with 
tears  as  he  puckered  up  his  mouth  and  said:  "Boys,  Rover  never 
saw  a  wolf  before.     Now,  'spose  you  was  in  an  Injin  country  and 
had  never  seen  an  Injin  before,  and  should  suddenly  see  an  Injin 
coming  at  you  for  the  first  time,  wouldn't  you   run  to  a  place  of 
safely,  wher'  you  know'd  you'd  be  safe?"     It  was  impossible  to 
resist  such   a  plea,   and  the  hunters  agreed  that  under  such  cir- 
cumstances they   would  "run   to  a  place  of  safety,  wher'  they 
know'd  they'd  be  safe." 

The  settlers  often  had  difficulty  with  prairie  fires.  At  one 
time  James  Bishop  and  his  brother  Malon  were  obliged  to  get 
into  a  creek  to  escape  from  a  fire  that  came  rolling  over  the 
prairie.  At  another  time  he  was  driving  some  cattle  across  the 
prairie  when  a  fire  overtook  him.  He  drove  his  horse  directly 
through  it,  and  came  out  safe,  though  somewmat  burnt.  His  cat- 
tle tried  to  run  away  from  the  tire,  but  it  swept  over  them  and 
left  them  scattered  and  crazy,  with  their  eyebrows  and  hair  and 
the  brushes  of  their  tails  burnt  off.  He  collected  them  together, 
and  none  wTere  lost. 

The  town  of  Leroy  was  laid  out  by  Samuel  Hurley  and  Mer- 
ritt  Covel.     They  wished  to  lav  it  out  at  Ruckles'  Grove  on  land 


560  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

belonging*  to  James  Bishop,  but  Malon  Bishop  opposed  it,  and 
said  he  did  not  wish  to  live  in  a  town,  and  it  was  finally  located 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  grove. 

A  great  many  funny  stories  are  told  of  James  Bishop,  and 
one  of  the  best  is  a  story  relating  to  a  vicious  bull.  While  taking 
items  for  the  sketches  in  this  volume,  the  author  was  repeatedly 
asked  if  he  had  heard  this  famous  story,  and  it  was  told  with 
many  variations.  It  seems  that  Mr.  Bishop  once  purchased  a 
tine  bull  and  put  it  in  his  pasture.  It  was  a  very  tame,  inoffen- 
sive animal ;  but  some  ill-disposed  persons  were  accustomed  to 
tease  it,  and  it  became  vicious  aiuFdangerous,  and  Mr.  Bishop's 
men  were  afraid  to  enter  the  pasture  and  bring  up  his  cows. 
This  made  Mr.  Bishop  angry,  and  he  protested  that  the  animal 
was  perfectly  inoffensive.  His  men  told  him  to  try  the  animal 
himself,  and  he  said :  "come  on."  He  walked  into  the  pasture, 
while  the  men  stood  outside  to  see  the  fun.  He  walked  up  to  the 
animal  boldly  and  confidently,  but,  contrary  to  his  expectations, 
when  it  saw  him  it  elevated  its  tail,  put  down  its  head,  uttered  a 
bellow  and  started  for  him.  He  was  too  close  to  retreat,  so  he 
set  up  a  bellow,  which  perfectly  astonished  the  bull.  It  stopped, 
looked  around,  pawed  the  ground  and  appeared  bewildered.  At 
last,  by  a  sudden  flank  movement,  Bishop  managed  to  get  the 
animal  by  the  tail,  and  it  started  to  run.  They  went  back  and 
forth  across  the  pasture,  crosswise,  lengthwise  and  cornenvise, 
while  the  men  outside  gave  both  parties  encouraging  words.  The 
fierce  animal  at  last  became  exhausted  and  gave  up  ;  and  that  is 
the  story  of  Bishop  and  the  bull. 

James  Bishop  is  a  little  less  than  the  medium  stature.  His 
eyes  are  small,  dark  and  expressive  of  fun.  Humorous  ideas 
come  to  him  as  naturally  as  his  breath.  He  is  slightly  bent  with 
age,  but  tough  and  hardy.  He  is  lightly  built,  but  very  sinewy, 
and  wonderfully  quick.  He  seems  at  times  careless  and  uncon- 
scious of  danger,  but  whenever  he  gets  into  difficulty  his  resolu- 
tion and  his  marvelously  quick  motions  bring  him  safely  out. 
He  has  accumulated  a  fortune  by  farming  and  buying  and  selling 
cattle,  and  is  reputed  the  wealthiest  man  in  Empire  township. 

James  Bishop  married  Margaret  Cannaday,  March  9,  1837. 
He  has  had  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.     They  are  : 

Caroline,  born  June  26,  1838,  wife  of  Thomas  Campbell,  of 
Old  Town  timber. 


M'LEAN    COUNTY.  501 

John  Allen  Bishop,  born  May  3,  1840,  lives  one  half  a  mile 
west  of  his  father's. 

Emily,  born  August  30, 1843,  is  the  widow  of  William  Evans. 

Rachel,  wife  of  Nathaniel  Beckman,  was  born  May  23,  1846, 
and  lives  four  miles  southeast  of  her  father's. 

James  Quitman  Bishop  is  married  and  lives  at  home.  He 
was  born  November  24,  1848,  the  day  when  General  Scott  took 
the  City  of  Mexico  and  made  General  Quitman  the  Governor 
therof. 

Thomas  Jefferson  Barnett. 

T.  J.  Barnett  was  born  January  22, 1818,  in  Bourbon  County, 
Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  Moses  Barnett,  and  his  moth- 
er's name  before  her  marriage  was  Catherine  Ellis.  His  parents 
were  of  English  and  German  descent. 

In  April,  1832,  the  family  came  to  Illinois.  They  came  by 
steamboat  from  Maysville  down  the  Ohio  River  and  up  the  Wa- 
bash to  Filson's,  near  the  town  of  Newport,  Indiana.  There  the 
famDy  were  met  by  an  elder  brother  of  T.  J.  Barnett,  and  were 
transported  by  an  ox-team  to  McLean  County,  Illinois,  to  the 
present  township  of  Empire,  within  two  miles  of  where  Leroy 
now  stands. 

Mr.  Barnett  there  worked  as  a  farmer,  at  which  he  continued 
until  1852,  when  he  went  into  mercantile  business.  He  has  been 
a  merchant  ever  since  and  has  succeeded  well. 

Mr.  Barnett  drove  stock  to  Chicago,  when  that  city  was  sim- 
ply a  trading  post  of  French  and  Indians.  He  has  also  driven 
stock  to  Wisconsin.  He  was  in  Chicago  when  the  Indians'were 
paid  off,  and  there  saw  great  quantities  of  hard  money.  The  Indi- 
ans seemed  to  be  very  careless  with  their  money,  and  one  of  them 
carried  around  a  pail-full  as  indifferently  as  if  it  were  molasses. 
Mr.  Barnett  found  quite  a  number  of  coins  in  the  sand.  The 
Indians  were  many  of  them  intoxicated,  as  they  usually  are,  when 
they  can  obtain  "  fire  water."  One  of  the  party,  with  whom  Mr. 
Barnett  was  walking,  placed  a  barrel  over  an  intoxicated  squaw, 
who  was  sitting  in  the  sand.  She  appreciated  the  favor  and  said 
"  good  chemokoman"  (good  whiteman).  She  wanted  i  o  enjoy 
her  goodnatos  (whisky)  in  peace.  Mr.  Barnett  went  out  on  Fox 
River  and  broke  prairie  for  the  emigrants  as  they  came  in.  There 
36 


562  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

he  saw  many  Indians,  and  his  opinion  of  them  was  not  favorable. 
He  did  not  feel  the  charm  of  romance   coming  over  him,  as  lie 
gazed  upon  the  "children   of  the  forest;"  on  the  contrary,  he 
considered  them  a  "  dirty,  nasty  set,"  who  never  invested  money 
in  boot-blacking  or  toilet  soap.     They  are  incorrigibly  lazy,  but 
can  hunt  *and  fish  and  have  some  very  pretty  ponies.     But  that 
which  provoked  Mr.  Barnett  most  particularly  was  the   disposi- 
tion of  the  Indians  to  steal.     When  Mr.  Barnett  went  up  to  Fox 
River,  the  party,  in  whose  company  he  traveled,  crossed  the  Illi- 
nois River  on  a  ferry-boat.     When  a  part  of  their  teams  were 
across,  the  remainder  stood  unprotected  on  the  southern  bank 
waiting  for  the  return  of  the  boat.     While  the  teams  were  stand- 
in  o-  unprotected,  the  Indians  came  up  and  took  out  of  the  wagons 
a  lot  of  bacon  and  provisions,  before  the  eyes  of  the  angry  drivers 
on  the  opposite  bank.     The  redskins   ran  off  with  their  plunder, 
and  it  was  of  no  use  to  chase  them.     He  remembers  one  other 
provoking  incident.     While  he  was  ploughing  on  Fox  River, 
some  Indians  came  to  him,  riding  their  ponies  on  the  keen  run, 
and  whooping  with  their  loudest  voices.     They  frightened  his 
oxen  out  of  the  furrow,  and  this  so  angered  him  that  he  hit  one 
of  them  on  the  bare  back  with  his  ox- whip,  with  such  force  that  it 
brought  the  blood,  and  they  left  him.     Mr.  Barnett  often  visited 
the  Indians  and  saw  their  curious  performances.    Their  wigwams 
were  thick  on  Fox  River,  after  the  Indians  had  left  the  other  parts 
of  the  State.     He  saw  one  tribe  (the  Kickapoos,  he  thinks)  bury 
a  corpse  and  go  through  the    ceremony  of  whipping  a  ball  in 
various  directions.     This  was  called  whipping  the  devil  away. 
Mr.  Barnett   sometimes  ran  races  with  the  Indians,  but  was  un- 
fortunately beaten.     This,  however,  was  not  the    cause   of  his 
aversion  to  the  redskins. 

Mr.  Barnett  remembers  clearly  the  first  deer  he  ever  killed, 
as  most  hunters  do.  He  borrowed  a  gun  of  his  uncle  and  walked 
five  miles  to  get  it.  His  uncle  directed  him  to  shoot  the  deer 
just  behind  the  shoulders.  While  hunting  through  the  woods  a 
large,  tine  buck  jumped  up  and  stood  within  fifty  or  sixty  steps 
in  front  of  him.  He  carefully  took  a  rest  on  a  large  log,  took 
ain  i  1  K'hind  the  shoulder  and  fired.  The  deer  went  tearing  through 
the  brush  with  the  blood  flowing  on  both  sides.  After  running 
a  short  distance   it   fell,  and   the    youthful  hunter   took  out   his 


m'lean  county.  563 

butcher-knife  to  bleed  it,  when  he  saw  that  the  bullet  had  cut  the 
deer's  throat,  passing  through  both  veins.  In  taking  aim  he  had 
been  affected  with  the  "  buck  ague,"  but  his  wild  aim  was  better 
than  the  one  he  intended.  lie  never  again  had  the  "  buck  ague." 
Mr.  Barnett  has  had  great  sport  in  chasing  wolves  and  hunting- 
turkeys,  lie  chased  •one  wolf  twenty  miles.  He  hunted  deer 
with  ahorse,  sharp  shod,  upon  the  ice,  after  the  sudden  change, 
which  occurred  in  December,  1836.  When  the  deer  sprang  upon 
the  ice,  their  feet  slipped  from  under  them  and  stretched  out  in 
all  directions. 

Mr.  Harnett  took  some  observations  concerning  the  price 
of  land,  and  says  that  before  the  land  came  into  market  the  claims 
would  frequently  sell  for  more  than  the  land  would  bring  after  it 
was  pre-empted. 

Mr.  Barnett  appreciates  a  joke,  and  particularly  enjoys  one  on 
James  Bishop.  He  says  that  Mr.  Bishop  was  occasionally  a  little 
absent  minded.  The  latter  once  attended  a  dance  and  neglected 
to  remove  the  enormous  spurs,  which  he  had  worn  while  driving- 
cattle,  and  they  created  much  merriment  as  he  went  hopping  over 
the  floor.  He  says  that  Mr.  Bishop  was  afflicted  with  a  slight 
impediment  in  his  speech,  and  that  he  once  met  a  stranger,  simi- 
larly affected,  who  was  riding  on  a  load  of  corn.  Mr.  Bishop 
wished  to  buy  cattle,  and,  in  their  conversation,  each  thought 
himself  mimicked  by  the  other  and  they  came  to  blows  ! 

Mr.  Barnett  is  rather  above  the  average  stature  and  somewhat 
slim.  His  countenance  is  rather  pale,  but  is  full  of  intelligence. 
His  features  are  prominent,  and  his  general  appearance  is  that  of 
a  successful  merchant.  He  has  the  reputation  of  being  a  most 
excellent  man  of  business,  and  seems  to  understand  it  thoroughly. 
He  is  a  man,  who  prefers  not  to  interfere  in  the  affairs  of  his 
neighbors,  thinking  his  own  business  sufficient  to  occupy  his 
attention.  In  politics  he  was  an  "  old  line"  Whig,  and  after- 
wards a  Republican,  and  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest  in 
such  matters,  though  lie  has  never  held  an  office  or  been  a  seeker 
for  one. 

Mr.  Barnett  married,  February  18, 1845,  Miss  Emeline  Gibbs. 
This  lady  is  a  graduate  from  Oberlin  College.  They  have  had 
six  children,  five  of  whom  are  living.     They  are  : 


564  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Alice,  wife  of  John  S.  Young,  born  August  19,  1846,  lives  at 
Leroy. 

Emma,  wife  of  Denton  Young,  born  July  1,  1848,  lives  at 
Leroy. 

Orwin  Barnett,  born  June  21,  1851,  died  December,  30,  1852. 

Orrin  Barnett,  born  October  13,  1853,  Jives  at  home.  He  is 
a  remarkably  fine  musician. 

Lewra  Barnett,  born  May  16,  1856,  is  married  to  William 
Brown,  and  lives  at  Lerov. 

George  Barnett,  born  July  17,  1858,  lives  at  home. 

Abeam  Buckles. 

Abram  Buckles  was  born  June  28,  1800,  in  Holston  County, 
Virginia.  He  was  one  of  eleven  children,  having  seven  brothers 
and  three  sisters.  His  father  was  raised  in  Virginia.  They 
moved  to  White  County,  Elinois,  in  about  the  year  1810.  When 
they  started  on  their  journey,  they  went  first  to  the  Clinch  River 
fifty  or  sixty  miles  distant,  and  there  took  a  keel-boat,  Mr. 
Buckles,  sr.,  who  was  an  old  boatman,  acting  as  his  own  pilot. 
They  came  down  the  Tennessee,  into  which  the  Clinch  River 
flows,  and  over  the  Muscle  Shoals.  It  was  the  custom  to  employ 
the  Indians  as  pilots  over  these  shoals,  but  Mr.  Buckles  employed 
himself.  They  came  up  the  Ohio  River  and  the  Wabash  to  what 
is  now  White  County.  Here  they  found  a  pretty  good  country 
for  farming ;  but  the  fever  and  ague  lurked  behind  every  stump, 
and  it  recpiired  three  years  to  become  seasoned  to  the  climate. 
Mr.  Buckles  was  so  discouraged  that  he  sold  out  everything  and 
started  to  return  to  Virginia,  but  after  going  fifteen  miles  through 
Indiana  he  stopped,  changed  his  mind,  went  to  work  for  a  man 
named  Livingston,  raised  a  crop,  and  in  the  fall  returned  to 
White  County,  Illinois. 

During  the  war  of  1812,  the  settlers  felt  themselves  in  a  dan- 
gerous situation  on  the  frontier,  and  much  of  the  time  were  col- 
lected in  forts.  Abram  Buckles  helped  to  build  a  fort  in  White 
County,  and  the  family  sometimes  lived  in  it  when  signs  of  Indi- 
ans became  alarming.  Mr.  Buckles,  sr.,  belonged  to  the  rangers. 
From  sixty  to  a  hundred  scouts  were  kept  out  all  the  time. 
Abram  Buckles,  then  a  lad,  clearly  remembers  the  gathering  of 
the  Indians  as  they  passed  by  on  their  way  to  Tippecanoe.     They 


m'lean  county.  565 

then  professed  warm  friendship  for  the  whites,  and  did  not 
attempt  to  molest  the  settlers.  One  of  the  squaws  cured  Mr. 
Buckles,  sr.,  of  rheumatism  in  the  arm,  and  it  was,  indeed,  a 
veiy  remarkable  cure,  though  it  required  six  days  to  bring  it 
about.  The  Indians  passed  on  to  Tippecanoe,  and  there  their 
professions  of  friendship  were  changed  into  active  hostilities. 
The  battle  began  at  daybreak,  and  was  fought  with  the  greatest 
fury ;  but  the  Indians  were  at  last  defeated,  and  this  broke  their 
power  during  the  remainder  of  the  contest.  It  was  the  successful 
management  of  the  forces  of  the  whites  in  this  battle,  which  made 
General  Harrison  president  of  the  United  States. 

In  1819,  Mr.  Buckles  married  Miss  Mary  Williams.     He  has 
five  sons  and  five  daughters  living. 

In  1832  he  came  with  his  family  to  Buckles'  Grove.  His 
experience  in  the  West  has  been  somewhat  varied.  He  has  occa- 
sionally done  a  little  hunting,  as  all  the  old  settlers  have.  He  has 
had  some  fun  while  chasino-  wolves  and  running  them  down. 
This  sport  is  not  at  all  dangerous  on  account  of  the  wolves,  but 
in  the  excitement  the  horses  were  sometimes  liable  to  stumble 
and  fall.  The  wolves,  when  caught,  were  usually  killed  with  a 
stirrup.  He  chased  one  wolf  fifteen  miles  before  catching  it. ' 
Abram  Buckles  may  almost  be  said  to  have  inherited  a  love  for 
hunting  wolves.  His  father  hunted  them  in  Virginia.  At  one 
time  the  old  gentleman  caught  a  wolf  in  a  pen  and  put  a  bell 
around  its  neck,  in  order  that  people  might  know  when  wolves 
were  around.  The  wolf  cautiously  kept  still,  in  the  daytime,  but 
at  night  his  bell  was  often  heard.  Nevertheless,  this  did  not  pre- 
vent the  ravages  of  the  wolves  among  the  sheep  and  pigs ;  the 
latter  disappeared  quite  as  often  as  before,  and  the  next  time  the 
wolf  fell  into  the  trap  he  was  killed. 

Mr.  Buckles  has  often  had  trouble  with  prairie  fires  which 
burned  stacks  and  fences.  His  brother  Peter  once  had  a  lively 
time  while  crossing  the  prairie  with  an  ox-team  and  wagon,  in 
which  was  his  wife.  He  saw  the  blaze  coining  at  a  great  distance, 
and  immediately  jumped  from  his  wagon  and  fired  his  gun 
through  the  dry  grass.  It  blazed  up  quickly  and  soon  a  burnt 
place  was  made  upon  which  he  drove  his  oxen,  and  he  managed 
to  hold  them  until  the  fire  passed  on.  The  heat  was  terrible,  and 
seemed  almost  unbearable,  for  the  hot  air  passes  ahead  of  the  fire 


566  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

for  sonic  distance.  His  wife  covered  herself  up  in  the  blankets 
and  suffered  little.  Ahram  Buckles  tells  of  a  party  of  bee-hunters 
who  came  up  from  Sangamon  County  in  search  of  honey.  Thev 
were  quite  successful  and  started  on  their  return.  When  they 
had  gone  a  few  miles  south  of  where  Bloomington  now  stands, 
one  of  the  hunters  started  a  fire  for  the  fun  of  seeing  it  burn.  It 
came  on  them  closer  and  closer,  until  thev  started  up  their  team  ; 
then  it  went  faster  and  faster,  until  they  jumped  from  the  wagon 
into  the  creek  to  save  themselves.  Their  wagon  and  load  of 
honey  were  burnt;  and  this  was  the  result  of  building  a  fire  "for 
the  fun  of  it." 

Mr.  Buckles' experience  with  the  sudden  change  in  the  weather 
in  December,  1836,  is  this.  He  was  husking  corn  about  a  mile 
from  the  house  on  that  mild  winter's  day,  when  the  ground  was 
covered  with  water  and  snow.  The  west  wind  came,  and  he 
hastened  home,  but  long  before  he  arrived  there  the  frozen  slush 
bore  his  weight.  He  tells  of  a  terrible  event  connected  with  this 
sudden  change.  A  man,  whose  name,  he  thinks,  was  McHildreth, 
and  his  companion,  were  returning  on  horseback  from  the  East, 
where  thev  had  been  selling  cattle,  and  were  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  Little  Vermilion  Creek,  when  the  west  wind  struck  them. 
Thev  hastened  to  the  creek,  but  it  was  high  and  filled  with 
moving  ice.  The  nearest  dwelling  on  their  side  of  the  creek  was 
twelve  miles  distant,  and  thev  had  their  choice  to  wait  for  the 
creek  to  freeze  over  or  ride  twelve  miles.  On  the  opposite  side 
thev  asked  a  man  to  cut  down  a  tree  to  let  them  across,  but  he 
refused,  because  of  the  cold,  or  in  order  to  get  their  money  when 
they  should  freeze.  He  directed  them  to  a  grove  about  four  miles 
distant,  where  he  said  they  would  find  a  house,  but  no  house  was 
there.  At  last  they  determined  to  kill  their  horses,  cut  them 
open,  crawl  into  them  and  keep  warm.  Mr.  McHildreth  struck 
at  his  horse's  throat  with  his  knife,  but  the  animal  drew  up 
quickly,  jerked  away  and  disappeared.  His  companion  killed  the 
other  horse,  cut  it  open  and  crawled  in,  but  instead  of  keeping 
warm  was  frozen  to  death.  Mr.  McHildreth  remained  by  the 
creek  until  it  was  frozen  over,  when  he  crossed  it  and  found 
assistance,  but  his  hands  and  feet  were  frozen,  and  his  fingers  and 
toes  afterwards  dropped  off.  We  have  heard  this  incident  related 
by  several  other  settlers. 


m'lean  county.  567 

The  stories  and  incidents  related  of  this  sndden  change  are 

never  ending,  and  are  more  curious  and   strange   even  than  those 
of  the  deep  snow. 

Mr.  Buckles  attended  the  land  sales  in  1835,  at  Vandalia.  At 
these  sales  no  speculator  was  allowed  to  come  near,  until  the 
settlers  had  attended  to  their  claims  and  bid  off  their  lands. 

The  first  camp-meeting  in  Empire  township  was  held  in  1835 
or  '36,  on  Diekerson's  farm,  about  a  mile  from  where  Leroy  now 
is.  Mr.  Buckles  was  absent  at  the  time,  but  his  recollection  of 
the  matter  is  made  lively  by  the  fact  that  his  oxen  were  taken  to 
haul  wood,  and  in  felling  a  tree  one  of  them  was  killed. 

Mr.  Buckles  lias  taken  some  interest  in  politics,  has  always 
been  a  Democrat,  and  kept  himself  informed  on  the  current  topics 
of  the  day.  lie  says  that  one  of  the  most  exciting  questions  of 
old  days  was  the  one  relating  to  the  Mormons.  The  excitement 
was  highest  in  1841,  '42  and  '43.  The  Mormons  sent  out  preachers 
to  make  converts,  and  the  people  could  examine  into  the  beauties 
of  the  Mormon  faith.  Mr.  Buckles  listened  to  one  preacher, 
who  told  of  a  terrible  contest  which  would  one  day  come,  but 
was  very  indefinite  as  to  the  nature  of  the  grand  affair,  or  who 
the  parties  to  it  were ;  nevertheless,  lie  was  successful  in  making 
an  impression  on  some  ignorant  people. 

Abram  Buckles  is  rather  a  tall  man  and  quite  fleshy.  He 
always  wears  a  smile,  and  is  ever  ready  with  an  old-fashioned 
welcome.  He  is  a  very  quiet  man,  but  decided  in  his  views.  His 
disposition  is  pretty  well  shown  by  a  circumstance  which  hap- 
pened during  the  late  campaign,  when  Horace  Greeley  and  Gene- 
ral Grant  were  candidates  for  the  presidency.  Mr.  Buckles' 
friends  wished  him  to  go  for  Mr.  Greeley,  and  reasoned  the  mat- 
ter again  and  again.  At  one  time  two  gentlemen,  who  were 
particularly  enthusiastic,  talked  to  Mr.  Buckles  for  an  hour  or 
more,  and  explained  to  him  the  whole  situation.  He  listened  to 
them  without  a  word  of  opposition,  and  with  a  kind  smile  on  his 
countenance,  and  finally  they  asked  him  if  the  matter  was  not 
plain.  "Yes,"  said  Mr.  Buckles,  "  it  is  plain  that  he  is  the  same 
old  Horace  !" 


568  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


James  Kimler. 

James  Kimler  was  born  August  16, 1811,  in  Loudon  County, 
Virginia.  He  is  of  German  and  Welch  descent.  In  1813  the 
family  went  to  Kentucky,  and  in  1823  they  came  to  Crawfords- 
ville,  Montgomery  County,  Indiana.  During  the  year  previous 
he  went  with  his  father  on  a  visit  to  Indiana,  and  in  1823  the 
family  moved  there  to  settle.  In  those  days  the  militia  were 
obliged  to  turn  out  to  muster.  James  Kimler  remembers  one 
circumstance,  which  happened  when  his  brother  Richard  was 
riding  to  muster  on  a  fractious  horse.  Just  before  reaching  a 
creek,  the  party  with  whom  he  was  riding  began  to  beat  the 
drum  and  make  music,  and  Richard's  horse  took  fright  and 
pitched  the  young  man  into  the  creek. 

At  that  time  a  wild  root,  called  ginseng,  was  in  great  de- 
mand, and  people  hunted  for  it  through  the  woods,  and  many 
made  their  living  by  digging  it.  It  was  very  useful  for  medical 
purposes.  On  Deer  Creek,  about  fifty  miles  from  Crawfords- 
ville,  was  a  ginseng  factory  for  drying  and  preparing  this  root 
for  use.  It  was  bought  at  the  factory  for  six  cents  per  pound. 
At  one  time  Mr.  Kimler  went  on  an  expedition  for  hunting  gin- 
seng. The  party  went  up  to  nearly  the  mouth  of  Eel  River, 
which  was  then  a  wild  Indian  country.  Many  curious  incidents 
occurred  on  their  journey.  They  started  about  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember, and  went  to  Wildcat  Creek.  There  they  found  a  fish 
trap,  where  a  wagon-load  of  fish  was  caught  in  a  single  night.  m 
This  trap  was  arranged  at  the  fall  of  the  stream,  and  when  the 
fish  went  over  the  fall  they  could  not  return ;  neither  could  they 
go  forward,  for  some  stakes  were  placed  below  to  stop  them, 
though  the  water  flowed  through.  The  party  went  up  to  the 
Wabash.  One  evening  when  they  went  to  water  their  horses, 
they  began  to  sink  in  quicksand.  All  turned  around  and  went 
out  except  an  uncle  of  James'.  The  old  gentleman  was  deeply 
in  the  quicksand,  and  saw  that  an  attempt  to  turn  around  would 
sink  his  horse  so  deep  as  to  make  it  impossible  to  get  out.  He 
therefore  went  ahead  into  the  river,  and  his  horse  swam  around 
in  the  water  and  came  back  safely.  The  old  gentleman  could 
not  swim,  but  said  he  knew  "Old  Charley"  would  bring  him 
out.     The  party  went  up  near  the  battle  ground  of  Tippecanoe 


m'lean  county.  569 

and  visited  the  graves  of  the  dead,  and  then   came  home  with 
very  little  ginseng,  but  with  some  experience. 

The  Kimler  family  came  to  Bloomington,  McLean  County, 
Illinois,  during  the  winter  of  1832.  In  1833  James  was  advised 
by  his  uncle  to  enter  the  little  grove  where  Thomas  Orendorff 
now  lives,  but  James  had  an  idea  that  all  the  fine  land  and  pretty 
spots  had  been  entered  before,  and  he  therefore  started  with 
James  K.,  Benjamin  and  Alfred  Orendorff  to  Milwaukee,  Wis- 
consin. There  he  did  pretty  well,  and  took  up  some  valuable 
claims.  They  started  on  this  trip  in  January,  1836,  when  the 
weather  was  extremely  cold.  Towards  evening  of  the  second  day's 
travel  they  sent  James  Orendorff  ahead  with  their  only  horse  to  a 
house  to  order  supper.  When  they  came  to  the  house  they  found 
Orendorff  fencing  up  the  road.  He  said  nobody  lived  there  and 
no  road  should  lead  there !  When  they  reached  Chicago  they 
tried  to  buy  each  of  them  a  blanket,  but  not  one  was  to  be 
found.  The  place  was  too  poor  to  afford  even  a  blanket.  They 
suffered  much  with  cold,  but  went  on  to  Milwaukee  and  there 
lived  through  the  remainder  of  the  winter  with  the  brother  of 
Alfred  Orendorff.  In  the  spring  they  found  half  a  dozen  bee- 
trees,  out  of  which  they  obtained  a  barrel  of  strained  honey,  and 
lived  sweetly  during  the  remainder  of  their  stay  in  Wisconsin. 
In  May  of  that  spring  a  man  named  Finch  was  burning  lime 
near  Milwaukee.  It  was  made  of  blue  limestone,  which  cracks 
when  burnt  and  makes  reports,  which  sound  like  the  firing  of 
guns.  About  this  time  a  certain  Mr.  Scott  killed  an  Indian  in 
the  streets  in  Milwaukee,  and  great  fear  was  apprehended  lest 
the  Indians  should  attack  the  place.  The  three  bachelors  were 
waked  up  on  one  Sunday  morning  by  a  loud  popping  and 
thought  the  Indians  were  making  the  attack,  but  the  sounds 
proved  to  be  the  explosions  at  Finch's  lime-kiln. 

In  the  summer  William  Orendorff  came  up  from  Blooming- 
ton  to  make  his  sons  a  visit  and  to  look  at  the  country.  The 
whole  party  then  started  on  an  excursion  westward,  intending  to 
go  as  far  as  Rock  River.  They  camped  one  night  on  the  Mc- 
Quonego  River,  not  far  from  where  a  certain  Mr.  Cox  lived. 
During  one  moonlight  night  they  were  awakened  by  a  great  up- 
roar under  the  wagon,  and  found  it  was  a  gray  wolf  fighting 
Cox's  dog.     They  chased  the  wolf  over  a  precipice  and  one  of 


570  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

them  excitedly  went  over  with  it.     They  surrounded  it  with 
clubs  and  killed  it. 

Mr.  Kimler  returned  after  four  or  five  years.  On  the  28th  of 
January,  1838,  he  married  Miss  Cassandra  Jane  Clearwater,  of 
Leroy.  In  February  of  that  year  he  went  back  to  Milwaukee 
with  two  ox-teams,  but  returned  in  1840  for  the  health  of  his 
wife.  He  has  lived  near  Leroy  ever  since,  and  has  been  a  very 
successful  farmer. 

James  Kimler  is  somewhat  less  than  the  usual  stature.  He 
is  strongly  and  solidly  made,  and  can  bear  a  great  deal  of  hard 
work.  He  is  a  very  safe  man  in  the  disposition  and  control  of  his 
property.  His  neighbors  have  great  confidence  in  his  word  and 
judgment.     He  has  had  seven  children.     They  are  ; 

Mary  Jane  Kimler  was  born  November  10,  1838.  She  was 
first  married  to  William  Ross.  During  the  war  he  enlisted  in 
the  Second  Illinois  Cavalry  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Boli- 
var in  Tennessee.  Two  sons  were  born  by  this  marriage  and 
live  with  their  grandparents.  They  are :  James  Leander  and 
John  Orlando  Ross.  Mrs.  Ross  afterwards  married  Louis  Stout, 
and  now  lives  at  Downer's  Grove,  near  Chicago. 

Elizabeth  Ann  Kimler,  born  May  18,  1840,  died  in  October, 
1843. 

Martha  Ellen,  wife  of  Joseph  Neal,  born  August  24,  1842, 
lives  in  Farmer  City. 

Harriet  Barthena,  wife  of  James  L.  Silvers,  born  February 
13,  1845,  lives  in  Farmer  City. 

Sarah  Cassandra,  wife  of  Preston  Bishop,  born  December 
17,  1847,  lives  four  miles  southeast  of  her  parents. 

Elizabeth  Ann,  wife  of  John  Lore,  born  March  23,  1850, 
lives  at  the  head  of  Old  Town  timber. 

Caroline  Kimler,  born  May  20,  1853,  lives  with  her  parents. 

Hiram  Buck. 

Hiram  Buck,  usually  known  as  'Squire  Buck,  was  born 
March  20,  1801,  in  Seneca  County,  New  York.  His  father, 
William  S.  Buck,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  He  volun- 
teered at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  aasisted  at  the  capture  of  Gen- 
eral Cornwallis  at  Yorktown.  Hiram  Buck  received  his  common 
school  education  in  Seneca  County,  where  he  was  born.     He  re- 


m'lean  county.  571 

members  very  clearly  the  war  of  1812,  as  three  of  his  brothers 
were  soldiers  in  it.  One  of  his  brothers,  Sherman  Buck,  was 
captured  at  Queenstown  Heights,  where  our  army  was  com- 
manded by  General  Van  Renssellaer.  General  Winfield  Scott, 
then  a  lieutenant,  was  captured  there.  The  raw  recruits  were 
frightened  at  the  sight  of  the  wounded  at  the  opening  of  the 
battle  and  were  afraid  to  cross  the  river  to  the  support  of  those 
who  had  captured  the  heights.  Another  brother,  James  Buck, 
helped  to  bury  tho  dead  after  the  burning  of  Buffalo.  The  third 
brother,  William  Buck,  helped  to  demolish  Fort  Erie  before  its 
evacuation  by  our  troops. 

In  1818  the  Buck  family  moved  to  North  Bend,  Hamilton 
County,  Ohio.  The  journey  was  made  from  Seneca  County  to 
the  head  waters  of  the  Allegheny  River  on  sleds.  At  Olean 
Point  they  took  a  covered  flat-boat  about  ten  feet  long  and  thirty 
feet  wide,  and  started  down  the  river.  They  began  their  journey 
on  the  water  on  the  13th  of  April,  and  floated  nine  hundred 
miles  down  to  Cincinnati,  where  they  landed  on  the  1st  of  May. 
During  a  part  of  their  journey  they  lashed  their  boat  to  a  raft, 
but  at  a  place  called  Dead  Man's  Island  the  raft  was  staved  to 
pieces  and  the  boat  cut  loose  from  it.  They  landed  at  Cincin- 
nati and  went  from  there  to  North  Bend,  where  General  Harrison 
lived.  The  General  was  a  very  popular  man  and  was  almost 
worshipped  by  his  neighbors.  lie  was  a  very  wealthy  man  and 
kind-hearted  and  benevolent,  but  had  a  high  temper,  and  was 
sharp  spoken  when  provoked. 

Mr.  Buck  taught  school  for  five  winters  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  countv  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  River.  When  he  went 
there  he  expected  a  hard  time  in  managing  the  scholars,  for  their 
previous  teachers  had  been  driven  out  of  school  for  two  winters. 
But  fortunately  Mr.  Buck  attended  a  corn-husking  previous  to 
entering  the  school  and  wrestled  with  the  leader  of  the  insur- 
gent scholars  and  threw  him.  The  young  man's  arm  was  unfor- 
tunately broken  in  the  fall,  and  Mr.  Buck  regretted  this  very 
much,  but  the  school  was  at  peace  that  winter.  This  was  in  1823. 
He  kept  the  school  for  six  months. 

In  1825-6  Mr.  Buck  was  a  flatboatman  on  the  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sissippi Rivers.  His  flat-boat  was  loaded  with  cattle,  pork  and 
corn,  which  he  took  down  to  New  Orleans.     This  life  on  the 


572  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

water  was  hard  and  adventurous.  In  the  latter  part  of  January, 
1825,  his  flat-boat  was  jammed  into  the  ice  about  eighteen  miles 
above  Louisville,  and  remained  there  twenty-six  days,  being  left 
high  and  dry  by  the  falling  water.  But  during  the  latter  part  of 
February  the  water  rose  and  took  them  off. 

In  1826  Mr.  Buck  moved  to  Switzerland  County,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Buck  married,  April  4,  1827,  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio, 
Mercy  Karr,  the  youngest  child  in  the  family  of  Captain  John 
Karr.  John  Karr  had  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  as  a 
captain  in  "Wayne's  Legion,  and  had  fought  in  many  battles. 
In  accordance  with  a  queer  statute  of  Ohio,  Mr.  Buck  was  ob- 
liged to  give  security  for  his  wife's  maintenance.  His  brother- 
in-law  was  married  about  the  same  time,  and  the  two  happy 
bridegrooms  went  security  for  each  other. 

In  1833  Mr.  Buck  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois,  to  Ran- 
dolph's Grove,  just  east  of  the  present  town  of  Heyworth.  The 
journey  was  quite  interesting.  He  went  from  Cincinnati  to  St. 
Louis  and  there  changed  boat  for  Pekin,  but  could  only  go  up  as 
far  as  Beardstown,  for  there  thev  grounded  on  a  bar.  He  left 
his  family  there  and  came  to  Bloomington  on  horseback  to  find 
teams  to  bring  them  across  the  prairie.  During  the  latter  part 
of  his  journey  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Isaac  Funk,  who 
showed  the  road,  and  traveled  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  out 
on  the  prairie  to  point  the  way.  He  went  back  to  Beardstown 
with  two  teams  and  brought  his  family.  This  was  in  the  fore 
part  of  April,  when  the  country  was  so  dry  that  the  horses  could 
hardly  wet  their  feet  in  traveling  the  whole  distance.  The  season 
was  dry  until  June,  when  a  freshet  came,  and  everything  was 
flooded.  The  people  on  the  way  seldom  thought  of  charging 
anj-thing  for  their  trouble  in  entertaining  the  travelers,  and  Mr. 
Buck's  bills  for  meals  and  lodging  during  their  journey  from 
Beardstown  to  Randolph's  Grove  amounted  to  only  three  bits. 
The  people  said  :  "We  were  strangers  once,  and  we  ourselves 
once  needed  accommodation."  Mr.  Buck's  family  lived  for  a 
while  in  a  cabin  just  east  of  'Squire  Campbell  "Wakefield's 
house. 

Mr.  Buck  tells  some  curious  things  connected  with  the  sud- 
den  change  of  the  weather  in  December,  1836.  He  had  been  to 
the  house  of  a  neighbor,  and  when  the  cold  wind  came  threw  a 


m'lean  county.  573 

wet  overcoat  on  his  shoulders  and  started  for  home.  When  the 
cold  wind  struck  him,  it  blew  out  his  overcoat  and  froze  it  im- 
mediately in  the  shape  it  took  when  extended.  When  he  arrived 
home,  he  had  difficulty  in  pulling  his  coat  through  the  door. 
This  great  wind-storm  came  from  the  west  to  the  Mississippi 
River  at  about  ten  o'clock  a.  m.,  came  to  Leroy  about  three  p. 
m.,  and  reached  Indianapolis  at  about  eleven  p.  m.  It  will  thus 
be  seen  that  it  moved  from  the  Mississippi  liiver  to  Leroy  at 
about  the  rate  of  thirty  miles  an  hour,  and  from  Leroy  to  Indi- 
anapolis at  about  the  rate  of  twenty  miles  an  hour. 

In  1837  Mr.  Buck  went  to  Leroy  and  there  opened  a  hotel. 
The  usual  price  for  supper,  lodging  and  breakfast,  for  man  and 
horse,  was  half  a  dollar,  but  this  came  near  breaking  the  land- 
lord. 

In  1835  Mr.  Buck  was  County  Surveyor  and  helped  to  lay  out 
Waynesville,  Lytleville,  Mt.  Pleasant  (now  Farmer  City)  and  an 
addition  to  Leroy.  He  was  busy  surveying  for  two  or  three 
years.  He  was  postmaster  at  Leroy  from  1838  to  1844  under 
Postmaster  General  Amos  Kendall.  In  1839  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  which  office  he  held  for  eighteen  years  al- 
most continuously.  He  was  elected  County  Commissioner  in 
1851  and  held  his  office  until  the  township  organization  in  1858. 

Mr.  Buck  is  rather  less  than  the  medium  stature.  His  coun- 
tenance shows  the  effect  of  age,  though  he  is  still  strong  and  in 
good  health.  The  lines  on  his  face  seem  to  show  resolution,  hon- 
esty and  sound  judgment.  He  is  a  humorous  man  and  sometimes 
slightly  eccentric.  He  says  he  has  been  a  subscriber  to  the  Star 
of  the  West  for  forty-six  years  and  always  paid  his  subscription. 
He  has  received  two  presents  for  being  one  of  the  oldest  subscri- 
bers. He  has  lived  all  this  time  with  one  woman,  without  a 
divorce  !  He  says  he  has  never  laid  a  claim  against  a  deceased 
person's  estate.  For  fifty-six  successive  years  he  has  been  a 
hand  in  the  harvest  field,  and  can  work  again  quite  as  well.  He 
takes  a  great  interest  in  educational  matters,  and  last  winter  was 
commissioned  by  the  Governor  of  the  State  as  Trustee  from  the 
Eighth  Congressional  District,  of  Lombard  University. 

He  has  had  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  living.     They  are  : 
Amanda  Melcina,  wife  of  James  II.  L.   Crumbaugh,  lives 
three-quarters  of  a  mile   south  of  her  father's.     She  was  born 
July  10,  1828. 


574  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Thomas  Lee  Buck,  born  October  23,  1831,  lives  a  half  mile 
south  of  his  parents. 

Elizabeth  Rebecca,  born  February  21,  1834,  died  February 
13,  1837. 

Martha  Ellen,  wife  of  John  McConnell,  born  December  14, 
1838,  lives  two  miles  west  of  her  parents. 

IsTancy  Joanna,  born  February  19, 1843,  wife  of  Isaac  Frank- 
lin Dawson,  lives  at  home. 

Charles  Albert  Buck,  born  August  19,  1849,  lives  at  home. 
He  attends  Lombard  University  and  intends  to  study  law.  He 
is  a  young  man  of  good  promise. 

Hon.  Malon  Bishop. 

Malon  Bishop  was  born  December  25,  1810,  in  Clark  County, 
Ohio.  His  ancestors  were  Virginians.  His  father  was  a  well 
educated  and  plain-spoken  man,  and  insisted  in  spelling  his 
son's  name  Malon,  leaving  out  the  "h."  Malon  Bishop  ,was 
raised  a  farmer,  and  early  accustomed  himself  to  work.  He  ob- 
tained his  early  education  at  a  common  school.  He  was  a  good 
scholar  and  behaved  himself  well.  It  was  the  custom  in  those 
days  in  Ohio  to  bar  out  the  teacher  on  Christmas  days ;  this  was 
the  fashion,  and  of  course  Malon  Bishop  used  to  follow  the 
fashion. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  March,  1831,  Mr.  Bishop  married 
Catharine  J.  Foley.  He  has  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living,  two  boys  and  two  girls. 

After  living  for  a  while  in  Clark  County,  and  afterwards  in 
Champaign,  Mr.  Bishop  started  for  the  Far  West.  He  came  to 
Old  Town  timber  in  the  fall  of  1834,  and  in  the  following  spring 
moved  to  Buckles'  Grove,  now  Empire  township.  His  land  had 
been  entered  during  the  previous  January.  In  September, 
1835,  Mr.  Bishop  attended  the  land  sales  ;  there  the  settlers 
formed  lines  to  keep  every  one  from  coming  near  until  they  had 
bought  what  land  they^wished  ;  the  remainder  was  left  for  specu- 
lators. 

In  June,  1835,  Mr.  Bishop  had  the  roof  of  his  house  carried 
away  by  a  hurricane,  at  midnight,  and  the  rain  came  pouring  in. 
His  wife  was  sick  at  the  time  and  delirious,  and  it  was  not  until 
the  next  morning  that  reason  returned  to  her.     Then  she  looked 


m'lean  county.  575 

up  from  her  bed  and  saw  the  blue  sky  above  her  and  everything 
wet  with  the  rain  and  she  almost  questioned  whether  reason  had 
indeed  returned.  The  roof  was  soon  replaced  and  Mr.  Bishop, 
who  had  been  somewhat  depressed,  again  took  courage. 

Mr.  Bishop  has  occasionally  held  office.    In  1837  he  was  elect- 
ed justice  of  the  peace,  and  in  1842  he  was  sent  to  the  legisla- 
ture.   During  the  latter  year  the  Whigs  first  nominated  Matthew 
Robb  and  afterwards  James  Miller,  and  the  Democratic  central 
committee  put  up  Malon  Bishop.     The  latter  was  very  active  in 
the  work  of  electioneering  and  was  voted  for  by  many  Whigs 
and  elected  as  an  honest  farmer  rather  than  as  the  nominee  of 
a  party.     The  country  was  then  in  a  desperate   condition;   the 
banks  had  failed  and  many  thought  the  legislature  responsible 
for  the  sad  situation.     Mr.  Bishop,  when  elected,  felt  himself  in 
a  very  trying  position ;  everything  was  expected  of  him  and  he  was 
supposed  to  be  able  to  accomplish  impossibilities.     Political  mat- 
ters were  still  further  confused  by  the  Mormon  question  and  the 
Mormon  war.      The  country  was  infested  with    horse-thieves, 
counterfeiters,  burglars  and   murderers,   and  they   made  their 
headquarters  at  Nauvoo,  the  Mormon  capital.     The  people  were 
terribly  excited  and  thought  the  Mormons  should  be  driven  out 
of  the  country.      Great  depredations  were  committed   by  the 
Danite  band  and  it  is  supposed  that  Governor  Boggs  of  Missouri 
was  shot  and   severely  wounded  by   them.     A  requisition  was 
made  upon  Governor  Ford  for  Joe  Smith  and  Hiram  Smith,  but 
these  leaders  of  the  Mormon  church  could  not  be  found  until 
Ford  offered  a  reward  for  them.     When  this  was  done  they  im- 
mediately gave  themselves  up  and  claimed  the  reward  of  their 
own  capture.     They  were  finally  examined,  but  it  appeared  that 
they  had  not  been  out  of  the  State  of  Illinois  and  certainly   did 
not  personally  assist  in  the  shooting.     The  Mormons  were  so  ter- 
rified by  the  threats  of  the  settlers  that  they  began  arming  for 
defense;  but  this  only  stirred  up  the  settlers  the  more.       Gov- 
ernor Ford  called  out  the  militia  to  keep  the  people  quiet,  and 
to  one  company  was  assigned  the  duty  of  guarding  Joe  Smith 
and  Hiram  Smith  ;  but  instead  of  guarding  them,  the  company 
allowed  them  to  be  killed  at  Carthage  by  a  lot  of  desperate  men 
who  wished  to   exterminate   them   all.     At   last  the   Mormons 
agreed  to  leave  the  country  and  prepared  to  do  so ;  but  the  set- 


576  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

tiers  became  impatient  and  arose  in  arms  and  drove  them  off". 
All  of  these  troubles  increased  the  difficulties  of  the  legislature; 
and  the  responsibilities  which  Malon  Bishop  felt  resting  upon 
him  were  indeed  hard  to  bear.     At  that  important  session  the 
State  Bank  of  Illinois  at  Springfield  and  the  Bank  of  the  State 
of  Illinois  at  Shawneetown  were  put  in  liquidation,  and  these 
two  rotten  corporations,  which  issued  so  much  worthless  money 
and  assisted  so  much  to  bring  financial  ruin,  were  forever  closed. 
The  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  also  gave  much  trouble  to  this 
overburdened  legislature.   The  canal  required  $1,600,000  to  com- 
plete it,  but  this  amount  was  finally  raised  and  the  work  done. 
It  was  this  legislature,  which  should  live  in  history,  that  pre- 
vented the  State  of  Illinois  from  repudiating  its  bonds,  and  gave 
them  ever  afterwards  a  firm   standing  in  the  money   markets 
of  the  world.     Kever  before  in  the  history  of  the  State   was  so 
much  expected  of  a  legislature,  and  never  before  were  expecta- 
tions so  perfectly  realized.     It  may  be  indeed  a  matter  of  pride 
to  Mr.  Bishop  to  have  belonged  to  this  public  body  which  did 
itself  and  the  State  so  much  honor.     Mr.  Bishop  tells  of  a  queer 
incident  which  happened  while  he  was  in  Springfield  during  the 
session.     The  State  of  Illinois  received  three  per  cent,  of  all  the 
sales  of  public  lands,  and  its  money,  which  was  kept  at  St.  Louis, 
increased  to  thirty-seven  thousand  dollars.     The  legislature  au- 
thorized James  Shields,  the  state  auditor,  to  go  to  St.  Louis,  buy 
a  safe,  and  bring  the  money  to  Springfield.    He  took  a  two-horse 
covered  wagon  and  an  Irishman  as  a  guard,  went  to  St.  Louis, 
bought  a  safe,  locked  the  money  in  it,  put  it  in  his  wagon  and 
came  to  Springfield.     The  legislature  adjourned  to  meet  him. 
He  and  his  Irishman  carne  following  the  wagon  and  carrying 
their  muskets  through  the  mud  until  they  arrived  at  the  portico 
of  the  State  House.     Here  Shields  gave  the  order  to  "ground 
arms,"  and  he  and  his  Irishman  "grounded  arms,"  while  the 
members  of  the  legislature  unloaded  the  wagon.     Shields  was 
very  tired  and  did  not  become  rested  for  several  days. 

The  members  of  this  legislature  received  for  their  pay  three 
hundred  and  ninety-two  dollars  in  depreciated  money,  certificates 
of  bank  indebtedness  and  auditor's  warrants.  They  used  their 
auditor's  warrants  for  taxes  and  sold  their  certificates  of  bank 
indebtedness  to  be  used  by  those  who  were  indebted  to  the 
banks. 


m'lean  COITNTY.  577 

Mr.  Bishop  has  been  a  hard  worker  all  his  life.  He  has  held 
many  township  offices,  was  supervisor  in  1863  and  '64. 

Mr.  Bishop  remembers  au  incident  of  the  Mexican  war. 
"When  volunteers  were  called  for  in  1846  the  whole  community 
was  very  naturally  excited  and  notice  was  given  at  a  camp-meet- 
ing that  volunteers  would  be  called  for.  But  when  the  volun- 
teering commenced  the  government  could  not  accept  half  of  the 
men  who  were  anxious  to  go. 

Mr.  Bishop  has,  of  course,  a  very  lively  recollection  of  the 
sudden  change  in  the  weather  which  occurred  in  December, 
1836.  "When  the  freezing  west  wind  came  after  a  thaw  and  warm 
rain,  the  weather  became  immediately  most  intensely  cold.  He 
saw  a  short  distance  from  his  house  John  C.  Bradley  and  Aaron 
S.  "Williams  with  teams  bringing  loads  of  live  hogs,  and  when  the 
storm  struck  them,  they  went  to  Mr.  Bishop's  house  for  shelter. 
Their  clothes,  which  were  wet,  froze  on  them  instantly,  and  when 
they  came  to  the  house,  "Williams'  overcoat,  when  pulled  off, 
would  stand  on  the  floor.  The  harness  on  the  horses  were  froz- 
en so  stiff  that,  when  the  traces  were  unhitched,  they  stood  out 
straight.  A  bridle  rein  was  thrown  over  a  post,  but  it  stood  out 
from  the  post  without  falling  down.  The  cold  was  so  severe  that 
the  harness  could  not  be  removed  from  the  horses  for  two  days. 
John  Bradley  succeeded  in  reaching  home  with  his  sled  and  one 
yoke  of  oxen,  the  other  oxen  he  turned  loose  in  the  timber  and 
did  not  recover  them  for  two  days. 

Like  all  the  early  settlers,  Mr.  Bishop  speaks  warmly  of  the 
good  feeling  which  formerly  prevailed  among  all  Western 
people.  When  they  met  a  stranger  they  were  always  anxious  to 
take  care  of  him  and  assist  him  and  his  family,  if  he  had  one. 

Malon  Bishop  is  the  picture  of  good  humor.  He  is  of  me- 
dium stature  and  not  heavily  built;  his  face  has  on  it  all  the 
good-natured  lines,  and  his  voice  has  a  pleasant  ring  to  it,  and 
even  his  Roman  nose  may  be  described  as  a  good-natured  nose. 
He  has  a  great  deal  of  shrewdness-  and  is  quick  to  see  both  sides 
of  a  question.  He  is  always  on  the  alert,  and  gets  up  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning  to  see  that  everything  is  moving  right- 
He  has  never  been  troubled  with  any  of  the  diseases  of  the  coun- 
try, but  has  always  enjoyed  the  best  of  health.  He  has  always 
37 


578  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

been  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with  his  neighbors  and  no  man 
ever  complained  of  him  for  want  of  a  warm  welcome. 

His  children  are : 

Nancy  Jane,  born  in  Clark  County,  Ohio,  May  1,  1832,  mar- 
ried Mark  M.  Craig,  October  13, 1853,  and  resides  in  West  town- 
ship. 

Stephen  Lewis,  born  January  14,  1835,  was  twice  married, 
but  is  now  a  widower.     He  resides  in  Leroy. 

James  F.  was  born  December  6,  1836,  and  died  August  6, 
1862. 

Elias  was  born  January  12,  1839,  and  died  March  11,  1864. 

Catherine,  born  April  4,  1842,  married  William  Hammond, 
December  12,  1861,  and  resides  in  West  township. 

Elizabeth,  born  June  22,  1845,  died  August  24,  1869. 

Sarah  Ann,  born  April  1,  1848,  died  in  infancy. 

Malon,  born  June  13,  1649,  lives  at  home. 

Thomas  Davidson  Gilmore. 

Thomas  D.  Gilmore  was  born  November  18, 1814,  in  Warren 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  Andrew  H.  Gilmore, 
and  his  mother's  name,  before  her  marriage,  was  Margaret  Price. 
The  former  was  of  Irish  descent,  and  the  latter  was  probably  of 
Scotch.  Mr.  Gilmore,  sr.,  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
eight,  and  died  in  1870,  in  Old  Town  timber.  He  possessed  a 
strong  mind,  and  was  active  and  a  worker  to  the  last.  He  worked 
a  little  too  hard,  or  he  would  have  lived  longer.  His  son  made 
great  efibrts  to  preserve  the  old  gentleman's  life  for  two  years 
longer,  to  make  him  a  century  old,  but  this  was  not  to  be. 

Mr.  T.  D.  Gilmore  lived  in  Warren  County,  Kentucky,  until 
October,  1836,  when  he  came  to  Old  Town  timber,  McLean 
County,  Illinois.  Here  he  put  up  a  log  house  with  a  puncheon 
floor,  a  clapboard  door,  a  bedstead  with  one  leg,  in  a  corner  of 
the  room,  and  the  other  furniture  to  match.  He  had  moved  into 
this  little  cabin  with  his  family  only  a  short  time  before  the  sud- 
den change  of  December  came.  It  seemed  for  a  while  as  if  the 
Gilmore  family  would  be  frozen  out,  and  they  wished  themselves 
back  to  old  Kentucky ;  but  they  stood  the  storm  and  protected 
their  stock,  so  that  nothing  froze.  After  Leroy  was  laid  out, 
Mr.  Gilmore  moved  there,  and  followed  for  some  years  his  pro- 
fession as  a  blacksmith. 


M  LEAN   COUNTY.  579 

He  did  not  make  the  trips  to  Chicago  as  the  other  settlers 
did,  but  sent  his  wheat  and  corn  by  other  parties  and  paid  them 
in  blacksmithing. 

Mr.  Gil  more  never  was  a  hunter.  He  once  took  his  gun  and 
went  after  deer,  shot  six  times  and  missed  continually.  He 
returned  home  and  laid  his  ill  luck  to  his  gun,  but  never  hunted 
more. 

In  1846,  Mr.  Gilmore  went  to  Kentucky  on  a  visit,  but  be- 
came interested  in  business  and  stayed  until  1850,  when  he 
returned  to  Old  Town  timber,  near  the  northern  boundary  of 
Empire  township,  where  he  has  lived  ever  since. 

On  the  second  of  January,  1834,  he  married  Matilda  Saw- 
age,  in  Kentucky.  She  died  October  5, 1839.  By  this  marriage 
he  had  three  children.     They  are  : 

Martha  Francis,  wife  of  James  W.  Wright,  lives  in  Leroy. 

Mary  Matilda,  wife  of  John  Swan,  died  about  eight  years 
ago. 

Joseph  P.  Gilmore  has  a  furniture  store  in  Streator. 

On  the  eleventh  of  December,  1840,  Mr.  Gilmore  married 
Mary  Jane  Braunaman.  They  have  had  six  children,  of  whom 
five  are  living.     They  are  : 

Andrew  D.  Gilmore  died  in  infancy. 

Ira  F.  Gilmore  lives  in  Streator. 

Lucinda  Margaret,  wife  of  Richard  C.  Charleston,  lives  in 
Streator. 

Kentucky,  Elizabeth  Ada  and  Augusta  Maud,  all  live  at 
home. 

Mr.  Gilmore  is  nearly  six  feet  in  height,  weighs  about  one 
hundred  and  seventy  pounds,  is  very  muscular,  and  must  have 
made  a  good  blacksmith.  He  has  a  bald  head,  with  a  good 
development  of  brain,  has  dark  eyes,  a  nose  slightly  Roman, 
and  whiskers  nearly  white.  He  is  a  humorous  man,  very  accom- 
modating, very  honest  and  fair-minded.  He  has  been  quite 
successful ;  has  a  good  home  and  enjoys  life.  He  likes  his  resi- 
dence in  Old  Town  timber,  but  has  warm  feelings  for  old  Ken- 
tucky, and  for  this  reason  named  one  of  his  children  after  that 
dear  old  State. 


580  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 


FUNK'S  GROVE. 

Hon.  Isaac  Funk. 

Isaac  Funk  was  born  November  17,  1797,  in  Clark  County, 
Kentucky.  His  ancestors  were  of  German  extraction,  his  grand- 
father, Adam  Funk,  having  emigrated  from  Germany  at  an  early 
day.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Moore,  was 
also  of  German  descent.  Adam  Funk,  jr.,  the  father  of  Isaac, 
was  raised  in  Virginia,  and  was,  at  one  time,  quite  wealthy ;  but 
misfortunes  came  and  he  lost  his  property  and  died  poor.  Isaac 
Funk  was  one  of  nine  children,  six  boys  and  three  girls.  He 
had  very  little  schooling,  but  was  prepared  for  the  struggle  of 
life  by  the  roughest  out-door  education,  where  his  muscles  were 
developed,  and  his  practical  good  sense  was  brought  into  ex- 
ercise. 

In  1807  his  father  moved  to  Fayette  County,  Ohio  ;  but  when 
Isaac  was  twenty-three  years  of  age  he  went  back  to  Virginia 
to  the  Kanawha  Salt  Works,  where  he  remained  one  year.  He 
then  returned  to  Ohio,  where,  for  the  next  two  years,  he  worked 
on  a  farm  for  eight  or  ten  dollars  per  month. 

In  the  year  1823,  Mr.  Funk  set  out  for  Illinois,  but  did  not 
arrive  there  until  the  following  April,  as  he  was  detained  by 
high  water  in  the  Wabash  River.  He  first  went  to  Sangamon 
County,  but  on  the  third  of  May  he  settled  in  Funk's  Grove,  in 
the  present  McLean  County.  Here  he  and  his  brother  Absalom, 
who  had  accompanied  him  from  Ohio,  and  Mr.  William  Brock, 
built  a  little  pole  shanty,  twelve  by  fourteen  feet,  at  the  south- 
east side  of  the  grove,  a  short  distance  from  the  homestead  of 
the  Funk  family.  This  little  shanty  is  described  as  "a  small 
pole  cabin,  twelve  by  fourteen  feet,  covered  by  riven  four  feet 
clapboards,  with  a  roof  put  on  with  weight  poles  instead  of 
nails,  floor  laid  with  peeled  elm  bark,  Indian  fashion,  no  win- 
dow, and  one  door  made  of  clapboards."  The  Funks  then  went 
to  breaking  prairie  and  buying  and  selling  cattle.  Mr.  Stubble- 
field  and  Mrs.  Stubblefield,  their  sister,  came  out  from  Ohio 
and  kept  their  house  for  them  for  one  year,  and  after  this  they 
hired  various  families  to  keep  the  shanty  for  another  year. 


m'lean  county.  581 

In  June,  1826,  Isaac  Funk  married  Miss  Cassandra  Sharp  of 
Fort  Clark  (Peoria).  This  lady  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land. When  she  was  only  three  years  of  age  her  father  emi- 
grated to  Ohio,  and  sixteen  years  afterwards  to  Fort  Clark,  Ills., 
where,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  she  became  Mrs.  Funk.  The 
dowry  which  Mr.  Funk  obtained  with  his  wife  was  a  cow,  a 
spinning-wheel  and  a  bed.  But  he  obtained  with  his  wife  some- 
thing better  than  money ;  he  found  in  her  a  noble-minded 
woman.  She  was  an  active,  stirring  woman,  and  possessed  of 
the  best  of  sense  and  discretion  ;  and  perhaps  it  was  in  some 
measure  due  to  her  influence  that  Mr.  Funk  was  afterwards  so 
remarkably  successful. 

Absalom  Funk  was  ten  years  older  than  Isaac,  and  was  not 
married  until  1840.  At  his  death  he  left  no  children.  Absalom 
and  Isaac  continued  their  business,  farming,  raising  stock  and 
buying  and  selling  cattle,  horses,  mules,  hogs,  etc.,  etc.,  until 
1838,  when  they  dissolved  partnership.  They  had  many  hard 
times  and  were  often  in  difficult  situations,  but  their  good  judg- 
ment and  determined  wills  always  carried  them  triumphantly 
through.  At  one  time  they  met  with  a  very  severe  loss.  In 
1837  they  considered  themselves  worth  about  eighteen  thousand 
dollars.  During  this  year,  Archibald  Clybourne,  the  oldest  set- 
tler in  Chicago,  failed,  and  the  Funks  lost  seven  thousand  dol- 
lars by  him.  Not  long  after  this,  a  man  named  Doyle  absconded 
from  Chicago  without  paying  his  debts,  and  took  with  him  two 
thousand  dollars  belonging  to  the  Funks.  This  loss  seemed  to 
affect  Absalom  very  much.  He  had  remained  in  Chicago  to 
settle  with  Doyle  after  selling  him  two  thousand  dollars  worth 
of  hogs,  while  Isaac  had  returned  to  his  home.  But  Doyle  gave 
Absalom  the  slip  and  got  away,  and  as  the  latter  had  not  money 
enough  to  follow,  he  came  to  Isaac  Funk's  to  relate  the  misfor- 
tune. He  came  in,  and,  after  sitting  uneasily  by  the  fire,  ex- 
claimed :  "  Well,  Ike,  that  Doyle  has  run  away  with  every  cent 
of  money  he  owed  us.  I'd  have  followed  him  to  —  (a  very 
warm  place)  if  I  had  have  had  money  enough  to  have  traveled." 
Absalom  regretted  the  loss,  not  so  much  on  his  own  account,  as 
on  account  of  Isaac,  who  had  a  wife  and  children  growing  up 
around  him.  But  Isaac  took  the  matter  coolly  and  hopefully, 
and  went  to  work  with  all  his   energy  to  repair  the   misfortune. 


582  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Not  long  after  this  they  dissolved  partnership,  dividing  their 
goods  by  the  lump  rule.  Isaac  obtained  rather  the  best  of  the 
bargain,  as  he  had  a  family  to  support. 

While  the  Funks  were  in  partnership  they  drove  cattle  and 
horses  and  other  stock  to  Galena,  Chicago,  Ohio  and  wherever 
they  could  find  a  market.  They  traveled  in  all  kinds  of  weather 
and  took  their  provisions  with  them  from  home.  In  the  winter 
of  1841-2  Isaac  started  for  Chicago  with  a  drove  of  five  hun- 
dred hogs,  and,  while  in  Livingston  County,  was  overtaken  by 
a  sleet-storm.  The  ground  became  so  slippery  that  it  seemed 
impossible  to  proceed.  After  waiting  a  few  days  he  determined 
to  go  on  and  was  obliged  to  cut  the  ice  in  many  places  with  an 
axe  in  order. to  give  the  hogs  a  foothold.  He  was  obliged  to 
exercise  a  great  deal  of  ingenuity  and  use  many  new  devices. 
He  tied  the  legs  of  some  of  the  hogs  together  to  prevent  them 
from  slipping  too  much.  But  notwithstanding  all  his  exertions 
he  could  only  go  a  short  distance,  and  was  detained  eighteen 
days.  At  the  end  of  that  time  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  covered  the 
ground  and  made  it  easy  for  his  hogs  to  travel,  and  he  succeeded 
in  reaching  Chicago  without  further  trouble. 

The  season  of  1844  was  the  one  known  as  the  wet  season. 
It  commenced  to  rain  in  May  and  continued  all  summer  until 
August.  The  creeks  and  rivers  were  all  overflowed,  and  a  large 
part  of  the  country  was  under  water.  The  crops  raised  that 
year  were  very  poor,  as  the  excessive  rain  almost  ruined  them. 
During  that  season  Mr.  Funk  went  to  Missouri  to  buy  cattle. 
He  started  in  May  and  was  gone  about  five  months,  and  his 
family  almost  despaired  of  ever  hearing  of  him  again.  But 
in  October  he  returned  with  seven  hundred  head  of  cattle.  He 
had,  while  gone,  traveled  over  a  large  extent  of  country;  he 
had  crossed  creeks  and  rivers  and  by  his  great  exertions  had 
overcome  all  difficulties.  Although  he  could  not  swim  he 
crossed  streams  of  water  every  day  by  hanging  to  the  mane  of 
his  horse  and  allowing  the  animal  to  carry  him  over.  But  the 
speculation  was  not  a  fortunate  one.  Owing  to  the  wet  season 
many  of  his  cattle  took  the  foot-evil  and  the  sore  tongue  and 
became  poor  and  died.  During  this  season  he  lost  about  eleven 
hundred  dollars. 

It  is  not  easy  for  us  to  take  our  mind  back  to  early  days  and 
to  place  the  condition  of  things  correctly  in  our  imagination. 


m'lean  county.  583 

We  can  only  obtain  some  small  idea  by  making  comparisons  and 
looking  at  particular  things.  It  is  said  of  Mr.  Funk  that  he 
"did  not  own  a  wagon  for  seven  years  ;  went  to  mill  near 
Sprinfield,  fifty  miles,  with  oxen  ;  took  from  ten  to  fourteen 
bushels  of  corn  (no  wheat  then)  part  of  the  way  with  a  cart  and 
sled  ;  carried  a  plough  thirty  miles  on  a  horse  to  get  it  sharp- 
ened, and  carried  a  barrel  for  Sauerkraut  ten  miles  home  on 
horseback." 

The  result  of  all  this  energy  and  industry  was  that  Mr.  Funk 
became  worth,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  a  large  fortune,  perhaps 
not  far  from  two  millions  of  dollars.  Perhaps  some  one  will 
think  that  Mr.  Funk  must  have  kept  a  corps  of  clerks  and  book- 
keepers to  know  where  all  his  property  was,  and  to  keep  the 
matter  clearly  in  mind.  But  on  the  contrary  he  never  kept  a 
diary  or  memorandum  book  or  a  regular  account  book. 

In  politics  Mr.  Funk  was  positive  and  decided  in  his  views. 
He  was  a  staunch  Whig  up  to  the  year  1854,  when  the  Republi- 
can party  was  formed,  and  then  he  joined  it  and  remained  an 
honored  member  of  that  organization  until  the  day  of  his  death. 
In  1840  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  the  State,  but  no 
particular  note  is  made  of  his  connection  with  politics  at  that 
time.  In  1862  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  to  fill  the  un- 
expired term  of  General  Oglesby,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  was  re-elected  and  remained  a  member  until  his  death.  It 
was  in  February,  1863,  while  he  was  in  the  State  Senate  that  he 
made  his  celebrated  speech  in  favor  of  an  appropriation  for  the 
Sanitary  Commission.  The  circumstances  under  which  the 
speech  was  made  were  these  :  The  opponents  of  the  war  had  a 
majority  in  the  Legislature  and  were  determined  to  prevent  the 
passage  of  an  appropriation  in  aid  of  the  Sanitary  Commission. 
They  tried  to  prevent  the  matter  from  coming  to  a  vote  by 
making  all  kinds  of  dilatory  motions,  and  they  also  discussed 
the  propriety  of  sending  commissioners  to  a  peace  convention 
which  was  to  meet  at  Louisville.  All  of  this  aroused  Mr.  Funk's 
temper,  and  he  made  his  knock-down  speech,  which  was  pub- 
lished immediately  all  over  the  country.  The  following  is  the 
speech  as  reported : 

"  Mr.  Speaker  :  I  can  sit  in  my  seat  no  longer  and  see  such 
boy's  play  going  on.     These  men  are   trifling  with  the  best  in- 


584  OLD   SETTLERS   OF 

terests  of  the  country.     They  should  have  asses'  ears  to  set  off 
their  heads,  or  they  are  secessionists  and  traitors  at  heart. 

"  I  say  that  there  are  traitors  and  secessionists  at  heart  in 
this  Senate.  Their  actions  prove  it.  Their  speeches  prove  it. 
Their  gibes  and  laughter  and  cheers  here  nightly,  when  their 
speakers  get  up  in  this  hall  and  denounce  the  war  and  the  ad- 
ministration, prove  it. 

"  I  can  sit  here  no  longer,  and  not  tell  these  traitors  what  I 
think  of  them.  And  while  so  telling  them,  I  am  responsible 
myself  for  what  I  say.  I  stand  upon  my  own  bottom.  I  am 
ready  to  meet  any  man  on  this  floor,  in  any  manner,  from  a  pin's 
point  to  the  mouth  of  a  cannon,  upon  this  charge  against  these 
traitors.  [Tremendous  applause  from  the  galleries].  I  am  an 
old  man  of  sixty-five.  I  came  to  Illinois  a  poor  boy.  I  have 
made  a  little  something  for  myself  and  family.  I  pay  $3,000  a 
year  in  taxes.  I  am  willing  to  pay  §6,000,  aye,  §12,000.  [Great 
cheering,  the  old  gentleman  bringing  down  his  fist  upon  his  desk 
with  a  blow  that  would  knock  down  a  bullock,  and  causing  the 
inkstand  to  bound  a  half  dozen  inches  in  the  air] ;  aye,  I  am 
willing  to  pay  my  whole  fortune,  and  then  give  my  life  to  save 
my  country  from  these  traitors  that  are  seeking  to  destroy  it. 
[Tremendous  cheers  and  applause,  which  the  speaker  could  not 
subdue], 

"Mr.  Speaker,  you  must  please  excuse  me.  I  could  not  sit 
longer  in  my  seat  and  calmly  listen  to  these  traitors.  My  heart, 
that  feels  for  my  poor  country,  would  not  let  me.  My  heart  that 
cries  out  for  the  lives  of  our  brave  volunteers  in  the  field,  that 
these  traitors  at  home  are  destroying  by  thousands,  would  not 
let  me.  My  heart  that  bleeds  for  the  widows  and  orphans  at 
home,  would  not  let  me.  Yes,  these  villains  and  traitors  and 
secessionists  in  this  Senate  [striking  his  clenched  fist  on  the  desk 
with  a  blow  that  made  the  house  ring  again]  are  killing  my  neigh- 
bors' boys,  now  fighting  in  the  field.  I  dare  to  tell  this  to  these 
traitors,  to  their  faces,  and  that  I  am  responsible  for  what  I  say 
to  one  or  all  of  them.  [Cheers.]  Let  them  come  on,  right  here. 
I  am  sixty-five  years  old,  and  T  have  made  up  my  mind  to  risk 
my  life  right  here,  on  this  floor,  for  my  country. 

"These  men  sneered  at  Col.  Mack,  a  day  or  two  ago.  He  is 
a  little  man  ;  but  I  am  a  large  man.     I  am  ready  to  meet  any  of 


m'lean  county.  585 

them  in  place  of  Col.  Mack.  I  am  large  enough  for  them,  and 
I  hold  myself  ready  for  them  now,  and  at  any  time.  [Cheers 
from  the  galleries.] 

"  Mr.  Speaker,  these  traitors  on  this  floor  should  be  provided 
with  hempen  collars.  They  deserve  them.  They  deserve  them. 
They  deserve  hanging,  I  say.  [Raising  his  voice  and  violently 
striking  the  desk.]  The  country  would  be  better  off  to  swing 
them  up.  I  go  for  hanging  them,  and  I  dare  to  tell  them  so, 
right  here,  to  their  traitors'  faces.  Traitors  should  be  hung.  It 
would  be  the  salvation  of  the  country,  to  hang  them.  For  that 
reason  I  would  rejoice  at  it.     [Tremendous  cheering.] 

"Mr.  Speaker:  I  beg  pardon  of  the  gentlemen  in  the  Senate 
who  are  not  traitors,  but  true,  loyal  men,  for  what  I  have  said. 
I  only  intend  it  and  mean  it  for  secessionists  at  heart.  They  are 
here,  in  this  Senate.  I  see  them  joke,  and  smirk,  and  grin  at  a 
true  Union  man.  But  I  defy  them.  I  stand  here  ready  for  them 
and  dare  them  to  come  on.  [Great  cheering.]  What  man  with 
the  heart  of  a  patriot  could  stand  this  treason  any  longer  ?  I 
have  stood  it  long  enough.  I  will  stand  it  no  longer.  [Cheers.] 
I  denounce  these  men  and  their  aiders  and  abettors  as  rank  trai- 
tors and  secessionists.  Hell  itself  could  not  spew  out  a  more 
traitorous  crew  than  some  of  the  men  who  disgrace  this  legisla- 
ture, this  state  and  this  country.  For  myself,  I  protest  against 
and  denounce  their  treasonable  acts.  I  have  voted  against  their 
measures.  I  will  do  so  to  the  end.  I  will  denounce  them  as 
long  as  God  gives  me  breath.  And  lam  ready  to  meet  the  trai- 
tors themselves  here  or  anywhere,  and  fight  them  to  the  death. 
[Prolonged  cheers  and  shouts.] 

"  I  said  I  paid  three  thousand  dollars  a  year  taxes.  I  do  not 
say  it  to  brag- of  it.  It  is  my  duty — yes,  Mr.  Speaker,  my  privi- 
lege to  do  it.  But  some  of  the  traitors  here,  who  are  working 
night  and  day  to  get  their  miserable  little  bills  and  claims 
through  the  legislature,  to  take  money  out  of  the  pockets  of  the 
people,  are  talking  about  high  taxes.  They  are  hypocrites,  as 
well  as  traitors.  I  heard  some  of  them  talking  about  high  taxes 
in  this  way,  who  do  not  pay  five  dollars  to  support  the  govern- 
ment. I  denounce  them  as  hypocrites  as  well  as  traitors. 
[Cheers.] 


586  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

"  The  reason  that  they  pretend  to  be  afraid  of  high  taxes  is, 
that  they  do  not  want  to  vote  money  for  the  relief  of  the  soldiers. 
They  want  also  to  embarrass  the  government  and  stop  the  war. 
They  want  to  aid  the  secessionists  to  conquer  our  boys  in  the 
field.  They  care  about  taxes  ?  They  are  picayune  men  any 
how.  They  pay  no  taxes  at  all,  and  never  did,  and  never  hope 
to,  unless  they  can  manage  to  plunder  the  government.  [Cheers.] 
This  is  an  excuse  of  traitors. 

•'  Mr.  Speaker :  Excuse  me.  I  feel  for  my  country  in  this 
her  hour  of  danger ;  I  feel  for  her  from  the  tips  of  my  toes  to 
the  ends  of  my  hair.  That  is  the  reason  that  I  speak  as  I  do. 
I  cannot  help  it.  I  am  bound  to  tell  these  men  to  their  teeth 
what  they  are,  and  what  the  people,  the  true  loyal  people,  think 
of  them. 

"  Mr.  Speaker  :  I  have  said  my  say.  I  am  no  speaker.  This 
is  the  only  speech  I  have  made ;  and  I  do  not  know  that  it  de- 
serves to  be  called  a  speech.  I  could  not  sit  still  any  longer, 
and  see  these  scoundrels  and  traitors  work  out  their  selfish 
schemes  to  destroy  the  Union.  They  have  my  sentiments.  Let 
them  one  and  all  make  the  most  of  them.  I  am  ready  to  back 
up  all  I  say,  and  I  repeat  it,  to  meet  these  traitors  in  any  manner 
they  may  choose,  from  a  pin's  point  to  the  mouth  of  a  cannon." 
The  legislature  was  sometimes  a  little  more  sharp  than  honest, 
and  it  is  refreshing  to  hear  the  opinion  of  an  honest  farmer 
spoken  boldly  and  fearlessly,  with  regard  to  some  of  its  acts  and 
doings.  The  following  is  "Senator  Funk's  protest  against  the 
bill  providing  for  the  payment  of  the  salaries  of  officers  in  gold, 
delivered  in  the  Senate  of  the   State,  Januaryl4th,  1865"  : 

Mr.  Funk  said  :  I  would  like  to  have  an  opportunity  to  make 
an  inquiry,  and  then  to  explain  my  position. 

Leave  being  given,  the  Honorable  Senator  proceeded  as  fol- 
lows : 

AVas  there  a  bill  passed  on  Thursday  last,  respecting  the  pay 
of  members  of  the  legislature  being  made  in  gold? 
The  speaker  :     Yes  sir. 

Mr.  Funk  :  Those  lawyers  understand  these  awkward  words, 
and  can  sift  them  out,  and  arrange  them,  and  comprehend  them 
better  than  I  can.  But  I  want  to  inquire  whether  it  has  ever 
been  the  practice  for  a  member  who  does  not  have  his  vote  re- 


m'lean  county.  587 

corded  either  for  or  against  a  measure,  in  consequence  of  his 
absence,  to  have  that  vote  recorded,  when  it  does  not  alter  the 
result  ? 

The  Speaker :  The  Senator  cannot  alter  the  vote,  but  he  can 
have  it  recorded  on  the  journal,  if  another  member  will  join  him 

in  requesting  it. 

Mr.  Funk:  I  would  like  to  have  mine  entered  on  the  journal. 

Mr.  Ward  :  I  second  the  request  of  the  senator,  and  will  join 
him,  so  that  there  may  he  two  names. 

Mr.  Funk  :  I  am  opposed  to  that  measure.     I  oppose  it  on 
principle.     I  think  that  we  were  sent  here  to  legislate ;  to   set 
good  examples ;  to  correct  errors  and  wrongs  ;  to  do  justice  to 
the  community,  and  to  ourselves  also.     Now,  if  a  law  had  been 
passed  to  pay  all  debts  in   gold,  I  would  not  say  much  about  it ; 
but  when  this  honorable  body  passed  a  law  to  pay  itself  in  gold, 
I  think  it  is  setting  a  very  poor  example.     Not  but  what  they  de- 
serve more  pay  than  they  get,  but  what  they  get  is  no  object  to 
any  member  here,  I  am  sure.     The  little,  pitiful   sum  that   any 
man  gets  who  represents  the  State  of  Illinois  in  the   General 
Assembly,  every  one  of  us  ought  to   disdain  to  stoop  down  and 
pick  up  in  the  road.     Xow,  for  my  own  part,  I  am  willing  to  re- 
ceive my  pay  as  a  senator,  just  as  they  pay  me  at  home  for  my 
cattle  and  my  hogs,  my  wheat  and  my  corn.     My  hired  men  I 
pay  in  common   currency,  and  I  do  not  think  we  are  any  better 
than  the  laboring  man.     I  think  that  the   labor  of   ourselves 
should  be  paid  in  the  same  kind  of  mone}^  that  pays   for  other 
things.     Now,  if  this  becomes  a  law,  it  will   come  up  from  the 
ostler  and  the  hired  men  in  this  State,  and  will  they  will  say  to 
us,  "Why,  my  dear  sir,  you  voted  yourselves  pay  in  gold,  won't 
you  give  it  to  us  ?"     What  kind  of  a  position  will  that  be  ?     I 
would  rather  go  without  a  cent  than  have  my  pay  in  that  way.    I 
object  to  it  on  principle.     I  do  not  mean  to  insinuate  anything 
against  any  man,  but  I  do  think  that  men  have  voted  without 
thinking  upon  the  evil  consequences.     Not  but  that  there  are 
men  here  who  can  tell  as  much  in  a  few  minutes  as  I  expect  to 
speak  in   all  my  life,  but  when   I  say  "yes,"  I  mean  "yes,"  and 
when  I  say  "no,"  I  mean  "no."     It  is  the  most  outrageous  thing 
I  ever  heard  of,  and  I  want  it  branded  upon  my  forehead  in 
letters  as  big  as  the  moon,  that  1  am  against  it,  and  shall  ever  be 
against  it." 


588  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

It  was  not  until  1864,  when  Mr.  Funk  had  become  very 
wealthy,  that  he  built  his  large  house,  the  homestead  of  the  fam- 
ily at  Funk's  Grove.  He  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  it,  and  only 
slept  in  it  twice  previous  to  his  death.  The  circumstances  of  his 
death  arc  as  follows  :  He  came  from  his  attendance  at  the  legis- 
lature at  Springfield  on  Saturday,  January  21, 1865,  to  his  residence 
at  Funk's  Grove.  On  the  following  day  his  health  seemed  poor- 
ly, and  on  Monday  he  came  to  Bloomington,  where  he  was  taken 
sick  abed  at  the  residence  of  his  son  Duncan.  His  disease  was 
erysipelas,  and  he  was  also  affected  with  diptheria.  On  Wednes- 
day his  wife  came  to  see  him  and  was  taken  sick  the  following 
day,  because  of  anxiety  for  her  husband.  They  both  had  all  the 
care  and  attention  which  medical  skill  could  give ;  but  all  was 
unavailing.  Mr.  Funk  died  at  five  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning 
the  twenty-ninth  day  of  January,  1865,  and  Mrs.  Funk  died  at 
about  nine  o'clock.  They  were  both  buried  at  Funk's  Grove  in 
a  burying  ground  selected  by  Mr.  Funk's  father. 

Mr.  Funk  was  about  five  feet  ten  and  one-half  inches  in  height 
and  weighed  about  two  hundred  pounds.  He  had  keen,  black 
eyes,  which  were  very  expressive,  especially  when  aroused.  His 
hair  was  jet  black  and  curly,  but  had  become  gray  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  His  nose  was  rather  prominent  and  somewhat  Roman. 
His  forehead  was  full  but  retreating,  showing  a  very  practical 
turn  of  mind.  He  was  very  quick  and  loud  spoken  and  was  ex- 
ceedingly independent.  He  had  a  great  deal  of  push  and  drive 
about  him  ;  indeed,  his  energy  was  wonderful.  He  was  very  quick 
tempered,  but  his  anger  did  not  last  long.  He  was  good-humored 
and  appreciated  a  joke  as  well  as  any  one.  He  was  very  accom- 
modating as  a  neighbor,  but  would  stand  no  imposition  from  any- 
one. He  loved  his  brothers  and  his  family,  all  of  his  relatives  : 
and  indeed  the  family  has  always  been  remarkable  for  the  entire 
absence  of  any  quarrelsome  disposition.  The  tender  affection 
existing  between  Isaac  Funk  and  his  brother  Absalom  was  in- 
deed remarkable.  The  latter  never  had  any  children,  and  all  of 
his  fatherly  feeling  seemed  lavished  upon  the  children  of  his 
In-other.  Isaac  Funk  never  made  any  will.  At  his  death  his 
property  was  divided  by  his  children  among  themselves,  without 
any  difficulty,  and  without  any  administration,  or  the  interven- 
tion of  any  outside  parties. 


m'lean  county.  589 

Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Funk  his  family  have  subscribed  ten 
thousand  dollars  to  endow  the  Isaac  Funk  Professorship  of  Agri- 
culture at  the  Wesleyan  University,  which  is  a  fine  testimonial 
to  the  worth  of  their  father. 

There  are  in  the  Funk  family  nine  children  living  and  one 
dead.  * 

George  "W.  Funk,  the  eldest,  was  born  on  the  fourteenth  of 
May,  1827.  He  is  about  five  feet  ten  and  a  half  inches  high, 
heavy  set,  broad-shouldered,  weighs  about  two  hundred  pounds, 
rather  full,  though  slightly  retreating  forehead,  gray  eyes,  coal 
black  hair,  well-formed  nose,  rather  prominent  and  a  little  Roman 
(all  the  Funk  noses  are  alike),  an  active  man,  good  business  ca- 
pacity, very  cautious,  perhaps  a  little  too  much  so,  and  not  very 
talkative.  He  was  married,  but  his  wife  is  now  dead ;  he  has 
one  child  living.  He  resides  at  Funk's  Grove,  about  fifteen  miles 
from  Bloomington.  He  lived  at  home  until  the  death  of  his 
father,  and  for  ten  years  before  that  time  attended  to  his  father's 
business. 

Adam  Funk  was  born  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  August,  1828, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  in  1847.  He  was  full  six  feet 
high,  a  little  round-shouldered,  and  had  black  hair  and  dark  eyes. 
He  was  a  remarkably  promising  young  man. 

Jacob  Funk  was  born  on  the  seventh  of  April,  1880.  He  is 
about  five  feet  and  ten  or  ten  and  a  half  inches  high ;  his  hair 
is  dark,  and  his  eyes  are  grayish ;  he  is  a  little  round-shouldered, 
weighs  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds,  is  a  good  business  man, 
a  stock-raiser  and  farmer,  lives  at  Funk's  Grove,  is  married,  and 
has  a  family  of  three  promising  children. 

Duncan  McArthur  Funk  was  born  on  the  first  of  June,  1832. 
He  is  five  feet  and  nine  and  a  half  inches  high,  weighs  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  pounds,  has  black  hair,  the  Funk  nose,  gray  eyes, 
prominent  cheek-bones,  has  first-rate  business  capacity,  (this  is 
characteristic  of  all  the  Funks,)  is  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  lives 
in  Bloomington,  is  married  and  has  a  family  of  two  fine  chil- 
dren. 

Marquis  De  Lafayette  Funk  was  born  on  the  twentieth  of 
Janmuw,  1834.  He  is  six  feet  in  height,  has  dark  hair  and  dark 
eyes,  is  straight  built,  weighs  from  one  hundred  and  eighty-five 
to  one  hundred  and  ninety  pounds,  has  the  best  improved  farm 


590  •  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

for  the  size  in  McLean  County,  and  raises  some  of  the  finest 
stock.  He  is  married  and  has  had  two  children,  one  of  whom  is 
living. 

Francis  Marion  Funk  was  born  on  the  thirteenth  of  August, 
1836.  He  is  about  five  feet  eight  and  a  half  inches  high,  small 
bones,  weighs  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds,  has  dark  hair  and 
dark  eyes,  has  all  the  marks  and  traits  of  character  for  which  the 
Funks  are  distinguished,  including  good  business  capacity  and 
the  Funk  nose  !     He  is  married  and  has  two  children. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Funk  was  born  on  the  seventeenth  of 
October,  1837.  He  is  six  feet  in  height,  has  dark  hair  and  eyes, 
is  straight  and  well  proportioned,  is  a  man  of  good  judgment, 
served  for  a  while  in  the  army,  has  been  four  times  chosen  mayor 
ofBloomington,  the  three  last  times  without  opposition,  and  fills  the 
position  with  credit  to  the  city.    He  is  married  and  has  one  child. 

Absalom  Funk  was  born  on  the  third  of  March,  1842.  He  is 
about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  high,  weighs  one  hundred  and 
sixty  pounds,  is  straight  built,  served  for  a  while  in  the  army,  is 
a  good  business  man,  of  course,  is  married  and  lives  in  Blooni- 
ington. 

Isaac  Funk,  jr.,  was  born  on  the  thirteenth  of  May,  1844.  He 
is  the  youngest  son.  He  is  five  feet  ten  and  one  half  inches  in 
height,  is  straight  built,  has  dark  hair  and  eyes,  served  for  a  while 
in  the  army,  is  married  and  has  two  children,  is  a  farmer,  and 
lives  on  the  homestead  at  Funk's  Grove. 

Sarah  Funk,  now  Mrs.  Kerrick,  was  born  on  the  fourteenth  of 
May,  1846.  She  is  the  only  daughter.  She  is  married  to  Hon. 
L.  II.  Kerrick,  lately  a  member  of  the  legislature. 

The  family  of  Isaac  Funk  is,  indeed,  a  happy  one ;  happy  in 
the  affection  which  each  of  its  members  have  for  the  others ;  and 
they  form  a  monument  to  the  worth  of  their  father  more  beauti- 
ful and  more  enduring  than  can  be  chiseled  from  marble. 

Robert  Peoples  Funk. 

Robert  P.  Funk  was  born  November  14, 1805,  in  Clark  Coun- 
ty, Kentucky.  When  he  was  two  years  old  the  family  moved  to 
Fayette  County,  Ohio.  Two  of  his  brothers,  John  and  Jacob 
Funk,  were  soldiers  in  the  war  of  1812.  The  Funk  family  farmed 
and  raised  stock  in  Ohio  and  hunted  bear,  deer,  panthers,  wolves, 


m'lean  county.  501 

coons  and  foxes.  They  often  had  great  fun  with  bears,  when  the 
latter  were  tackled  by  dogs.  The  unfortunate  dog,  that  fell  into  the 
clutches  of  a  wounded  hear,  was  squeezed  to  death.  The  dogs 
worried  the  hears  by  taking  hold  of  their  hindquarters,  and  when 
the  bears  turned,  the  dogs  let  loose.  Mr.  Funk  has  often  hunted 
deer  and  greatly  enjoyed  the  sport.  He  has  seen  deer  with  their 
antlers  locked  together  and  unable  to  loosen  themselves.  The 
first  deer  he  killed  were  fastened  together  in  this  way.  He  has 
had  some  lively  adventures  with  deer.  He  once  caught  a  wounded 
buck  in  a  creek,  and  partly  cut  its  throat  with  his  knife,  when 
the  lively  animal  knocked  the  knife  from  his  hand  and  tore  the 
clothes  nearly  off  from  him ;  but  he  succeeded  in  drowning  it  in 
the  creek.  This  incident  happened  after  he  came  to  Funk's  Grove. 
Mr.  Funk  has  often  chased  wolves  with  hounds,  but  the  wolves 
were  so  large  and  strong  that  the  dogs  could  make  no  fight.  The 
hunters  killed  the  wolves  after  the  dogs  ran  them  down.  Mr.  Funk 
chased  the  first  wolf  he  killed  about  twenty-five  miles.  He  has 
often  hunted  coons,  going  after  them  in  the  night-time,  during 
summer,  and  in  the  day-time  during  winter.  They  keep  pretty 
close  in  their  quarters  during  winter,  but  occasionally  come  out 
to  look  around.  The  foxes  were  hunted  with  hounds  and  would 
play  the  most  cunning  tricks  to  elude  pursuit.  They  would  walk 
out  on  a  fallen  tree  and  jump  from  a  limb  and  the  hounds  would 
be  puzzled  for  a  long  time  in  finding  the  trail,  and  the  foxes  in 
the  mean  while  would  be  running  at  the  top  of  their  speed.  AVhen 
foxes  are  pressed  very  hard  in  the  race,  they  take  refuge  in  holes 
and,  when  caught,  make  a  hard  fight.  It  requires  a  very  good 
dog  to  master  one  of  them.  Foxes  are  proverbially  cunning  in 
their  depredations.  Mr.  Funk  once  watched  a  fox,  as  it  stole  a 
goose.  It  came  up  a  short  distance  very  slyly,  then  stopped  and 
looked  around,  then  came  closer  and  made  another  halt,  and  in 
this  way  approached  and  at  last  jumped  up  quickly,  grabbed  a 
goose  and  ran  without  looking  to  the  right  or  left. 

Mr.  Funk  came  to  what  is  now  McLean  County,  Illinois,  in 
the  fall  of  1824  with  his  brother  Jesse  and  their  father  Adam 
Funk,  liobert  lived  three  years  with  his  brother  Isaac  and  then 
went  with  a  team  to  the  mining  country,  where  he  hauled  mine- 
ral. There  he  succeeded  well.  The  mining  country  was  the 
abode  of  the  hardest  characters,  and  sometimes  the  party  to  which 


592  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Funk  belonged  had  trouble.  The  miners  would  fight  with 
any  thing  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  clubs,  stones,  guns,  fry- 
ing pans,  skillets,  in  fact  anything,  which  could  be  handled.  But 
it  was  very  seldom,  that  any  shooting  was  done.  At  one  time 
Jacob  Funk  sold  beef  to  some  miners  on  credit  and  they  refused 
to  pay.  After  a  little  talk  he  threatened  to  whip  a  few  of  them. 
They  said  that  was  what  they  wanted,  and  they  grasped  their 
clubs  and  skillets  and  attacked  him  and  his  party  and  tried  to 
clear  the  room.  But  the  ceiling  of  the  house,  where  they  were 
haying  the  difficulty,  was  low,  and  when  they  attempted  to  strike 
with  their  skillets,  they  hit  the  wall  above  and  soon  found  them- 
selves badlv  whipped.     On  the  following  day  they  asked  for  a 

v  A.  J.  O  v  v 

pitched  battle,  but  at  last  concluded  to  pay  the  bill  and  let  the 
matter  drop.  Robert  Funk  often  went  back  and  forth  from 
Funk's  Grove  to  Galena  with  droves  of  swine  for  his  brothers 
Isaac,  Absalom  and  Jesse.  In  December,  1830,  Robert  Funk 
went  with  Jesse  Funk,  James  Burlinson  and  two  others  to  take  a 
drove  of  swine  belonging  to  Jesse  Funk,  to  Galena.  When  they 
crossed  the  Illinois  River,  some  of  the  pigs  collected  together  in 
a  huddle  and  broke  through  the  ice  and  were  drowned.  Thev 
went  on  past  Crow  Creek  timber  to  Smith's  Grove,  thence  on  to 
Inlet  Creek  and  a  mile  beyond.  But  it  was  now  intensely  cold 
and  the  snow  was  deep,  as  this  was  the  celebrated  winter  of  the 
deep  snow.  The  party  had  no  shelter  and  left  the  pigs  in  some 
slough  grass  and  started  back  to  Smith's  Grove.  They  had  diffi- 
cult}' in  finding  the  road,  and  on  account  of  the  bitter  cold  some 
proposed  to  kill  a  horse  and  put  their  feet  into  it  to  keep  from 
freezing,  and  it  was  suggested  that  they  draw  lots  to  decide 
whose  horse  should  be  killed.  But  this  idea  was  abandoned. 
Late  at  night  thev  found  a  home  at  Smith's  Grove.  The  next 
day  they  went  to  Rock  River  and  crossed  at  Ogee's  Ferry,  where 
Dixon  now  stands,  and  remained  there  two  days.  Then  they  went 
to  what  was  called  "White  Oak  Grove  and  stayed  three  days. 
While  there,  a  man  came  to  them  with  an  ox-load  of  corn  from 
Ogee's  Ferrv,  and  after  delivering  the  corn  started  back;  but  he 
became  so  cold  that  he  unyoked  his  oxen  and  went  to  the  ferry 
on  foot.  His  feet  were  severely  frozen  and  his  oxen  were  frozen 
to  death.  When  Jesse  Funk  and  his  party  started  out  from 
White   Oak  Grove  to  go  to  Burr  Oak,  lie  hired  a  man,  named 


m'lean  county.  593 

Gratiot,  to  go  ahead  and  break  the  road  with  his  wagon.     The 
latter  did  so  for  a  short  distance,  but  he  became  so  cold,  that  he  put 
the  whip  to  his  horses  and  went  on  in  a  hurry.     The  snow  drifted 
in  the  track  and  covered  it  up,  and  the  party  did  not  arrive  at 
Burr  Oak  Grove  until  late.     While  on  this  day's  journey,  one  of 
the  men  in  the  party  was  about  to  freeze  to  death,  when  Jesse 
Funk  threatened  to  thrash  him  and  made  him  run  around  and 
get  warm.     This  was  a  terrible  day's  journey  and  many  of  the 
hogs  were  frozen  to  death.     They  would  put  their  long  snouts 
in  the  snow  and  squeal  and  freeze  and  fall  over  dead  ;  and  before 
the  party  could  go  fifty  steps  from  them  the  wolves  would  be  on 
them  eating  them  up.     Sometimes  the  wolves  would  begin  eating 
the  hogs  before  the  latter  were  fairly  dead.     About  fifty  hogs 
were  left  eight  miles  south  of  Burr  Oak  Grove,  as  they  had  their 
eyes  frozen  up.     At  Burr  Oak  Grove  the  swine  received  a  feed 
of  blue  Indian  corn,  for  which  Jesse  Funk  paid  one  dollar  and  a 
half  per  bushel.     They  started  away  from  Burr  Oak  Grove  to 
Apple  River,  and  again  Mr.  Gratiot  was  hired  to  break  the  way 
with  his  wagon.     He  started  out  and  again  ran  away  from  the 
party,  leaving  them  with  the  cold  wind  and  the  snow  drifts  on 
the  prairie.     They  went  to  Apple  River  and  there  found  a  man 
severely  frozen,  who  said  his  partner  was  out  in  the  snow  frozen 
to   death.      Search  was  made  for  the  missing  man  and  he  was 
found  dead  and  stiff.      The  party  went  on  to  Wildcat  Creek  and 
sold  forty  of  the  pigs  and  then  traveled  to  Galena.     Here  the 
hogs  were  butchered  and  sold  out.     At  the  commencement  of 
the  journey  they  weighed  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hun- 
dred pounds,  but  on  their  arrival  at  Galena,  after  a  journey  of  forty- 
five  days,  they  weighed  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  pounds  each. 

Jesse  and  Robert  Funk  started  home.  When  they  arrived  at 
Crow  Creek  they  found  a  party,  who  were  going  through  from 
Peoria  to  Galena  in  four  sleighs,  but  who  had  broken  down, 
while  about  two  miles  from  Crow  Creek.  All  of  the  party  had 
walked  in,  except  two  women,  and  help  was  sent  out  for  them. 
One  was  carried  in  for  about  half  a  mile  on  a  sheet  and  Robert 
Funk  carried  her  the  remainder  of  the  way  on  his  horse  ;  he  also 
carried  the  other  woman  some  distance  on  his  horse.  They  were 
both  severely  frozen,  and  the  first  one  was  not  able  to  speak  for 
38 


594  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

eight  hours.  It  was  during  this  severe  winter  that  Mr.  Gratiot, 
the  Indian  agent,  had  a  party  of  five  men  with  twenty-one  yoke 
of  oxen  drawing  goods  from  Peoria  to  near  Galena.  Four  of  the 
men  and  all  hut  three  of  the  oxen  were  frozen  to  death.  The 
goods  remained  for  two  or  three  weeks  on  the  prairie  before  they 
could  be  brought  in. 

During  this  same  winter  two  men,  who  were  traveling,  came 
within  two  miles  of  Smith's  Grove,  which  is  south  of  Inlet  Creek. 
There  they  became  very  cold  and  crawled  under  the  snow  to  get 
warm.  Soon  they  became  very  warm  and  comfortable,  but  the 
snow  melted  down  on  them  and  made  them  wet,  and  when  they 
started  for  Smith's  Grove,  one  of  them  froze  to  death.  Jesse  and 
Robert  Funk  came  home  without  further  adventure. 

The  settlers  were,  in  the  early  days,  much  troubled  by  wolves, 
which  killed  the  sheep  and  little  pigs  ;  but  Robert  Funk  had  a 
plucky  merino  ram,  which  would  drive  oft*  the  wolves  and  protect 
the  flock.  It  was  a  very  fine  one,  which  had  been  brought  from 
Ohio.  Mr.  Funk  remembers  particularly  how  this  ram  managed 
the  fight,  when  the  flock  was  attacked  by  a  wolf.  It  ran  out 
boldly  at  the  wolf  and  kept  it  back  until  the  flock  retreated  three 
or  four  hundred  yards,  when  the  ram  also  retreated  and  again 
faced  about  towards  the  wolf.  This  process  was  repeated  until 
the  flock  was  clear  out  of  danger.  But  the  ram  kept  up  the  fight 
until  the  wolf  was  worried  out  and  panted  for  breath,  and  then 
the  victorious  ram  frisked  his  heels  and  shook  his  tail  triumphant- 
ly and  went  to  the  flock. 

It  was  a  great  source  of  amusement  for  the  settlers  to  chase 
wolves.  The  settlers  around  Funk's  Grove  were  particularly 
troubled  by  a  large  gray  wolf,  which  they  chased  man}*  times,  but 
could  never  catch.  At  last  they  got  up  a  great  chase  and  went  after 
it.  They  started  it  near  Funk's  Grove  and  chased  it  to  Kickapoo 
timber,  thence  to  Randolph's  Grove,  thence  to  south  end  of 
Blooming  Grove,  thence  down  to  Atlanta,  thence  up  eighteen 
miles  to  Twin  Grove,  thence  back  to  Short  Point  on  the  Kicka- 
poo,  thence  down  below  the  present  village  of  McLean,  thence 
up  towards  Blooming  Grove,  where  the  long-winded  wolf  was 
caught.  During  this  long  chase  the  wolf  kept  the  sloughs  as 
much  as  possible,  and  when  it  did  so,  it  gained  on  its  pursuers. 
It  ran  on  that  day  fully  fifty  miles,  but  was  utterly  broken  down 
and  could  run  no  more. 


M'LEAN    COUNTY.  595 

The  settlers,  while  riding  around  the  country,  always  expected 
to  chase  wolves.  At  one  time,  when  Robert  Funk  went  to  make 
a  visit,  he  caught  a  wolf  and  brought  it  in  for  the  admiration  of 
the  good  looking  young  lady,  who  afterwards  became  Mrs.  Funk. 

The  large  gray  wolves  sometimes  collected  in  packs  and  were 
dangerous.  At  one  time  a  daughter  of  James  Murphy,  about 
fiiteen  years  of  age,  when  about  two  miles  from  home,  was 
chased  by  a  pack  of  eleven  large  gray  wolves.  She  ran  towards 
home  ;  but  when  within  half  a  mile  of  the  house,  she  was  com- 
pelled to  climb  a  tree.  She  hallooed  to  her  father  and  the  old 
gentleman  came  with  his  gun  to  her  assistance.  But  the  wolves 
refused  to  retreat,  until  he  had  shot  down  two  or  three  of  them. 
Tins  happened  about  the  year  1838. 

Robert  Funk  married,  May  13,  1830,  Virginia  Springfield. 
He  has  had  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  living.  They  are : 

Mrs.  Nancy  M.  Ward,  widow  of  Levi  Ward,  lives  in  Blooni- 
ington. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Ward,  wife  of  Noah  Ward,  lives  four  miles 
northeast  of  Cheney's  Grove. 

William  Funk  lives  about  live  miles  northwest  of  Funk's 
Grove. 

Fanny  Enphenia  Funk  lives  at  home  with  her  father. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Temperance  Finner,  wife  of  William  Finner, 
lives  about  a  mile  northwest  of  her  father's  house. 

Tabitha  Garmen  Funk  lives  at  home  with  her  father  at  Funk's 
Grove. 

Robert  Funk  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  is 
very  muscular  and  tough,  can  endure  heat,  cold  and  fatigue,  has 
an  enormous  head  of  hair,  which  shows  his  great  vitality.  He 
is  kind-hearted,  generous  and  hospitable,  and  has  that  quality, 
which  is  so  marked  a  characteristic  of  the  family,  of  which  he  is 
a  member,  that  is — courage.  He  has  seen  some  of  the  rougher 
phases  of  frontier  life,  but  lives  quietly  and  contentedly  at  his 
home  in  Funk's  Grove. 


596  old  settlers  of 

Robert   Stubblefield. 

The  greater  part  of  this  sketch  of  Robert  Stubblefield  is  taken 
from  a  memoir,  written  by  the  Rev.  John  Barger. 

"Robert  Stubblefield  was  born  November  23,  1793,  in  the 
county  of  Halifax,  Virginia.  He  was  the  son  of  Edward  Stubble- 
field, sen.,  who  was  the  son  of  John  Stubblefied,  who,  with  two 
brothers,  Edward  and  William,  came  from  England.  Edward 
Stubblefield,  sen.,  the  father  of  Robert  Stubblefield,  married  Miss 
Lightfoot  Munford,  daughter  of  William  Green  Munford.  His 
wife's  maiden  name  was  Ann  Stanhope ;  their  daughter,  Mary 
Lightfoot,  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  acted  as  private  secretary  to 
her  father.  Mr.  Robert  Stubblefield,  the  subject  of  this  memoir, 
was  therefore  a  grandson  of  Mr.  William  Green  and  Ann  Munford. 
Mr.  Munford  was  from  England  and  served  his  adopted  country 
as  a  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  colonel  not  only  de- 
voted  his  personal  energies,  but  loaned  the  government  a  large 
amount  of  his  means  (and  he  was  wealthy)  towards  freeing  his 
country  from  the  Brittanic  yoke. 

"This  loan,  in  consequence  of  the  loss  of  the  papers  by  fire,, 
was  never  recovered;  but  in  virtue  of  a  provision  made  by  Con- 
gress for  the  compensation  of  the  Revolutionary  soldiers  and  offi- 
cers, Mrs.  Mary  Lightfoot  Stubblefield,  after  the  death  of  her 
lather,  Col.  Munford,  and  being  at  the  time  his  onlv  surviving' 
child,  applied  for  and  obtained  a  land  warrant  from  the  govern- 
ment for  6,666  acres  of  land.  This  warrant  was  laid  on  land  in 
Ohio,  which  is  now  worth,  perhaps,  more  than  half  a  million  of 
dollars,  (the  writer's  supposition,)  to  which  the  heirs  of  Mr.  Rob- 
ert Stubblefield,  and  those  of  his  brother  John  Stubblefield,  who 
have  never  received  any  portion  thereof,  are  entitled,  to  say  the 
least  of  it,  to  a  pro  rata  interest  therein  with  the  other  heirs  of 
Col.  Munford,  who  have,  at  least  a  part  of  them,  shared  the  whole 
of  it. 

"In  his  nineteenth  year,  at  the  first  call  for  volunteers, Robert 
Stubblefield  entered  the  service  of  his  country,  in  the  war  of  1812. 
His  company,  consisting  of  ninety-six  men,  exclusive  of  officers, 
was  stationed  at  Norfolk, Virginia,  and  all,  except  himself  and  one 
other  soldier,  soon  died  of  the  yellow  fever,  and  he  himself  came 
very  near  dying  of  that  fearful  malady.     He  was  regularly  dis- 


m'lean  county.  507 

charged,  though  by  the  death  of  his  captain  he  failed  to  obtain 
his  discharge  papers ;  and  by  the  authorities  was  conveyed  to  the 
place  of  his  enlistment  to  die,  as  it  was  supposed,  among  his 
friends.  By  this  removal  and  the  attention  of  his  friends,  with 
the  blessing  of  God,  his  life  was  preserved.  His  friends  again 
•  removed  him  to  the  home  of  his  brother  Edward  Stubblefield  ; 
here  he  soon  recovered  his  health,  and  his  brother,  having  located 
land  in  Ohio,  and  wishing  to  see  after  it,  and  Robert  desiring  to 
see  the  country,  accompanied  him  in  1812.  He  married  Miss 
Sarah  Funk  the  14th  day  of  April,  1814,  who  died  December  13, 
1821.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Adam  Funk,  and  sister  to  Isaac, 
Jesse  and  Robert  Funk,  whose  sketches  appear  in  this  volume. 
She  died  in  Ohio.  By  this  first  marriage  Mr.  Stubblefield  had 
four  children:  Absalom,  Ann,  Mary  and  John. 

On  the  29th  day  of  July,  1822,  he  married  Miss  Dorothy  Funk, 
sister  of  his  former  wife.  By  this  latter  marriage  Mr.  Stubble- 
field  had  nine  other  children.  They  are :  George  Maley,  Jesse, 
Francis,  Adam,  Eve,  Edward,  Isaac,  William  Royal  Chase  and 
Charles  Wesley,  in  all,  thirteen  children.  Jesse,  the  sixth  child 
of  Mr.  Stubblefield,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Funk's 
Grove.  Adam  died,  returning  from  Memphis,  whither  he  had 
gone  to  visit  Isaac,  his  sick  soldier  brother,  and  to  seek  for  him  a 
furlough  and  bring  him  home." 

Robert  Stubblefield  came  to  Funk's  Grove  in  December,  1824, 
and  settled  first  in  the  north  end.  In  1825  he  settled  in  the  place, 
Avhere  he  lived  until  his  death.  He  went  to  farming  immediately. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  powers  of  endurance  and  thought  little 
of  the  very  severe  hardships  to  which  the  early  settlers  were  sub- 
jected. In  the  spring  of  1825  he  went  to  Springfield  for  iron  to 
make  a  plow  and  carried  it  home  on  horseback.  His  wheat  was 
ground  at  Blooming  Grove,  on  Ebenezer  Rhodes'  hand-mill,which 
was  made  in  1824. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  Robert  Stubblefield  and 
his  brother  John  went  to  mill,  and  on  their  return  were  cauffht 
in  the  first  great  heavy  snow  fall  and  were  unable  to  bring  home 
their  grist,  but  forced  to  throw  their  sacks  of  meal  out  in  the  snow 
and  bury  them  for  a  few  days;  but  they  afterwards  returned  and 
brought  the  sacks  home. 


598  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

During  the  winter  of  1831-32,  Robert  Stubblefield,  with  a 

number  of  others,  were  taking  some  pigs  to  Galena  and  were 
lost  in  the  snow.  The  stage,  which  carried  the  mail,  passed  the 
party  and  went  on  to  Gratiot's  Grove  and  gave  news  of  their 
coming  to  a  man  named  Chambers.  The  latter  fired  guns  as  sig- 
nals and  late  at  night  the  party  came  in.  They  went  on  to  Galena, 
after  some  delay  and  made  beds  in  the  snow  to  camp  out  at  night. 
On  their  return  from  Galena  they  became  lost  once  more,  when 
Mr.  Stubblefield  gave  the  reins  to  his  horse  and  the  intelligent 
animal  brought  out  his  rider  safely  to  Mr.  Chambers'  house.  Mr. 
Stubblefield  often  drove  stock  of  various  kind  to  Chicago,  Peo- 
ria and  other  points.  During  one  winter,  while  driving  a  load  of 
pork  across  Peoria  Lake,  the  ice  began  to  crack  beneath.  He 
hurried  up  his  team  and  arrived  at  the  shore  just  as  the  ice  broke 
up. 

During  the  sudden  change  of  the  weather  in  December,  1836, 
Mr.  Stubblefield  was  coming:  home  from  Peoria.  When  the  cold 
wind  struck  him  he  drove  to  a  mill  about  three  miles  distant,  but 
came  near  freezing  to  death  before  arriving  there.  He  came  home 
the  next  day,  but  could  not  cross  Sugar  Creek  with  his  team,  for 
the  stream  had  overflowed  and  was  half  a  mile  wide  and  was  a 
glare  of  ice,  on  which  his  horses  could  not  stand.  He  went  home 
on  foot  and  returned  with  help,  ran  his  wagon  over  on  the  ice, 
cut  the  ice  and  made  it  rough  for  his  horses  to  walk  and  brought 
them  across.  His  stock  suffered  severely  and  many  of  his  pigs 
were  frozen  to  death. 

Robert  Stubblefield  raised  a  large  family  of  children,  who, 
like  their  father,  have  all  been  remarkably  successful  in  life. 
They  are  : 

Absalom  Stubblefield,  who  lives  in  the  north  end  of  Funk's 
Grove. 

Mrs.  Ann  Lightner,  who  lives  in  Randolph's  Grove. 

Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Groves,  wife  of  Esau  Groves,  lives  three  miles 
west  of  Funk's  Grove  in  Mt.  Hope. 

John  Stubblefield  lives  in  the  northern  edge  of  Funk's  Grove. 

George  Maley  Stubblefield  lives  about  two  miles  west  of  Funk's 
Grove  in  Mt.  Hope  township. 

Jesse  Stubblefield  lives  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Funk's  Grove 
in  Mt.  Hope  township. 


m'lean  county.  599 

Mrs.  Frances  Murphy,  wife  of  William  Murphy,  lives  about 
two  miles  west  of  Funk's  Grove  in  Mt.  Hope  township. 

Adam  Stubblefield  died  while  on  a  visit  to  Isaac  Stubblefield, 
when  the  latter  was  sick  in  the  army. 

Eve  Stubblefield  lives  at  home  with  her  mother. 

Edward  Stubblefield  lives  three  miles  west  of  Funk's  Grove 
in  Mt.  Hope  township. 

Isaac  Stubblefield  lives  two  miles  and  a  half  west  of  Funk's 
Grove  in  Mt.  Hope  township.  He  was  a  soldier  during  the  re- 
bellion. 

William  Royal  Chase  Stubblefield  lives  two  and  one-half  miles 
west  of  Funk's  Grove  in  Mt.  Hope  township. 

Charles  Wesley  Stubblefield  takes  care  of  his  mother  at  the 
old  homestead. 

Robert  Stubblefield  died  June  8,  1870,  while  talking  to  his 
son  Jesse,  sitting  on  the  porch  of  his  new  house  at  Funk's 
Grove.  He  was  fully  six  feet  in  height,  and  was  heavy  in  build, 
weighing  about  two  hundred  pounds.  He  was  a  very  muscular 
and  determined  man  and  not  afraid  of  anything.  He  was  very 
successful  in  life,  was  one  of  the  best  and  kindest  of  neighbors, 
and  stood  high  in  the  confidence  of  the  community.  He  was  a 
very  conscientious  man,  and  decided  in  his  religious  opinions. 
He  was  scrupulously  honest  in  all  his  transactions  and  had  a  thor- 
ough contempt  for  meanness  and  dishonesty  in  others. 

Absalom  Stubblefield. 

Absalom  Stubblefield,  eldest  son  of  Robert  Stubblefield,  was 
born  November  27,  1815,  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio.  In  1824  he 
came  with  the  Stubblefield  family  to  Funk's  Grove,  in  what  is 
now  McLean  County,  Illinois.  The  family  traveled  with  an  ox- 
team,  as  was  usual  in  those  days.  They  came  first  to  Randolph 
and  afterwards  to  Blooming  Grove,  by  mistake,  then  went  to 
Funk's  Grove.  Mr.  Stubblefield's  first  experience  was  a  hard 
wrestle  with  a  little  Indian  boy,  a  son  of  Jim  Buck,  one  of  the 
chiefs  of  the  Ivickapoos.  The  boys  were  of  about  the  same  age 
and  size,  but  Absalom  had  the  muscle  and  brought  the  little  In- 
dian to  the  ground.  This  was  at  Blooming  Grove,  whither  the 
family  had  gone,  when  it  first  came  to  McLean  County,  thinking 
it  Funk's  Grove,  being  misled  by  their  directions.     When  they 


600  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

saw  their  mistake  they  came  to  Funk's  Grove.  The  only  family 
then  living  at  the  latter  grove  was  that  of  William  Brock.  Isaac 
and  Absalom  Funk  were  then  living-  with  Brock.  The  Stubble- 
field  family  arrived  there  December  18,  1824,  and  immediately 
began  farming.  When  Absalom  Stubblefield  became  old  enough  he 
hunted  wolves,  which  he  killed  with  a  hickory  club.  The  Kicka- 
poo  Indians  were  then  plentier  than  game.  Old  Machina,  the 
chief,  was  very  friendly.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  fought 
against  the  United  States,  as  he  was  promised  a  great  many  ponies 
by  the  British,  if  he  would  whip  the  whites.  In  the  war  of  1812 
he  led  on  his  warriors  to  the  fight,  but  saw  them  fearfully  cut  to 
pieces  at  Tippecanoe,  and  he  received  no  compensation  for  his 
trouble  or  his  losses,  and  he  declared  that  he  would  never  again 
fight  against  the  whites.  During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow, 
Absalom  Stubblefield  went  to  mill  ten  miles  distant  on  the  Kicka- 
poo.  He  was  obliged  to  break  the  way  with  horses,  and  as  the 
horses  on  the  lead  became  tired,  those  in  the  rear  were  put  ahead 
to  break  the  wav.  During  this  winter  the  horses  and  cattle  were 
fed  on  a  piece  of  ground,  which  was  tramped  over  and  over  again, 
and  the  ice,  where  they  stood,  was  not  thawed  until  in  June  and 
July.  In  December,  1836,  when  the  sudden  change  in  the  weather 
came,  Mr.  Stubblefield  was  at  the  house  of  Robert  Funk,  where 
had  been  snowballing.  Suddenly  the  wind  came  cold  from  the 
west.  Mr.  Stubblefield  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  home,  and 
on  his  arrival  there,  was  frozen  fast  to  his  saddle,  and  was  obliged 
to  give  himself  a  hard  wrench  to  get  loose. 

When  Absalom  Stubblefield  was  only  nine  or  ten  years  old, 
he  selected  the  place,  where  he  determined  to  have  his  farm,  and 
was  advised  by  his  grandfather  to  deal  in  stock,  to  raise  calves 
and  sell  them,  and  when  they  became  large,  to  buy  his  land. 
He  made  some  money  by  splitting  rails,  then  bought  calves, 
raised  and  sold  them,  and  earned  fifty  dollars,  with  which  he 
entered  forty  acres  of  land. 

Mr.  Stubblefield  has  had  some  experience  with  fires  on  the 
prairie,  though  he  has  always  been  well  protected  by  Sugar  Creek, 
as  the  forks  are  on  the  east  and  west.  But  he  has  often  been 
called  on  to  fight  fire  for  his  neighbors.  At  the  south  end  of 
Funk's  Grove  the  settlers  were  unprotected,  and  those  across  the 
prairie  on  the  Kickapoo  were  also  exposed  to  fire,  and  the  settlers 


m'lean  county.  601 

on  each  side  were  anxious  to  have  it  fired  in  the  fall,  when  the 
wind  was  blowing  away  towards  the  other  side  of  the  prairie. 
When  the  wind  blew  from  the  south,  the  settlers  on  Ivickapoo 
were  likely  to  take  advantage  of  it,  and  send  the  fire  rolling  up 
to  Funk's  Grove ;  but  if  it  blew  from  the  north,  some  one  at 
Funk's  Grove  was  likely  to  fire  the  prairie  and  send  the  fire  over 
to  "  those  fellows  on  Ivickapoo." 

The  old  settlers  loved  their  practical  jokes,  and  Mr.  Stubble- 
field  tells  a  good  one,  which  was  played  upon  a  "  fresh"  young 
man,  who  wished  to  steal  watermelons.  James  Biggs  told  the 
young  man  of  the  sight,  and  so  aroused  his  imagination,  that  he 
determined  to  go  after  them.  They  were  on  the  premises  near 
where  Mr.  Delavan  now  lives.  The  young  man  went  for  them, 
and  Biggs,  who  was  secreted  near  by,  watching  the  performance, 
fired  a  charge  at  him.  The  "  fresh"  young  gentleman  ran  for 
home,  but  in  his  fright  fell  into  a  pond  of  water  and  lost  his 
watch,  but  found  his  way  out  and  reached  home  covered  with 
mud. 

Mr.  Stubblefield  has  led  a  hardy  out-of-door  life,  and  has  be- 
come very  well  developed.  He  is  six  feet  and  one  inch  in  height, 
and  weighs  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  pounds.  He  is  very 
muscular,  and  in  his  youth  practised  wrestling,  which  was  con- 
sidered by  the  early  settlers  the  best  of  sport.  He  is  exceedingly 
humorous,  and  never  likes  to  see  a  joke  spoiled  for  relation's 
sake.  He  has  been  a  successful  farmer,  is  very  prompt  to  meet 
his  obligations,  and  his  word  is  as  good  as  the  best  security.  He 
has  been  married  three  times,  and  has  always  been  happy  in  his 
domestic  life. 

He  married  Miss  Eliza  Pearson,  February  23,  1840.  By  this 
marriage  he  had  six  children,  of  whom  four  are  living.  They 
are  : 

Mifflin  H.  Stubblefield  lives  in  DeWitt  County. 

Thomas  T.  Stubblefield  lives  five  miles  northwest  of  his 
father's. 

Jesse  P.  Stubblefield  lives  in  Dale  township. 

Robert  W.  Stubblefield  lives  at  home. 

Mrs.  Stubblefield  died  October  11,  1851.  On  the  second  of 
September,  1852,  Mr.  Stubblefield  married  Miss  Alley  Wilson, 


602  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

of  DeWitt   Count  v.     Bv  this  marriage  he  had  six  children,  of 
whom  five  are  living.     They  are  : 

Asa,  "William  J.,  Lafayette,  Charlotte  and  Mary  A.  Stubble- 
field,  all  of  whom  live  at  home.  Mrs.  Alley  Stubblefield  died 
April  18,  1869.  On  the  twenty-fourth  of  January,  1870,  Mr. 
Stubblefield  married  Mrs.  Campbell,  widow  of  Mark  Campbell 
of  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania.  Xo  children  have  been  born 
by  the  latter  marriage.  She  has  three  children :  David,  Mary 
Bell  and  William  Wilson  Campbell. 

John  Stubblefield. 

John  Stubblefield,  second  son  of  Robert  Stubblefield,  was 
born  June  4,  1820,  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio.  The  family  came 
to  Funk's  Grove  in  December,  1824,  as  stated  in  other  sketches. 

He  remembers  very  clearly  the  Indians,  and  particularly  recol- 
lects seeing  the  squaws  dry  the  venison  on  sticks  over  coals  of 
fire,  in  order  to  preserve  it.  He  remembers  many  curious  mat- 
ters of  the  early  days,  which  are  very  uncommon  with  the  changed 
condition  of  the  country.  He  remembers  the  wild  pea-vines, 
which  once  grew  in  the  timber  and  bore  a  fruit,  which  he  liked 
to  eat,  and  which  furnished  food  for  horses  and  cattle  in  early 
spring  time.  The  nettles  were  then  thick,  the  grass  on  the  prairie 
was  high  and  its  roots  were  strong  and  fibrous,  making  it  very 
hard  work  indeed  to  break  the  ground.  This  difficulty  was  then 
far  greater  than  it  would  be  now,  as  the  settlers  were  then  obliged 
to  use  the  old  bar-shear  plow,  which  was  not  a  convenient  imple- 
ment to  turn  the  sod.  The  vegetation  has  changed  with  the  com- 
ing of  civilization,  even  where  the  ground  has  been  left  uncul- 
tivated. The  horseweed,  which  the  horses  liked  so  well,  is  now 
never  seen.  The  prairie  grass  is  gone,  and  the  fine  blue  grass 
takes  its  place.  He  remembers  the  deep  snow,  and  how  the  people 
beat  their  corn  in  a  mortar  and  sifted  out  the  finest  for  bread  and 
kept  the  coarsest  for  hominy.  The  settlers  raised  their  own  cotton 
and  flax ;  they  pulled  the  flax,  rotted  it,  broke  it,  worked  off  the  shives 
with  a  wooden  knife  over  a  scutcheon  board,  and  passed  it  through 
a  coarse  and  a  fine  hackle.  The  flax  was  spun  and  woven,  and 
the  tow,  which  was  hackled  out  was  used  for  filling,  and  the  fine 
flax  was  used  for  the  warp.  The  fine  flax  made  the  best  of  thread  ; 
it  was  spun  on  a  little  wheel.     The  shirts  made  of  flax  were  very 


m'lean  county.  603 

strong.  [Sometimes  shirts  were  made  of  cotton  and  flax  mixed. 
Cotton  could  never  be  raised  with  advantage.  The  jeans  was 
made  of  wool  for  filling  and  cotton  for  warp.  The  pioneer  chil- 
dren did  not  wear  overcoats;  but  when  they  became  large  enough 
to  go  to  mill,  from  ten  to  fifty  or  perhaps  even  a  hundred  miles 
distant,  they  had  overcoats  sometimes.  The  first  overcoat  was 
made  in  Buckles'  Grove,  and  was  all  of  wool.  The  cloth  for 
overcoats  was  first  woven,  then  fulled,  then  pressed,  then  colored 
drab  or  London  brown.  These  fulled  overcoats  would  turn  water 
almost  as  well  as  water  proof. 

Mr.  Stubblefield  says,  women  worked  hard  in  the  early  days, 
and  he  thinks  it  almost  unaccountable,  that  thev  are  unable  now 
to  do  as  much  as  formerly.  They  do  no  spinning,  nor  milking, 
nor  weaving  now,  but  they  have  a  great  many  little  notions  and 
trinkets,  which  occupy  their  minds. 

Sugar  Creek  had  more  water  in  it  forty  years  ago  than  now, 
and  fish  would  run  up.  lie  has  often  seen  suckers  and  redhorse 
three  feet  long  in  the  creek.  He  used  to  fish  for  them  with  a 
hook  and  line  and  with  a  gig,  which  is  a  little  spear  with  three 
tines  to  it.  It  was  great  fun  to  spear  them,  particularly  on  the 
shoals,  where  they  could  be  plainly  seen. 

During  the  sudden  change  in  December,  1836,  much  of  the 
stock  of  the  Stubblefields  was  out  in  the  timber,  and  was  frozen. 
The  chickens  froze  on  their  perches,  and  many  of  the  hogs, 
which  were  kept  in  the  timber,  died  partly  because  of  their  piling 
up  one  on  top  of  another,  and  partly  because  of  the  intense  cold. 
Many  of  the  bogs,  which  were  not  frozen  to  death,  had  their  ears 
and  tails  frozen,  and  these  useful  and  ornamental  appendages 
afterwards  dropped  off. 

Mr.  Stubblefield  went  to  Pekin  to  do  his  trading,  hauled  his 
corn  there,  and  there  bought  his  pine  lumber.  He  occasionally 
went  to  Chicago  with  wheat,  bringing  back  salt. 

As  Mr.  George  Stubblefield  has  told  so  many  jokes  in  his 
sketch  about  others,  Mr.  John  Stubblefield  thinks  it  only  fair  that 
one  or  two  of  George's  peculiarities  should  be  published.  John 
Stubblefield  says  that  George  was  a  cunning  youngster,  and  in 
his  youthful  days  liked  fishing  much  better  than  study.  His 
health  was  subject  to  the  most  remarkable  changes.  In  the 
morning,  when  it  was  time  for   children   to  go  to  school,  young 


604  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

George  would  become  desperately  sick  with  the  headache,  and 
would  be  obliged  to  stay  at  home,  but  in  the  evening  he  would  be- 
come so  well  that  he  could  take  his  pole  and  line  and  go  fishing. 
In  the  morning  at  about  nine  o'clock  the  headache  would  return 
again  with  its  usual  intensity.  Young  George  was  a  very  inge- 
nious boy,  and  at  one  time  taught  a  pet  calf  to  act  as  a  riding- 
horse.  At  one  time,  while  displaying  his  horsemanship  on  the 
back  of  the  calf,  Absalom  Stubblefield  (the  mischievous  Ab.) 
twisted  its  tail.  It  jumped  around,  and  George  was  thrown  for- 
ward. He  grasped  the  horns  of  the  calf  in  terror,  crying :  "  Oh, 
Lord,  I'm  killed  !  I'm  killed!"     But  no  serious  results  followed. 

John  Stubblefield  is  six  feet  in  height,  is  rather  slim,  and  likes 
fun  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  Stubblefield  family.  He  enjoys  a 
practical  joke  and  loves  to  tell  it.  He  is  a  hard  working  man, 
has  been  remarkably  successful  as  a  farmer,  and  is  very  w^ell  to 
do  in  the  world.  He  is  pretty  cautious  in  the  management  of  his 
property,  but  exercises  good  judgment. 

He  married,  December  1,  1842,  Ellisannah  Houser.  He  has 
had  nine  children,  of  whom  eight  are  living.     They  are  : 

Sarah  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  H.  Rayburn,  lives  in  Cass 
County,  Illinois. 

David  Robert  Stubblefield,  lives  three  miles  north  of  bis 
father's  in  Dale  township. 

George  Washington,  Francis  Marion,  Mary  Frances,  Henry 
Bascom,  Simon  Peter  and  John  Wesley  Stubblefield,  all  live  at 
home. 


GRIDLEY. 

William  Martin  McCord. 

William  Martin  McCord,  usually  called  Martin  McCord,  was 
born  July  3,  1815,  in  Overton  County,  Tennessee.  His  father's 
name  was  William  McCord,  and  his  mother's  name  before  her 
marriage  was  Jane  McM  urtrie.  William  McCord  was  one-fourth 
Scotch  and  three-fourths  Irish,  and  his  wife  Jane  was  one-fourth 
English  and  three-fourths  Irish,  and  consequently  Martin  is  one- 
eighth  English,  one-eighth  Scotch  and  three-fourths  Irish.  This 
is  going  rather  deeply  into  fractions,  but  there  is  nothing  like 
precision ! 


M?LEAN  COUNTY.  605 

"William  McCord  was  born  in  Iredell  County, North  Carolina, 
and  was  a  farmer  and  blacksmith.  During  the  war  of  1812  he 
enlisted  to  fight  against  the  Creeks,  but  was  sick  with  the  measles 
and  participated  in  no  active  engagement.  In  1827  he  came  to 
McLean  County  with  Stephen  Webb  and  George  and  Jacob  Ilin- 
shaw.  The  weather  was  wet  and  they  were  often  water-bound, 
and  sometimes  obliged  to  cross  rivers  on  rafts.  Near  Eel  River 
they  traveled  twelve  miles  in  water,  which  varied  from  six  inches 
to  three  feet  in  depth.  At  last  Webb  and  McCord  came  to  Twin 
Grove,  where  they  bought  claims  ;  the  Ilinshaws  having  become 
separated  and  remaining  for  a  while  at  Cheney's  Grove. 

Martin  McCord  speaks  particularly  of  the  winter  of  the  deep 
snow,  as  it  was  an  era  in  the  life  of  every  settler,  who  experi- 
enced its  severity.  The  season  previous  was  a  late  one  and  frost 
was  not  severe  enough  to  kill  the  tobacco  sprouts  until  the  second 
of  December.  On  that  day  it  rained  and  after  the  fall  of  a  great 
deal  of  water  the  rain  gave  place  to  snow  and  at  last  it  froze. 
The  winter  of  the  deep  snow  has  been  so  often  described,  that  it 
is  not  necessary  to  repeat  the  description  here. 

In  1831  the  McCord  family  moved  to  Panther  Grove,  in 
what  is  now  Woodford  County,  about  three  and  one  half  miles 
north  of  Secor,  and  there  lived  until  the  death  of  William  Mc- 
Cord, which  occurred  June  13,  1852.  William  McCord  was  a 
man  widely  known  and  greatly  respected,  and  was  called  by 
many  of  the  settlers  "Uncle  Billy  McCord."  All  of  them  speak 
of  him  in  very  high  terms  of  praise. 

Martin  McCord  lived  with  his  father  until  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  when  he  worked,  sometimes  as  a  millwright  and  carpenter, 
but  generally  as  a  farmer. 

He  married,  October  29,  1840,  Elizabeth  Hinthorn.  He  lived, 
after  his  marriage,  in  various  places,  indeed  was  cjuite  a  traveler. 
At  last,  in  the  fall  of  1870,  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Newton 
County,  Missouri,  and  bought  railroad  land  and  raised  a  crop,  a 
very  good  one  for  that  country.  But  the  country  was  not  blessed 
with  a  soil  as  rich  as  that  of  old  McLean  County.  It  had  plenty 
of  gravel,  stone  and  clay,  but  the  vegetable  mould  was  wanting. 
The  soil  was  open  and  porous,  and  a  hard  rain  washed  through 
it  and  would  scarcely  raise  the  water  in  a  river.  A  moderate 
drouth  would  have  destroyed  the  crops.     Some  of  the  land  was 


006  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

"spotted,"  that  is,  it  had,  scattered  over  it,  alkali  spots,  varying 
in  size  from  twenty  feet  square  to  ten  acres.  The  spots  were 
water-tight,  and  no  moisture  could  go  down  or  come  up,  and  they 
caught  the  rain  in  puddles,  and  the  cattle  and  pigs  wallowed  in 
tliem.  For  some  reason  these  animals  preferred  the  water  on 
these  alkali  spots  to  the  purest  water  in  the  river.  Mr.  McCorcl 
went  down  to  Arkansas,  but  the  prospect  seemed  as  hud  as  in 
Missouri.  The  hills  on  both  sides  were  white  flint  rock,  and  in 
the  distance  appeared  like  snow.  He  found  the  people  of  Ar- 
kansas very  pleasant  and  cordial  in  their  greeting ;  but  they 
carried  revolvers  and  held  many  old  grudges,  which  came  down 
from  the  war,  and  it  was  a  word  and  a  shot.  They  were  hospita- 
ble, but  ignorant.  They  never  saw  a  corn-planter  or  a  railroad, 
or  a  reaper.  He  saw  one  man,  who  was  taking  his  boys  up  to 
see  the  "kyars"  (cars).  They  speak  of  "kerrying"  (carrying)  the 
horse  to  water,  and  they  "tote"  water  for  themselves.  When  a 
stranger  takes  dinner  with  them  they  say  very  hospitably : 
"Retch  out  and  hope  yourself,  stranger."  Mr.  Robinson  McCord 
says  he  saw  two  men  talking  about  a  reaper,  which  they  were 
viewing  for  the  first  time.  One  of  them  inquired  what  the  reel 
was  for.  The  other  contemplated  the  machine  for  a  while  and 
then  said,  he  "guessed  that  must  be  to  knock  the  rust  from  the 
wheat!" 

The  pigs  of  Arkansas  were  worse  than  the  old  Illinois  "wind- 
splitters."  Their  noses  seemed  as  long  as  their  bodies,  and  Mr. 
Robinson  McCord  says  that  a  person  was  obliged  to  look  at  them 
sideways  to  see  them  !  They  could  spring  through  a  rail  fence 
between  the  rails  ! 

In  the  fall  of  1871  Mr.  McCord  came  back  to  old  McLean 
County,  and  thinks  he  will  now  stay  here.  He  has  had  nine 
children,  of  whom  six  are  now  living.     They  are : 

Mrs.  Hannah  Jane  Farmer,  wife  of  David  T.  Farmer,  lives  in 
Kewton  County,  Missouri. 

William  Isaac  McCord  lives  in  Jasper  County,  Missouri. 

James  T.,  Henry  Gaius,  Washington  Robinson  and  Mary 
Ellen  McCord  live  at  home  with  their  father. 

Mr.  McCord  is  five  feet  and  eleven  inches  in  height,  has  good 
health,  is  beginning  to  show  the  effect  of  age  in  the  gray  hairs, 
which  make  their  appearance.     He  is  a  very  straight  and  well- 


m'lean  county.  607 

formed  man,  is  intelligent  in  conversation,  is  humorous  and  good 
natured. 

John  Boyd  Messer. 

This  is  the  sketch  of  a  noted  hunter,  one  whose  life  has  been 
devoted  to  the  business,  and  who  has  met  with  great  success. 
John  B.  Messer  was  horn  August  4,  1807,  in  Lancaster  County, 
Pennsylvania.  His  father's  name  was  Isaac  Messer,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Sidney  Ann  Forbes.  His  father  was 
of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  descent,  and  his  mother  was  of  Irish.  In 
the  year  1811  the  Messer  family  moved  to  Franklin  County, 
Ohio.  In  the  war  of  1812  Isaac  Messer  was  a  soldier  in  the  cav- 
ahy  during  three  campaigns.  In  about  the  year  1816  the  family 
moved  to  Pickaway  County,  where  they  lived  twelve  years.  It 
was  here  that  young  John  Messer  began  to  show  that  disposition 
for  hunting,  for  which  he  was  afterwards  noted.  When  he  was 
only  fourteen  years  old,  he  was  allowed  to  take  his  father's  gun 
and  go  hunting,  as  a  reward  for  doing  some  work  which  had 
been  assigned  him.  By  good  fortune  he  found  a  deer  and  fired 
at  it.  The  deer  sprang  up,  almost  turned  a  somersault  and  fell 
with  its  head  towards  him.  He  came  up  to  it  cautiously  and 
gave  it  another  shot  for  safety,  then  crawled  around  in  the  rear 
of  it  and  shook  its  leg  and  was  at  last  convinced  that  its  soul  had 
really  gone  to  the  green  pastures  never  more  to  be  troubled  by 
hunters.  He  obtained  help  and  had  the  deer  brought  home,  and 
during  the  evening  was  the  hero  of  a  corn-husking,  and  told 
his  story  over  and  over  again. 

In  the  year  1828  the  Messer  family  came  to  Sugar  Grove, 
Illinois.  This  was  during  the  Jackson  and  Adams  campaign. 
Jackson  was  very  popular,  indeed  it  seemed  almost  impossible  to 
find  an  Adams  man.  He  says  that  a  crowd  of  men  once  divided 
by  drawing  a  line.  The  Jackson  men  stepped  on  one  side  and 
the  Adams  men  on  the  other.  Only  one  man  stood  for  Adams, 
and  he  said  he  took  that  course  because  his  own  name  was 
Adams ! 

On  the  sixth  of  March,  1829,  the  Messer  family  came  to  near 
where  Lexington  now  stands,  and  in  what  is  now  McLean  Coun- 
ty. While  he  lived  there  the  ruling  passion  came  on  him  strong- 
ly, and  he  went  to  hunting.     The  two  creeks  down  the  Mackinaw 


608  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

below  Lexington  were  named  by  him.  While  out  hunting  he 
found  some  turkey  tracks  near  the  first  creek  and  called  it  Turkey 
Creek,  the  name  it  bears  to-day.  He  went  two  miles  farther  on 
and  wounded  a  buck  by  another  creek,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  Buck  Creek,  a  name  it  still  retains.  He  lived  near  the 
present  village  of  Lexington  about  five  years  and  then  moved  to 
the  north  of  the  Mackinaw,  in  the  present  township  of  Gridley, 
where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 

Mr.  Messer  has  had  some  lively  adventures  while  hunting. 
At  one  time  he  went  with  a  man,  named  Smith,  up  to  the  Blue 
Mound.  There  they  followed  the  track  of  a  deer  out  from  a 
spring,  where  it  had  been  drinking,  and  when  coming  to  the 
prairie  they  saw  it  sitting  on  its  haunches  some  distance  away 
and  looking  around.  After  a  while  it  laid  down,  and  Messer  and 
Smith  walked  to  within  sixteen  steps  of  it,  before  it  sprang  up. 
Messer  shot  it  and  Smith  shot  another,  which  sprang  up  imme- 
diately afterwards.  Messer  made  haste  to  cut  his  deer's  throat, 
as  he  said  it  did  not  kick  to  suit  him.  He  put  his  foot  on  one 
horn  and  his  hand  on  the  other  and  cut  the  throat.  The  deer 
sprang  up  instantly,  and  caught  its  antlers  in  the  knees  of  Mes- 
ser' s  breeches  and  made  two  or  three  jumps  with  Messer  dang- 
ling head  downwards  ;  but  it  stumbled  and  fell  and  bled  to  death, 
Smith  was  so  astonished,  that  he  could  only  stand  and  look.  The 
two  deer  had  ten  and  nine  prongs,  respectively,  on  the  beams  of 
their  antlers,  showing  them  to  be  ten  and  nine  years  of  age. 

At  one  time  Mr.  Messer  discovered  the  antlers  of  a  deer  in  a 
pond  and  saw  the  nose.  He  fired,  and  the  ball  went  up  the  nose 
and  out  at  the  eye  ;  but  he  was  obliged  to  chase  it  ten  miles, 
when  it  stopped  at  a  spring  to  cool.  He  shot  it  several  times 
from  behind ;  at  last  he  came  in  front  of  it,  but,  instead  of 
changing  its  course,  it  charged  directly  at  him.  A  shot  through 
the  head  ended  its  career. 

Hunters  seem  to  be  subject  to  queer  freaks  of  fortune,  which 
they  always  express  by  the  word  "luck,"  and  Mr.  Messer's  was  oc- 
casionally hard  luck.  He  was  once  walking  in  the  snow  towards  a 
deer,  near  Wolf  Creek,  and  he  pulled  off  his  boots  and  walked 
through  the  snow  in  his  stocking  feet,  in  order  to  move  silently. 
He  killed  a  deer  and  hung  it  on  a  bush,  and  that  was  his  good 
luck ;  but  his  boots  became  so  frozen  that  he  could  not  put  them 


M  LEAN    COUNTY.  609 

on,  and  that  was  his  hard  luck.  Ho  saw  more  door  and  had  a 
fine  opportunity  to  kill  them,  and  this  was  his  good  luck;  but  the 
stopper  had  fallen  out  of  his  powder  horn,  spilling  all  of  his 
powder,  and  that  was  his  hard  hick.  He  killed  no  more  and  was 
obliged  to  walk  home  through  the  snow  in  his  stocking  feet. 

The  deer  seem  to  have  a  good  understanding,  and.  when 
chased  by  dogs  and  hunters,  they  know  very  well  that  the  dogs 
are  sent  by  the  men  behind.  While  Mr.  Messer  was  once  hunt- 
ing  on  Wolf  Creek  his  dog  brought  down  a  wounded  deer,  but 
both  dog  and  deer  were  nearly  tired  out,  and  they  laid  down  and 
watched  each  other.  Mr.  Messer  was  incautiously  coming  up 
with  his  unloaded  rifle,  when  the  deer  left  the  dog  and  sprang 
towards  him.  He  dodged  behind  a  sapling,  and  his  dog  grabbed 
the  deer  and  held  it  until  Messer  could  load  and  tire. 

Young  hunters  sometimes  make  very  ludicrous  blunders,  and 
people  are  familiar  with  the  story  of  a  young  man,  who  killed  his 
neighbor's  calf  instead  of  a  deer  from  the  prairie.  A  youthful 
hunter  once  mistook  Mr.  Messer  for  a  deer,  as  the  latter  was 
bending  over  a  buck,  which  he  had  lately  shot.  The  first  intima- 
tion Messer  received  of  this  was  the  whizzing  of  a  bullet.  When 
the  young  hunter  learned  his  mistake  he  was  more  frightened 
than  Messer. 

About  fourteen  years  ago  Mr.  Messer  met  with  a  misfortune, 
which  came  near  terminating  his  adventurous  career.  While 
chasing  a  deer  between  Rook's  Creek  and  the  Mackinaw,  his 
horse  stepped  into  a  badger's  hole  and  Messer  was  violently 
thrown  over  its  head,  and  lay  stunned  and  senseless  for  perhaps 
two  or  three  hours.  When  sense  returned  his  horse  and  dogs 
were  around  him.  He  put  on  his  saddle  and  rode  to  the  nearest 
house,  but  was  so  sick,  that  he  frequently  became  blind,  and  it  was 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  he  clung  to  his  horse.  He  received 
every  attention  at  the  house,  and  was  rubbed  with  cayenne  pepper 
and  brandy,  but  was  given  up  to  die,  as  his  pulse  scarcely  beat  for 
three-quarters  of  an  hour.  But  in  order  to  receive  the  greatest 
benefit  from  brandy,  this  most  delicious  article  should  be  taken 
internally  !  Mr.  Messer  did  so  and  revived.  He  feels  the  effect 
of  the  fall  to-day,  though  it  happened  fourteen  years  ago. 

Mr.  Messer  made  it  a  rule  to  kill  his  fifty  deer  in  the  fall  of 
the  year  and  during  the  fore  part  of  the  winter.     After  Christ- 
39 


610  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

mas  he  only  hunted  occasionally,  as  the  deer  were  not  worth  so 
much. 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war  the  settlers  were  subject  to  con- 
tinual fright,  on  account  of  the  Indians,  and  Mr.  Messer  was 
sent  out  through  Mackinaw  timber  to  investigate  matters,  but 
could  find  no  sign  of  redskins.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  he  some- 
times gave  a  few  nervous  gentlemen  unnecessary  fright.  Old 
Johnny  Patton  made  a  yoke  for  his  horses  to  prevent  them  from 
jumping  the  fence,  and  Messer  persuaded  a  few  soft  gentlemen 
that  the  shavings  were  made  by  the  Indians,  who  had  been 
whittliug  ramrods  for  their  guns. 

Mr.  Messer  married,  July  5,  1832,  Susannah  Espy  Patton. 
Their  children  are : 

Maria  Jane  Messer,  who  was  born  April  4,  1833,  is  married 
to  Jasper  Loving  and  lives  about  eighteen  miles  southeast  of 
Decatur. 

Sidney  Ann  Messer  was  born  September  27,  1834,  is  married 
to  Aaron  Misner  and  lives  about  a  half  mile  southeast  of  her 
father's. 

John  P.  Messer  was  born  March  11,  1836,  and  lives  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  his  father's. 

Margaret  Espy  Messer  was  born  December  3,  1837,  is  mar- 
ried to  Lane  Stewart  and  lives  about  eighteen  miles  southeast  of 
Decatur. 

Isaac  Messer  was  born  November  30,  1839,  and  lives  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  his  father's. 

Mary  Messer  was  born  October  8, 1841,  is  married  to  Thomas 
Bounds  and  lives  a  half  niile  west  of  her  father's. 

James  T.  Messer  was  born  July  16,  1843,  and  died  of  the 
cholera  a  few  years  since. 

Elizabeth  Ellen  Messer  was  born  March  24,  1848,  is  married 
to  William  Stagner  and  lives  four  or  five  miles  southeast  of  her 
father's  in  Money  Creek  township. 

Rebecca  Adeline  Messer  was  born  June  30,  1851,  is  married 
to  John  Drake  and  lives  about  a  mile  south  of  Kappa  in  McLean 
County. 

John  B.  Messer  is  about  five  feet  and  nine  inches  high,  has 
a  clear,  grayish  blue  eye,  is  good  natured  and  pleasant,  has  seen 
a  great  deal  of  hunting  and   can   tell  about  it,  is  plucky  and 


m'lean  county.  611 

quick-sighted,  is  free  and  unconstrained,  and  loves  to  talk  of  old 
times.  Phrenologists  would  say  that  he  has  large  perceptions, 
has  a  full  head  of  grayish  hair.  He  is  rather  heavy  set  and  is 
pretty  strong.  He  is  generous  and  hospitable,  and  whoever 
talks  to  him  is  immediately  made  to  l'eel  at  home. 

John   Sloan. 

John  Sloan  was  born  March  7,  1810,  near  Somerset,  Pulaski 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  William  Sloan  and 
his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Margaret  Kinkaid. 
William  Sloan  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  was  brought 
with  his  parents  from  Antrim  County,  Ireland,  to  Bath  County, 
Virginia,  when  he  was  six  weeks  old.  His  wife  Margaret  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  but  was  of  German  descent.  In  1804  or 
'5  William  Sloan  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  where  John  Sloan  was 
born.  Young  John  there  grew  up  and  went  to  school  to  his 
father,  and  assisted  every  Christmas  day  in  turning  the  old  gen- 
tleman out  of  the  school-house,  as  was  the  custom  in  those  days. 
John  Sloan  also  went  to  school  to  other  teachers  and  always  as- 
sisted in  compelling  the  teacher  to  "stand  treat"  on  Christmas 
day.  But  one  of  their  teachers  came  near  being  too  smart  for 
them.  They  drew  up  a  paper  and  signed  it,  insisting  that  the 
teacher  should  "stand  treat"  and  the  teacher  signed  it,  "Attest: 
William  Talford,"  and  the  meaning  of  the  document  then  was 
that  the  scholars  should  pay  for  the  treat,  and  the  teacher  was  a 
witness  to  it!  The  scholars  were  very  angry  at  the  sell,  and  took 
possession  of  the  school-room  and  compelled  the  teacher  to 
"come  to  time," 

Mr.  Sloan  was  raised  a  strict  Presbyterian  and  was  required 
to  attend  to  all  the  religious  exercises  of  the  day.  He  often  went 
to  camp-meeting,  and  there  saw  those  strange  phenomena,  the 
jerks.  They  were  usually  the  result  of  religious  excitement. 
He  remembers  particularly  the  excitement  of  one  woman,  whom 
he  saw  under  the  influence  of  the  jerks.  She  threw  her  head 
back  and  forth  until  her  hair  cracked  like  a  whip.  She  said  she 
knew  when  the  jerks  were  coming,  and  could  prevent  them  only 
by  leaving  the  congregation.  Mr.  Sloan  has  never  known  the 
jerks  to  be  produced  by  anything  but  religious  excitement  at 
religious  gatherings. 


612  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

In  those  days  it  was  the  custom  to  drink  whisky,  but  Mr. 
Sloan  never  did  so  except  on  one  occasion.  When  he  was  a 
child  ten  years  of  age  he  went  to  see  a  militia  company  elect 
their  captain,  and  the  men  gave  him  whisky  and  made  him  drunk 
for  the  fun  of  the  thing.  He  was  carried  home  insensible,  and 
his  mother  watched  over  him  all  night  until  he  became  conscious. 
He  has  been  a  teetotaler  ever  since. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  Mr.  Sloan  joined  the  Methodist  church, 
and  has  continued  an  active  member  ever  since.  He  attended 
Sabbath-school  regularly  and  was  greatly  interested  in  the  cause. 
Sickness  was  the  only  cause  for  his  absence  from  Sabbath-school, 
class-meeting  or  prayer-meeting. 

In  1880  he  went  to  Owen  County,  Indiana,  on  White  River, 
and  there  went  to  farming.  January  5,  1832,  he  married  Polly 
Hart.  In  1835  he  came  to  Mackinaw  timber,  McLean  County, 
Illinois,  where  he  arrived  November  25.  The  journey  was  a  hard 
one,  as  the  roads  were  muddy  and  no  bridges  were  built  across 
the  streams.  He  often  mired  down,  and  once  got  into  a  pond 
where  he  stuck  fast  for  a  while  and  was  obliged  to  take  all  of 
his  things  out  on  horseback.  When  he  and  his  family  arrived 
at  the  head  of  Mackinaw  timber,  they  were  cold  and  wet  and 
the  snow  fell  and  everything  was  frozen.  Then  old  Squire  Thomp- 
son took  them  in  and  built  up  fires  and  dried  their  clothes  and 
gave  them  a  good  supper,  a  warm  bed  and  a  nice  breakfast  and 
refused  to  accept  pay  for  his  services.  When  Mr.  Sloan  arrived, 
he  possessed  very  little  of  this  world's  goods.  He  put  up  a  house 
of  poles,  and  he  worked  at  whatever  his  hands  could  find  to  do. 
He  was  acquainted  with  everybody  in  that  section  of  country,  as 
he  had  a  social  disposition.  In  1843  he  was  chosen  constable 
and  served  four  years.  He  often  had  some  unpleasant  and  dan- 
gerous duties  to  perform,  but  succeeded  well  in  his  office.  When 
his  term  of  service  as  constable  expired,  he  was  chosen  justice 
of  the  peace,  but  served  only  one  year,  as  he  determined  to  move 
to  Wisconsin,  where  he  lived  four  years  and  then  moved  to  the 
northwestern  part  of  Iowa.  There  he  had  no  very  remarkable 
adventure.  Game  was  plenty,  particularly  elk.  During  the  win- 
ter of  1853-4  the  elk  came  down  into  the  cornfields  at  night  and 
went  out  before  morning.  He  once  went  out  hunting  elk  with 
a  party  of  six  besides  himself,  taking  dogs  and  horses.     Three 


m'lean  county.  613 

of  the  company  had  three  guns  and  the  rest  were  armed  with 
clubs,  corn  cutters  and  hatchets.  They  had  a  horse  and  sleigh 
to  bring  home  their  game.  They  found  a  drove  of  about  fifty 
elk  and  immediately  one  of  their  part}'  went  around  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  drove,  while  the  hunting  party  scattered  out. 
The  elk  were  frightened  and  ran  in  all  directions.  The  hunters 
rode  after  the  elk,  shooting  them,  knocking  them  on  the  head 
with  clubs  and  striking  them  on  the  back  with  corn-cutters  and 
hatchets.  The  corn-cutter  was  the  most  effective  weapon,  as 
two  or  three  strokes  over  the  back  of  an  elk,  cutting  the  tendons, 
seldom  failed  to  bring  it  down.  Seven  elk  were  killed,  six  by 
the  men  and  one  by  the  dogs.  One  of  the  elk,  which  had  been 
struck  by  a  corn-cutter,  turned  at  bay.  Mr.  Sloan  shot  it,  but 
it  only  shook  its  head,  another  shot  was  fired,  when  it  again 
shook  its  head  in  a  threatening  manner.  The  sleigh  soon  came 
up  and  the  elk  made  a  charge  at  it.  Three  men  in  the  sleigh 
beat  it  over  the  head  with  seat-boards  and  one  man  on  horseback 
rode  up  and  struck  it  over  the  back  with  his  corn-cutter.  The 
elk  turned  on  the  horseman  and  gave  him  a  rake  with  its  antlers, 
which  tore  his  pants  from  the  knee  to  the  thigh ;  but  before  it 
could  do  further  damage  it  was  shot  and  killed.  An  elk  is  not  a 
fast  running  animal.  It  can  trot  fast  and  keep  up  the  gait  all 
day;  but,  when  pressed  into  a  run,  it  soon  tires  out.  It  never 
fights  until  wounded,  but  then  it  sometimes  fights  most  fiercely. 
Mr.  Sloan  remained  in  Iowa  only  one  winter  and  then  moved 
back  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  lived  one  or  two  years.  But  at 
last  he  concluded  that  Mackinaw  timber,  McLean  County,  Illi- 
nois, was  the  best  place  for  a  human  being  to  spend  his  days  and 
he  returned  to  his  old  abiding  place.  In  1858  the  township  of 
Gridley  was  organized  and  Mr.  Sloan  and  Upton  Cooms  were 
chosen  the  first  justices  of  the  peace.  The  former  has  been  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  ever  since.  He  has  performed  all  the  duties  of 
his  office  with  fidelity.  He  has  during  that  time  had  onlj'  two 
cases  appealed  and  two  writs  of  certiorari.  His  decision  was  sus- 
tained in  one  of  the  cases  appealed,  and  the  other  was  dismissed 
for  want  of  prosecution.  The  justice's  decision  was  sustained 
relating  to  the  two  writs  of  certiorari.  During  all  the  time  he 
has  been  justice  of  the  peace  no  one  ever  called  for  money,  due 
him   from  the  'Squire,  without  receiving  it.     He  has  married  a 


614  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

good  many  of  his  neighbors.  In  1848  or  '49  he  married  James 
AVilson  to  Margaret  Ogden  and  has  since  married  two  of  their 
children. 

On  the  27th  of  August,  1862,  Mr.  Sloan  enlisted  in  the  Nine- 
ty-fourth Illinois  Volunteers,  Company  E.,  commanded  by  Capt. 
John  L.  Routt.  The  regiment  was  commanded  by  Colonel 
Orme.  Mr.  Sloan  was  chosen  orderly  sergeant  in  Bloomington 
on  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  August,  1862,  when  they  were 
mustered  into  service.  He  became  -sick  at  Springfield,  Missouri, 
and  was  utterly  prostrated  and  on  this  account  was  discharged 
at  New  Orleans,  February  7,  1864. 

Mr.  Sloan  has  had  five  children.     They  are: 

William  Henry  Sloan  lives  in  Mackinaw  timber,  about  three 
miles  south  of  his  father's. 

Sarah  Ann,  wife  of  Darwin  Phinney,  lives  in  southwestern 
Minnesota. 

James  Milton  Sloan  lives  about  four  miles  northwest  of  his 
father's,  and  is  teaching  school.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Thirty- 
third  Illinois,  Company  E.,  commanded  by  Captain  E.  R.  Roe, 
and  afterwards  by  Captain  E.  J.  Lewis.  He  was  in  many  bat- 
tles, was  at  Cache,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge,  Spanish 
Fort,  Fredericktown,  Port  Gibson,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  siege  of 
Jackson  and  Fort  Esperanza. 

John  Nelson  and  Albert  Owen  Sloan  live  in  Spencer,  Owen 
County,  Indiana. 

Mrs.  Sloan  died,  and  on  the  14th  of  February,  ,  John 

Sloan  married  Mrs.  Susan  Smith  from  Iowa.     No  children  were 
born  of  this  marriage. 

John  Sloan  is  five  feet  and  eight  inches  high,  has  blue  eyes; 
his  hair  was  once  dark,  but  is  now  somewhat  gray.  He  is  full 
faced,  has  a  sanguine  complexion,  long  whiskers  nearly  white, 
weighs  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  pounds,  likes  fun,  is  a  good 
man,  talkative,  pleasant  and  hospitable.  He  is  generous  and  has 
helped  to  build  four  Methodist  churches  and  a  great  many  school 
houses. 


m'lean  county.  615 

Jonathan  Coon. 

Jonathan  Coon  was  born  April  4,  1815,  in  Madison  County, 
Ohio.  His  parentage  is  given  in  the  succeeding  sketch  of  his 
brother  Isaiah.  He  tells  an  incident  of  his  mother,  which  gives 
an  idea  of  the  condition  of  things  in  a  new  country.  While  a 
girl,  living  in  New  Virginia,  she  and  her  sister  went  out  in  the 
evening  to  hunt  the  cows,  taking  for  protection  a  dog,  belonging 
to  the  family.  They  remained  until  after  dark  in  the  moun- 
tains, and  after  a  while  their  dog  began  barking  in  a  hollow. 
They  went  there  and  found  a  panther  in  a  tree  top.  After 
throwing  stones  at  it  for  some  time,  one  of  the  girls  went  for 
help  to  kill  it,  while  the  other  remained  to  watch  the  game. 
Their  father  came  to  their  assistance  and  shot  the  panther 
down. 

During  the  winter  of  1823-24,  the  Coon  family  moved 
to  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  and  settled  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
town.  They  lived  there  and  in  that  vicinity  until  July  4,  1837, 
when  they  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois.  Crawfordsville 
was  a  small  place,  when  the  Coon  family  came  to  it.  It  had  a 
store,  a  land  office,  a  little  hotel,  a  few  dwellings  and  a  little 
corn-cracker  mill.  For  two  years  the  breadstuffs,  on  which  the 
people  lived,  were  brought  up  Sugar  Creek  near  by  in  a  perogue 
or  large  poplar  canoe  about  forty  feet  in  length  and  three  feet 
in  width.  At  the  end  of  that  time  the  people  had  cleared  enough 
timber  to  raise  their  own  wheat  for  flour.  The  town  grew,  and 
in  1837  became  a  flourishing  little  place. 

Mr.  Coon  speaks  of  the  animals  of  the  early  days  and  par- 
ticularly of  the  hedgehog,  which  was  protected  by  quills,  which 
bristled  out  on  every  side.  These  quills  easily  pierced  whatever 
touched  them,  and  they  did  not  come  out  easily,  but  had  a  ten- 
dency to  work  in  deeper  and  deeper.  The  domestic  animals  of 
those  days  were  very  different  from  those  at  the  present  time. 
The  Poland-China  hog  could  not  have  been  raised  with  protit 
in  the  early  days,  as  it  could  not  have  been  driven  to  market. 
The  settlers  were  obliged  to  raise  the  long-nosed,  long-legged 
hogs,  which  could  travel  to  market.  They  were  called  "prairie 
rooters"  and  "  wind  splitters,"  and  various  other  names,  which 
were  suggested  by  the  appearance  of  the  animal.     In  Ohio  and 


616  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Indiana  they  were  collected  by  drovers  and  taken  to  Cincinnati, 
Baltimore  and  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Coon  tells  some  wonderful  snake  stories  of  Indiana.  He 
says,  that  two  great  dens  of  rattlesnakes,  near  Crawfordsville, 
were  attacked  and  cleaned  out,  and  that  about  a  thousand  snakes 
of  different  varieties  were  taken  out  of  one  den,  and  about  thir- 
teen hundred  were  taken  from  another.  It  was  considered  a 
pretty  good  day  for  snakes. 

TVhen  Mr.  Coon  lived  in  Indiana  he  had  many  opportunities 
for  exercising  his  muscle.  People  were  obliged  to  clear  the 
timber  there  to  make  their  farms,  and  had  "  log  rollings."  The 
young  men  came  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  roll  together 
and  burn  the  logs  of  trees,  which  had  been  chopped  down  for  a 
clearing.  The  log  rollers  were  divided  into  two  parties,  each 
with  a  captain,  and  the  logs  were  also  divided,  and  the  two  par- 
ties engaged  in  a  race  to  see  which  could  accomplish  their  work 
first.  Mr.  Coon  says,  ';  that  was  work  such  as  young  bucks  now 
know  nothing  of."  They  also  had  husking  bees  when  they 
gathered  the  corn,  and  at  night  would  go  coon  hunting.  The 
Coons  were  successful  in  catching  coons,  and  in  one  fall  slew 
eighty  of  their  namesakes. 

The  clothing  in  the  early  days  was  buckskin  jeans  and 
linsey-woolsey  for  winter,  and  flax  and  tow  linen  for  summer. 
The  most  elegant  suit,  which  a  young  pioneer  could  wear,  was 
of  buckskin  dyed  green.  Mr.  Coon  relates  an  incident  of  a 
young  gentleman,  who  started  forth,  arrayed  in  a  suit  of  green 
buckskin,  to  visit  a  much  admired  young  lady.  He  sat  up  with 
her  pretty  late,  as  was  the  custom  in  those  days,  and  she  gave 
him  a  place  to  sleep  in  the  end  of  an  unfinished  log  house,  which 
had  no  door.  "While  the  young  man  was  dreaming  of  the  hand- 
some young  woman,  whom  he  so  much  admired,  some  hungry 

hounds  came  into  the  log  house  and  captured  the  new  buckskin 

J 
pants  and  ate  them  up.     He  was  obliged  to  borrow  a  pair  next 

morning  to  return  home. 

Mr.  Coon  describes  the  arrangements  for  ploughing  in  the 
early  days.  The  plough  was  the  barshear;  the  horse  was  at- 
tached to  it  by  ropes,  which  looped  over  the  single-tree  and 
passed  from  there  to  the  harnes,  to  which  they  were  fastened  by 
being  tied  through  auger  holes.     The  hames  were  tied  over  a 


m'lean  county.  617 

collar  of  corn  husks.  The  backhand  was  leather  or  coarse  tow 
cloth,  and  the  line  was  a  single  rope. 

While  the  Coon'  family  lived  in  Indiana  game  was  plenty  and 
bears  were  sometimes  found.  Once  while  the  Coons  were  out 
with  a  party  after  ginseng,  they  discovered  a  bear.  They  chased 
it  until  it  was  completely  exhausted  and  laid  down.  One  of  the 
party  then  came  up  and  killed  it  by  striking  it  on  the  head  with 
a  mattock. 

In  1837  the  Coon  family  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Money 
Creek  township,  near  Towanda.  Jonathan  Coon  was  a  farmer 
and  a  mechanic.  At  that  time  the  country  began  to  be  a  little 
settled  around  the  timber,  but  the  wild  animals  were  numerous 
and  seemed  to  thrive  well  in  the  neighborhood  of  approaching 
civilization,  and  the  settlers  were  obliged  to  be  active  in  defend- 
ing their  crops  and  stock.  The  wolves  were  easily  killed,  though 
not  always  easily  caught.  Mr.  Coon  speaks  of  killing  one  by 
striking  it  on  the  head  with  his  boot,  as  he  had  no  club  or  gun. 
He  tells  a  strange  incident  of  Major  Dickason,  while  out  making 
a  survey.  The  Major  in  walking  to  set  a  stake  took  sight  on  a 
thistle,  butin  walking  towards  it  was  carried  out  of  the  true  course. 
Mr.  Coon  called  to  him  to  make  him  notice  his  error.  A  close 
observation  showed  that  the  thistle,  which  he  took  for  a  sight, 
was  moving  off.  It  was  the  head  of  a  wolf!  The  wild  animals 
seemed  to  be  very  free,  and  often  came  near  the  dwellings  of 
the  settlers.  The  wolves  were  the  most  impudent  and  saucy  in 
this  respect,  though  some  of  the  other  wild  animals  were  not  at 
all  bashful.  At  one  time,  while  Mr.  Coon  was  away  from  home, 
a  panther  passed  his  dwelling,  and  Mrs.  Coon  had  an  opportu- 
nity to  study  natural  history  all  alone.  She  was  not  at  all  afraid, 
and  afterwards  described  the  doings  of  the  animal  very  clearly. 
This  was  in  1S43,  when  Air.  Coon  lived  between  Mackinaw  and 
Money  Creek.  Many  animals,  which  are  now  found  only  in  the 
extreme  west,  lived  in  this  part  of  the  country  in  the  very  early 
days.  Mr.  Coon  has  found  the  bones  of  buffalo  and  the  horns 
of  elk  on  the  Mackinaw,  but  these  animals  seemed  to  scent  the 
coming  of  civilized  men  from  a  long  distance,  and  no  living 
settler  has  ever  seen  buffalo  or  elk  in  McLean  County,  so  far  as 
the  author  can  learn. 

When  the  Coon  family  first  came  to  McLean  County  the  set- 


618  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

tiers  "neighbored  from  grove  to  grove,"  that  is,  the  people  liv- 
ing in  adjoining  groves,  five,  ten  or  twenty  miles  distant,  were 
neighbors.  They  met  together,  whenever  a*  preacher  came  to 
the  neighborhood  to  give  them  a  good  old  backwoods  sermon. 
Rev.  Ebenezer  Rhodes  preached  about  twice  every  summer  in 
Dickason's  dwelling  on  Money  Creek,  near  Towanda.  Mr.  Coon 
sometimes  went  to  hear  preaching  at  White  Oak  Grove,  and 
formed  the  acquaintance  of  many  valued  friends,  as  the  Bensons 
and  Browns. 

It  was  an  interesting  question  in  the  early  days  as  to  where 
the  thriving  towns  would  be  located.  Lexington,  Pleasant  Hill 
and  Clarksville,  were  then  little  places  rivaling  each  other  in 
growth  and  importance.  A  store  was  once  started  in  Lexington, 
afterwards  moved  to  Clarksville  and  then  to  Pleasant  Hill.  But 
the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  settled  the  matter  by  passing 
through  Lexington,  the  other  places  could  not  keep  pace  with  a 
railroad  town.  The  greater  part  of  Lexington  belonged  to  A. 
Gridley.  Clarksville  belonged  to  Samuel  Clark  and  George  and 
Marston  Bartholomew,  and  Pleasant  Hill  belonged  to  Isaac 
Smalley. 

The  earliest  settlers  came  to  McLean  County  from  a  wooded 
country,  and  did  not  understand  the  value  of  prairie  land.  It 
will  scarcely  be  believed,  but  it  is  a  fact,  that  many  of  them 
made  their  first  farms  by  clearing  timber  in  the  groves,  while 
the  prairie  was  before  them  and  needed  no  clearing  !  Of  course 
it  was  not  easy  work  to  break  prairie,  and  it  required  usually 
six  yoke  of  oxen,  which  drew  a  plow,  which  cut  a  furrow  of 
eighteen  inches,  and  sometimes  two  feet ;  but  it  was  very  easy 
compared  with  the  labor  of  clearing  timber.  Mr.  Coon  was  a 
farmer  and  mechanic.  In  1840  he  and  Joe  Benson  built  the  first 
court-house  in  Pontiac,  but  Benson  died  before  it  was  finished. 

In  1844,  Mr.  Coon  commenced  improving  the  place  where  he 
now  lives.  This  place  had  first  been  selected  by  Squire  Sloan, 
who  was  attracted  by  the  fine  spring  of  water,  which  never  runs 
dry  ;  but  Mr.  Sloan  thought  the  country  would  never  be  settled, 
and  he  moved  away,  but  came  back,  and  now  lives  near  his  old 
place.  In  1862,  Mr.  Coon  built  the  house  where  he  now  lives, 
and  no  one  could  wish  for  anything  more  convenient  and 
pleasant. 


m'lean  county.  619 

Mr.  Coon  married,  October  28,  1841,  Nancy  Mouser.  She 
was  born  March  9,  1822,  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio.  She  died 
May  11,  1852.  Mr.  Coon  married,  July  27,  1854,  Celina  Bii- 
brey,  daughter  of  Young  and  Amanda  Bilbrey.  She  was  born 
October  14,  1829,  in  McLean  County,  and  died  August  8,  1855. 
He  has  never  had  any  children  of  his  own,  but  he  has  taken  care 
of  two  children,  Mary  E.  and  Nancy  J.  Young,  who  were  placed 
by  their  mother,  on  her  death-bed,  under  the  charge  of  himself 
and  his  sister.  Mr.  Young,  the  father  of  the  children,  died  the 
year  after  the  decease  of  his  wife,  and  Mr.  Coon  is  now  the 
guardian  of  the  children.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Coon  lived  with 
him  from  1854  until  their  death.  His  sister  Ruth  keeps  house 
for  him.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  was  baptized 
near  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  by  Rev.  Michael  Combs.  The 
Christian  Church  was  organized  on  Money  Creek,  at  the  house 
of  Young  Bilbrey.  The  first  elders  were  Isaac  Hinthorn  and 
Adam  Coon,  and,  on  the  resignation  of  the  latter,  Jonathan 
Coon  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  1860  he  united  with 
the  Buck  Creek  congregation,  as  that  was  nearer  to  his  house, 
and  was  chosen  elder  by  them,  and  still  holds  that  position.  The 
present  church  on  Buck  Creek  was  built  in  1858. 

Mr.  Coon  is  about  five  feet  and  eight  inches  in  height,  is  a 
very  careful  and  honest  man,  and  no  doubt  made  a  most  excel- 
lent mechanic.  He  is  a  man  who  attends  carefully  and  well  to 
whatever  is  put  under  his  charge,  and  as  elder  in  the  church  he 
no  doubt  shows  a  great  deal  of  watchcare.  His  health  has  been, 
for  some  time,  very  poor,  and  he  has  not  been  able  to  do  much 
work  since  December,  1871. 

Isaiah  Coon. 

Isaiah  Coon  was  born  July  21, 1813,  in  Madison  County,  Ohio. 
His  father's  name  was  Adam  Coon,  a  Pennsylvania  Dutchman, 
born  December  1,  1782,  and  his  mother's  name  before  her  mar- 
riage was  Ellen  Dickason,  of  English  and  Irish  descent,  born 
April  14,  1790.  Adam  Coon  moved  to  Virginia  at  an  early  day, 
and  from  there  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  married  in  1811  or  '12. 
About  that  time  he  moved  to  Madison  County,  where  Isaiah 
Coon  was  born.  On  Christmas  day,  1823,  the  Coon  family 
started  for  Indiana,  and  arrived  near  Crawfordsville  in  January, 


620  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

1824.  In  1836,  Isaiah  Coon  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois, 
and  in  April  settled  near  where  Towanda  now  is.  The  family 
came  during  the  following  year,  starting  July  4,  and  arriving 
July  12.  They  lived  for  two  years  near  where  Towanda  now  is, 
then  two  years  near  Clarksville,  on  the  Mackinaw,  in  Money 
Creek  township,  and  then  moved  to  what  is  now  Gridley  town- 
ship, north  of  the  Mackinaw.  Here  Adam  Coon  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  days,  and  died  July  9,  1863,  and  his  wife  fol- 
lowed him  on  the  18th  of  Xovember  of  the  same  year.  Their 
home,  for  some  time  preceding  their  decease,  was  with  Jonathan 
Coon. 

When  Isaiah  Coon  came  to  the  country  his  occupation  was 
farming  and  splitting  rails.  For  the  latter  he  received  fifty  cents 
per  hundred,  and  could  split  two  hundred  per  day.  He  married, 
October  30,  1844,  Maria  Ogden,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Ogden, 
whose  sketch  appears  in  this  volume. 

Mr.  Coon  has  kept  a  record  of  the  weather  since  his  arrival 
and  speaks  of  several  notable  phenomena.  On  the  13th  of  May, 
1858,  occurred  a  great  wind  storm,  which  tore  down  timber 
along  the  Mackinaw,  and  unroofed  and  tore  down  many  houses. 
It  was  not  a  whirling  tornado,  which  passes  along  in  a  mo- 
ment, but  a  steady  blow,  which  lasted  for  two  hours  and  had 
a  track  seven  miles  wide.  It  blew  in  a  northeasterly  direction. 
The  Coons  lived  in  about  the  middle  of  the  track  of  the  storm, 
and  the  rain  was  so  great  that  the  creek  by  their  house  rose 
to  their  door-step,  and  the  mud  from  the  field  above  was  washed 
down  over  their  door-yard,  covering  it  in  some  places  six 
inches  in  depth.  The  cloud  was  green  in  color,  and  while  the 
storm  was  raging,  everything  appeared  green.  Such  a  storm 
as  this  is  very  rare,  and  the  author  never  before  heard  of  one 
in  the  "West,  although  the  whirling  tornadoes  have  been  often 
spoken  of.  Mr.  Coon  also  speaks  of  the  great  sleet  storm  of 
Januar\-  13,  1871,  which  weighed  down  the  timber  with  ice,  and 
broke  down  many  trees.  Mackinaw  timber  still  shows  the  effect 
very  plainly. 

It  was  very  common  for  the  early  settlers  to  go  on  regular 
bee  hunts,  and  they  would  frequently  bring  home  large  quanti- 
ties of  honey.  Mr.  Coon  went  bee  hunting  during  the  fall  after 
he  came  to  the  country,  with   Major  Dickason  and   Richard  Mc- 


m'lean  county.  621 

Aferty.  They  went  to  Iowa,  beyond  the  range  of  civilization, 
and  at  the  end  of  six  weeks  returned  with  four  barrels  of  the 
finest  strained  honey,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  bees- 
wax. During  the  fall  of  the  year  following,  he  went  with  Jacob 
and  Albert  Dickason  and  Lewis  Sowards  to  the  sand  ridges  of 
the  Kankakee,  and  at  the  end  of  five  weeks  returned  with  six 
barrels  of  strained  honey  and  two  hundred  and  forty  pounds  of 
beeswax. 

Mr.  Coon  has  had  six  children  altogether,  of  whom  three 
are  living.     They  are  : 

Mrs.  Isabel  Robinson  Tarman,  wife  of  A.  B.  Tarman,  lives 
in  Gridley  township,  about  three  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of 
her  father's. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Ellen  Kearfott,  wife  of  William  Kearfott,  lives 
about  three  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  her  father's,  in  Money 
Creek  township. 

Clara  Estelle,  the  pet,  lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Coon  is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  is  strongly  and 
squarely  built,  has  a  sanguine,  hopeful  disposition,  gray  eyes,  a 
good  head  with  what  appears  to  be  a  good  development  of  brain. 
He  seems  a  very  honest,  kind  and  pleasant  man. 

The  following  are  the  children  of  Adam  and  Eleanor  Coon, 
the  father  of  Isaiah  : 

Isaiah,  born  July  21,  1813. 

Jonathan,  born  April  4,  1815. 

Ruth,  born  January  8,  1817. 

Michael,  born  April  5,  1819. 

Albert  and  Henry  died  in  infancy. 

James  S.,  born  March  21,  1825. 

Nancy  J.  R.,  born  February  22,  1827. 

Margaret  W.,  born  June  20,  1831. 

James  Smith  Coon. 

James  S.  Coon  was  born  March  21,  1825,  in  Montgomery 
County,  Indiana.  (For  his  ancestry  see  sketch  of  Isaiah  Coon). 
He  lived  there  near  Crawfordsville  until  the  fourth  of  July,  1837, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  the  family,  and  lived  for  a  while 
on  Major  Dickason's  farm,  near  Towanda,  McLean  County. 
Afterwards  they  moved  to   Clarksville  and  then  to  Taylor  Lov- 


622  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

ing's  place  in  Gridley  township.  There  James  began  to  do  some 
of  the  hunting  for  which  he  afterwards  became  quite  famous. 
He  and  his  brother  Michael  set  large  steel  traps  for  wolves,  and 
in  one  season  caught  seventeen  of  these  animals  (the  eighteenth 
left  his  toes),  two  or  three  badgers,  one  gray  eagle  and  one  white 
owl.  A  steel  trap  set  for  a  wolf  was  never  fastened  immovably 
to  the  ground,  but  was  tied  to  a  heavy  pole,  which  the  wolf 
could  usually  drag  for  some  distance.  It  would  be  likely  to  pull 
itself  loose  and  leave  only  its  toes,  if  the  trap  was  immovable. 
Mr.  Coon  once  caught  a  lively  wolf,  which  pulled  the  trap  loose 
from  the  pole  and  when  he  came  up  with  it  and  tried  to  strike 
it  with  his  horse's  bridle,  the  lively  animal  grabbed  the  bridle 
in  its  teeth  every  time.  He  was  obliged  to  bring  on  his  dogs. 
Mr.  Coon  never  considered  the  wolves  dangerous,  though  they 
sometimes  came  very  close  to  him  while  traveling  in  the  night 
time,  so  close  that  he  could  hear  the  patter  of  their  feet. 

In  about  the  year  1843  Mr.  Coon  took  claims  north  of  the 
Mackinaw  and  James  set  out  apple  and  peach  trees.  The  latter 
began  to  bear  fruit  before  the  land  was  entered.  He  experienced 
great  difficulty  in  protecting  his  first  trees  from  the  deer,  during 
the  latter  part  of  October,  when  the  velvet  was  shedding  from 
their  antlers.  For  the  deer  would  rub  their  antlers  against  the 
trees  to  get  rid  of  the  velvet. 

Mr.  Coon  often  hunted  deer  with  horses  and  hounds,  and 
thinks  it  the  most  exciting  of  sport.  He  once  remembers  a  most 
exciting  chase,  which  he  and  his  brother  Michael  had  after  a 
buck.  They  started  with  two  grayhounds,  a  black  dog  named 
Peter  Logan  (after  a  negro),  and  several  other  dogs  of  various 
kinds.  They  found  a  herd  of  deer  about  half  a  mile  distant, 
and  the  grayhounds  started  on  low  ground.  The  deer  did  not 
observe  the  hounds  until  the  latter  were  very  close.  The  dogs 
singled  out  the  leader,  a  large  buck.  The  latter  ran  a  short 
distance,  when  he  turned  for  tight.  It  was  a  large  and  powerful 
buck  and  fought  the  hounds  most  savagely.  It  gored  first  one 
and  then  the  other  with  its  long  antlers.  The  hunters  came  up 
but  had  no  guns  or  clubs  and  could  only  look  on.  The  buck 
would  pin  one  dog  to  the  ground,  when  the  other  would  grab  it; 
then  it  would  pin  the  other  to  the  ground,  when  the  first  one 
would  take  hold  of  it.     At  last  Peter  Logan,  the   black  dog, 


m'lean  county.  623 

came  up  and  all  three  of  them  mastered  the  buck,  and  the  hunt- 
ers finished  it.  One  of  the  grayhounds  was  so  terribly  gored, 
that  it  had  to  be  wrapped  up,  and  carried  home  in  a  wagon. 
The  other  was  gashed  in  the  shoulder  clear  to  the  bone,  but 
could  walk  home.  It  was  a  plucky  dog,  and  caught  another 
deer  on  its  return.  The  buck  would  have  undoubtedly  whipped 
the  grayhounds  and  perhaps  killed  them  both,  if  old  Peter  Lo- 
gan had  not  come  to  their  assistance. 

When  the  Coon  family  lived  near  Clarksville,  Adam  Coon 
found  the  track  of  an  unusual  animal.  It  was  a  track  as  large 
as  a  man's  list  and  almost  perfectly  round.  A  party  of  men  fol- 
lowed it  up  and  found  a  lynx.  The  animal  did  not  seem  afraid, 
but  trotted  around  carelessly,  though  it  seemed  a  little  anxious 
to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  hunter  who  carried  the  rifle.  The 
men  wished  to  see  some  fun  and  sent  for  a  couple  of  dogs,  and 
when  the  latter  arrived,  Michael  Coon  shot  the  lynx  in  the  leg 
and  breast,  thinking  to  give  the  dogs  an  easier  fight,  but  it  died 
in  a  few  moments  and  they  missed  the  fun.  While  it  was  dying, 
one  of  the  dogs  grabbed  it,  but  received  a  terrific  blow  from  the 
paw  of  the  lynx  and  was  sent  rolling.  The  paws  of  the  lynx 
were  round  and  fully  as  large»as  a  good  sized  fist;  its  nails  re- 
sembled the  claws  of  a  timber  hawk,  and  were  an  inch  and  a  half 
in  length  ;  its  legs  were  enormous  in  size,  large,  and  with  the 
heavy  fur  seemed  fully  as  large  as  the  leg  of  a  stout  man. 

Mr.  Coon  married,  February  14,  1850,  Maria  Young,  who 
came  to  Illino'is  while  only  a  small  child.  In  1852  he  and  his 
wife  moved  to  the  place  where  they  now  live,  north  of  the 
Mackinaw  They  have  had  three  children,  of  whom  two  are 
living.  They  are  :  Ambrose  Whitlock  and  Sarah  Eleanor  Coon, 
who  both  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Coon  is  five  feet  and  nine  inches  in  height,  is  strong  and 
possessed  of  a  great  deal  of  pluck.  He  is  not  very  heavy,  but 
muscular.  He  has  brown  hair  and  reddish  whiskers.  He  seems 
born  to  succeed  in  the  world,  and  has  that  leading  characteristic 
of  the  family,  straightforwardness  in  his  transactions.  He  and 
his  brother  Michael  were  the  two  coon  hunters. 


624  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


George  Washington  Cox. 


George  W.  Cox  was  born  October  28,  1815,  in  Oxford  Coun- 
ty, Maine,  in  the  little  town  of  Norway.  His  father,  William 
Cox,  was  of  Welch  descent  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  Phipps,  was  of  English,  but  both  were  born  in 
New  Hampshire.  George  W.  Cox  received  his  common  school 
education  in  Maine.  He  served  his  apprenticeship  at  carding 
and  cloth-making  and  followed  his  trade  for  awhile  after  coming 
to  the  West.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1837.  He  traveled  by 
steamboat  a  greater  part  of  the  way,  until  he  landed  at  Pekin, 
and  there  he  continued  his  journey  on  foot  to  Bloomington.  As 
he  was  unaccustomed  to  walking  he  was  an  invalid  for  a  week 
afterwards.  For  five  years  he  worked  part  of  the  time  near 
Hudson  on  a  farm,  which  he  and  his  brother,  Samuel  Cox,  opened 
up,  and  a  part  of  the  time  at  Bloomington  as  a  cloth-dresser  in 
Ort  CovePs  carding  and  cloth-dressing  factory.  Cloth  was 
dressed  by  putting  it  on  a  cylinder  and  running  the  cards  over 
it,  and  it  was  finely  dressed  by  teasels  or  burrs,  which  were 
strung  on  a  cylinder,  or  between  slats  running  across  the  cyl- 
inder. 

Mr.  Cox  married,  March  24,  1842,  in  Bloomington,  Nancy 
Jane  Loving,  daughter  of  Taylor  Loving,  of  Gridley  township. 
She  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  was  brought  to  Illinois  at  an  early 
day.  Mr.  Cox  lived  on  Taylor  Loving's  farm  in  Mackinaw  tim- 
ber for  two  years,  and  in  1844  broke  prairie  at  the  place  where 
he  now  lives,  north  of  the  Mackinaw  in  Gridley  township.  He 
has  succeeded  very  well  in  raising  stock,  has  had  no  particular  ad- 
ventures, never  was  a  hunter  because  hunting  was  not  a  paying 
business.  He  could  buy  meat  cheaper  than  he  could  kill  it.  If 
he  wanted  venison  he  could  purchase  it  of  John  Messer  for  a 
little  more  than  the  cost  of  the  ammunition  required  to  kill  it. 
He  is  a  man  highly  respected  in  his  township ;  he  has  been 
twice  supervisor,  indeed  has  held  every  township  office,  except 
justice  of  the  peace  and  town  clerk. 

Mary  Jane  Cox  died  February  16,  1863.  Mr.  Cox  married, 
August  12,  1863,  Mrs.  Nancy  Potter,  widow  of  Joseph  Potter,  of 
Kappa.  Her  maiden  name  was  Nancy  Hall,  and  her  birthplace 
is  in  Indiana. 


m'lean  county.  625 

Mr.  Cox  has  bad  five  children  in  all,  of  whom  four  are  now- 
living.     They  are: 

James  W.  Cox,  who  lives  a  half  mile  east  of  his  father's. 
He  served  in  the  army  in  the  Normal  regiment  and  was  dis- 
charged, after  two  years'  service,  on  account  of  sickness. 

Mrs.  Mary  Z.  Bowers,  wife  of  Wesley  Bowers,  lives  in  Ben- 
ton County,  Indiana. 

Henry  W.  Cox  lives  in  Benton  County,  Indiana,  within  half 
a  mile  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  Bowers. 

Charles  Sumner  Cox  is  deaf  and  dumb,  and  has  for  some 
time  been  an  inmate  of  the  asylum  at  Jacksonville. 

Mr.  Cox  is  about  five  feet  and  nine  inches  in  height,  has  a 
full  head  of  hair,  which  was  originally  dark,  has  grayish  blue 
eyes,  a  full  beard,  rather  a  thin  face,  is  rather  spare  and  has  been 
much  afflicted  with  rheumatism.  He  is  good  natured,  hard 
working,  hospitable  and  kind ;  a  man  of  good  business  qualifi- 
cations, has  succeeded  well,  takes  care  of  what  he  possesses,  has 
a  fine  farm  and  a  fine  house  and  everything  appears  neat  and 
tidy,  as  the  place  of  a  New  Englander  should. 

The  family,  of  which  George  W.  Cox  is  a  member,  has  been 
much  scattered.  There  were  fourteen  children  of  them  in  the 
little  town  of  Norway,  where  their  father  kept  store,  about  forty 
miles  from  Portland.  Two  of  the  daughters  are  in  Massachu- 
setts, one  in  New  Hampshire  and  one  in  Bloomington,  Illinois  ; 
one  son  is  at  Troy,  New  York,  two  are  in  Maine,  one  at  Hudson, 
Illinois,  merchant  and  postmaster,  one  in  Bloomington,  and  one, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  in  Gridley  township,  north  of  the 
Mackinaw. 


HUDSON. 

Young  Bilbrey. 

Youug  Bilbrey  was  born   May  21,  1801,  in  North  Carolina. 

His  father's  name  was  Isam  Bilbrey  and  his  mother's  maiden 

name  was  Ruth   Sellers.     When  Young  was  about  seven  years 

of  age,  the  family  moved   to    Matthew's    Creek   and    there  he 

lived  until  he  came  to  Illinois.     He  married,  August  12,  1826, 

Amanda  Patrick,  and  January  12,  1827,  he  started  for  Illinois 
40 


626  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

with  horses  and  oxen,  with  his  wife,  three  brothers-in-law  and 
one  sister-in-law.  They  came  first  to  Twin  Grove,  where  they 
arrived  February  12,  and  remained  until  April  16,  when  they 
moved  to  Panther  Creek,  in  what  is  now  Woodford  County. 
At  the  latter  place  Mr.  Bilbrey  built  a  rail  pen  to  live  in.  It 
was  a  ten-foot  rail  pen,  with  rails  on  three  sides  and  the  other 
side  open.  The  roof  was  of  clapboards.  In  this  they  lived 
three  weeks  and  while  there  Mr.  Bilbrey  and  his  three  brothers- 
in-law  cleared  ten  acres  of  heavy  timber  and  planted  it  in  corn, 
and  it  yielded  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre.  After  this  clearing  was 
made  they  moved  to  a  log  house  near  by,  and  the  following  year 
moved  to  another  log  house,  which  they  had  built  in  the  mean- 
time on  the  north  side  of  the  east  fork  of  Panther  Creek.  While 
building  that  house,  Mr.  Bilbrey's  brother-in-law,  Winslow 
Patrick,  was  killed  by  a  fall,  and  this  was  the  first  sad  event 
they  experienced. 

The  fever  and  ague  was  a  regular  visitor  in  the  West.  Mrs. 
Bilbrey  says  that  Stephen  Webb,  of  Twin  Grove,  declared  that 
no  one  but  a  lazy  man  could  have  the  ague.  But  before  long  he 
took  it  himself,  while  splitting  rails.  He  had  a  good  shake,  but 
insisted  that  it  would  be  driven  off  the  next  time  by  splitting 
rails.  Again  the  ague  came,  harder  than  before,  and  Stephen 
mauled  rails  with  all  his  might ;  he  shook  and  mauled  and  shook 
and  mauled,  but  the  fever  and  chills  were  at  last  so  severe,  that 
he  stopped  work,  and  he  was  forced  to  acknowledge  that  the 
ague  was  no  respecter  of  persons.  Some  time  afterwards  he 
was  out  haying,  and  while  coming  home  on  the  load  he  had  the 
ague,  and  while  crossing  a  creek  his  load  upset  and  he  was  in- 
voluntarily baptized,  and,  strange  to  say,  never  had  the  ague 
again.  Mrs.  Bilbrey  thinks  the  wagon  was  upset  for  the  purpose 
of  throwing  Mr.  Webb  into  the  creek. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  the  Bilbreys  pounded 
their  corn  as  everybody  did.  When  the  heavy  snow-fall  came, 
some  men,  who  had  come  to  mill  from  Pontiac,  and  were  re- 
turning, were  caught  in  the  snow  and  stayed  at  Mr.  Bilbrey's 
over  night.  They  left  their  corn  meal  there  and  went  home  and 
afterwards  returned  with  sleds  and  snow-shoes.  One  of  them 
was  near  freezing  to  death,  and  gave  up  and  wished  to  stop  and 
die.     His   companion  gave   him   encouraging   words,  but   these 


m'lean  county.  627 

seemed  to  be  of  little  use  and  he  was  determined  to  die.  At 
last  his  companion  aroused  him  by  saying:  "I  don't  care  if  you 
die.  You  are  of  no  account  to  your  family  anyhow,  or  to  any 
one,  and  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  freeze."  The  man  thus 
addressed  became  very  angry  and  aroused  himself  and  walked 
through. 

The  house  of  Mr.  Bilbrey  was  used  as  a  preaching  place  for 
many  years,  for  the  Christians  and  United  Brethren. 

The  clothing  worn  in  the  early  days  was  jeans  and  linsey 
woolsey,  and  Mrs.  Bilbrey  thinks  it  would  do  no  harm  if  this 
clothing  was  worn  at  the  present  day.  She  thinks  the  fashions 
of  the  present  day  are  scandalous,  and  that  it  is  an  outrage  for 
women  to  wear  humps  on  their  backs,  and  that  they  had  better 
dress  naturally,  even  if  they  wore  linsey  woolsey.  She  wishes 
this  idea  preserved  with  care  in  the  hope  that  it  may  be  a  benefit 
to  the  rising  generation. 

In  1836  the  Bilbrey  family  moved  to  the  east  side  of  Money 
Creek,  where  they  lived  twenty-five  years  and  then  moved  to 
the  west  side,  where  they  lived  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Bilbrey, 
which  occurred  June  13,  1873, 

Mr.  Bilbrey  belonged  to  the  Christian  Church  for  about 
thirty-five  years.  He  died  without  fear,  and  was  conscious  to  the 
last.  His  business  was  all  arranged  and  "his  house  set  in  order." 
Ten  dollars  would  have  paid  every  debt  he  owed. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bilbrey  have  had  nine  children,  of  who.ni  six 
are  living.     The  children  are  : 

Jane,  born  October  14,  1829,  married  to  Jonathan  Coon,  died 
August  8,  1856. 

Mary  Ann,  born  January  8,  1832,  married  Rankin  Armstrong 
and  lives  near  Secor,  Woodford  County. 

Melinda,  born  December  17,  1833,  married  Lewis  Smith,  died 
August  9,  1861. 

William,  born  March  29,  1836,  lives  in  Gibson,  Ford  County, 
Illinois. 

Ellen,  born  October  25,  1837,  married  Jacob  Hinthorn  and 
lives  on  the  west  side  of  Money  Creek  timber. 

Margaret  was  born  March  16,  1839,  and  died  May  3,  1864. 

Almira  was  born  September  28,  1840,  married  William  Hin- 
thorn, March  24,  1861,  lives  in  Shelbina,  Missouri. 


G28  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Allen,  born  October  28,  1841,  lives  on  the  south  end  of  his 
father's  farm. 

Eli,  born  October  5,  1845,  lives  on  the  southwest  side  of 
Money  Creek  timber. 

Mr.  Bilbrey  was  rather  a  large  man,  weighed  about  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  pounds,  was  very  muscular,  worked  hard,  had  an 
iron  constitution,  was  a  good  man  and  strictly  honest.  He  was 
very  cool  and  fearless,  when  difficulties  appeared  in  his  way,  and 
worked  steadily  and  carefully  to  overcome  them.  He  was  sick 
for  three  weeks  previous  to  his  death  with  inflammation  of  the 
bowels  and  bilious  fever.  His  funeral  was  a  large  one,  the  peo- 
ple coming  from  long  distances  to  see  the  old  pioneer  laid  in  his 
last  resting  place.  The  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Thomas 
D.  Lyons,  at  the  house  of  the  deceased. 

Joseph  Messer. 

Joseph  Messer  was  the  son  of  Isaac  Messer,  whose  children 
are  given  at  the  close  of  this  sketch.  It  has  not  been  possible  to 
obtain  information  sufficient  to  write  a  sketch  of  the  old  gentle- 
man, who  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  noted  pioneers  of 
McLean  County. 

Joseph  Messer  was  born  September  5,  1825,  in  Pickaway 
County,  Ohio,  and  came  with  the  family  to  Mackinaw  timber,  in 
what  is  now  McLean  County,  Illinois,  where  he  arrived  in  March, 
1829.  He  has  led  quite  an  active  life,  and  has  done  some  hunt- 
ing "off  and  on"  for  fifteen  or  sixteen  years,  and  indeed  this 
disposition  to  hunt  is  one  of  the  leading  characteristics  of  the  fam- 
ily. He  studied  particularly  into  the  nature  of  that  most  cunning 
and  most  interesting  animal,  the  deer.  He  says  that  frequently  they 
have  their  regular  places  to  live  and  sometimes  select  them  with 
o-reat  care  and  discretion.  He  remembers  a  large  buck,  which 
had  a  place  to  stay  on  the  north  of  the  Mackinaw,  where  it  was 
protected  in  some  measure  by  two  ponds  of  water.  It  could 
there  see  a  long  distance  and  had  timely  notice  of  the  approach 
of  hunters  or  wild  animals.  Mr.  Messer  determined  to  kill  this 
deer,  and  crawled  to  it  from  a  long  distance  and  was  obliged  to 
crawl  through  a  pond  of  water,  which  came  over  his  back.  But 
he  held  up  his  gun  and  went  through,  and  was  rewarded  for  his 
trouble  by  killing  the  deer.     As  the  country  became  well  settled, 


m'lean  county.  629 

the  game  grew  scarce  and  was  not  easily  killed.  The  old  hunters 
then  practiced  shooting  deer  on  the  run.  Mr.  Messer,  while  on 
horseback,  once  chased  a  deer,  and  as  it  was  about  to  run  into  a 
thicket  he  shot  it  through  the  heart  without  slacking  the  pace  of 
his  horse.  In  one  fall  he  killed  eighteen  deer,  and  only  one  was 
shot  while  standing. 

Mr.  Messer  married,  March  17,  1853,  Martha  Locke.  He  has 
had  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  They  are  fine, 
healthy  boys  and  girls,  and  he  works  hard  to  support  them.  He 
is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  is  not  heavy  set,  has  a  nose 
with  a  good  natured  turn  to  it,  and  gray  eyes  with  a  very  clear 
expression  in  them.     He  is  a  very  pleasant  man. 

The  following  are  the  children  of  Isaac  Messer,  the  father  of 
Joseph : 

John  Messer,  born  August  4,  1807,  lives  north  of  the  Macki- 
naw in  Gridley  township.     His  sketch  appears  in  this  work. 

Mary  Messer,  born  January  4,  1811,  married  Joseph  D.  Gild- 
ersleeve  and  lives  in  Hudson  township  in  the  edge  of  Money 
Creek  timber. 

Elizabeth  Messer,  born  September  4,  1813,  married  Peter 
Spore  and  lives  at  ISTeosho  Falls,  Kansas. 

Jane  Messer,  born  September  9,  1815,  married  Isaac  Turnip- 
seed  and  lives  in  Hudson  township  in  the  edge  of  Money  Creek 
timber. 

Sidney  Ann  Messer,  born  April  19,  1819,  married  Madison 
Young,  lived  in  Mackinaw  timber  and  died  many  vears  since. 

Rebecca  Messer,  born  October  30,  1821,  married  Calvin 
Doughtv.     She  and  her  husband  are  both  dead. 

Isaac  Messer  died  in  infancy. 

Joseph  Messer,  born  September  5,  1825,  lives  in  Hudson 
township  in  the  edge  of  Money  Creek  timber. 

James  K.  Messer,  born  April  19  1828,  died  when  eight  years 
of  aa;e. 

Isaac  Messer,  born  December  28,  1831,  lives  in  Hudson  town- 
ship in  the  edge  of  Money  Creek  timber. 

Jesse  Havens. 

Jesse  Havens  was  born  June  23,  1781,  near  the  mouth  of 
Squawn  River  in  New  Jersey.     His  father  came  from  Wales  when 


630  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

quite  young.  He  was  a  sea  captain  and  was  shipwrecked  and 
lost  his  life  on  the  ocean  by  shipwreck.  Jesse  Havens  came  to 
Virginia,  when  only  a  boy  and  lived  with  a  brother-in-law,  named 
Newman.  There  he  went  bear-hunting  and  killed  a  great  number. 
Mr.  Newman  made  bear-hunting  a  business  and  Jesse  Havens 
often  went  out  with  a  company  of  hunters  under  Newman  and 
stayed  for  three  months  at  a  time  without  seeing  any  human  be- 
ings, except  members  of  the  company.  Jesse  Havens  was  an 
excellent  marksman,  and  as  the  bear  were  thick,  had  every  chance 
to  exercise  his  skill.  He  sometimes  took  the  dogs  and  went  out 
hunting  himself  and  occasionally  had  some  unexpected  adventures. 
At  one  time,  while  alone  watching  a  deer-lick,  he  heard  an  ani- 
mal approaching,  which  proved  to  be  a  panther.  It  ran  up  a  tree 
and  seemed  also  to  be  on  the  watch  for  deer.  Jesse  took  careful 
aim  at  it,  fired  and  ran  for  home.  The  hunters  returned  with 
him  to  the  spot  and  found  the  panther  dead.  At  one  time  he  had 
a  dangerous  adventure  with  a  bear.  He  shot  a  bear  which  had 
been  treed  and  it  fell  wounded,  and  hugged  the  dog,  which  had 
treed  it.  When  Jesse  came  up,  the  bear  and  dog  went  rolling 
down  a  hill,  but  Jesse  succeeded  in  killing  the  bear  with  his 
knife  and  tomahawk.     He  considered  this  a  narrow  escape. 

He  went  in  1801  to  where  Newark,  Ohio,  now  is,  and  built 
several  log  cabins  for  a  company  which  settled  there.  He  mar- 
ried and  moved  eight  miles  north  of  that  place  and  cleared  out  a 
small  farm  and  ran  a  shop  in  which  he  made  furniture,  chairs,  etc. 
Jesse  Havens  enlisted  in  the  war  of  1812  and  was  at  the  des- 
perate defence  made  by  Major  Croghan  and  his  band  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  men,  of  Fort  Stephenson  on  the  Lower  Sandusky. 
In  the  fall  of  1829  Jesse  Havens  came  to  Illinois.  He  came 
first  to  Big  Grove,  near  where  Urbana  now  is,  and  from  there 
went  in  search  of  a  house  and  found  one  on  the  North  Fork  of 
the  Sangamon,  south  of  where  Leroy  now  is.  When  he  moved 
his  family  there,  which  was  in  December,  1829,  the  sleet  troubled 
him  very  much,  and  he  was  obliged  to  walk  many  miles  to  obtain 
corn  for  food.  He  left  the  Sangamon  and  came  to  Buckles'  Grove 
and  from  there  he  came  to  where  Hudson  now  is,  in  January, 
1830.  There  he  bought  some  claims,  made  improvements  and 
went  to  farming,  as  did  all  the  settlers  in  that  section. 

In  1850  Jesse  Havens  sold  out  and  went  to  Iowa,  but  after  a 
few  years  returned  to  Havens*  Grove.     Here  he  lived  two  years 


m'lean  county.  G31 

with  his  son  Hiram  and  then  went  back  to  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  December  2, 
1862.  Just  previous  to  his  death  he  requested  his  son  William 
to  bury  him  in  Havens'  Grove,  and  this  request  was  carried  out. 
He  was,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  eighty-one  years,  five  months 
and  nine  days  old. 

He  was  married  to  Rebecca  Ilinthorn  in  Licking  County, 
Ohio.  He  had  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  become  men 
and  women.     They  are  : 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Piatt,  wife  of  Ilezekiah  Piatt,  died  in  North- 
ern Iowa. 

Mrs.  Anna  Smith,  wife  of  John  Smith,  lives  at  Havens'  Grove. 

Mrs.  Dorcas  Wheeler,  wife  of  Benjamin  Wheeler,  lives  at 
Havens'  Grove. 

Mrs.  Margaret  Trimmer,  wife  of  David  Trimmer,  died  at 
Havens'  Grove. 

John  Havens  lives  at  Ford  County,  Illinois,  not  far  from 
Paxton. 

Hiram  Havens  lives  at  Havens'  Grove. 

Jesse  D.  Havens  lives  in  Lincoln,  Illinois,  on  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad. 

Rev.  James  Havens  lives  in  Wisconsin.  He  is  a  Methodist 
minister  and  belongs  to  the  Wisconsin  Conference. 

Rev.  Enoch  Stephen  Havens  also  is  a  Methodist  minister  be- 
longing  to  the  Wisconsin  Conference. 

Ired  M.  Havens  died  at  Kappa,  January  8, 1852,  aged  twenty- 
six  years,  seven  months  and  twenty-one  days.  He  was  buried  at 
Havens'  Grove. 

W.  W.  Havens  lives  in  Xorthern  Iowa. 

Jesse  Havens  was  six  feet  in  height,  had  heavy  hair  and  eye- 
brows, and  was  very  muscular.  lie  was  a  good  man  and  quite 
successful  in  life.  He  gave  the  name  to  Havens'  Grove.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  Commissioners  elected  in  McLean   County  after 


its  organization. 


Hiram  Havens. 


Hiram  Havens  was  born  March  29,  1817,  in  Licking  County, 
Ohio.  He  worked  for  his  father,  Jesse  Havens,  in  his  younger 
days  and  broke  prairie  with   an   ox-team.     He  and  his    brother 


632  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

John  broke  prairie  together  and  together  kept  bachelor's  hall. 
John  usually  brought  up  the  oxen  in  the  morning,  while  Hiram 
pounded  the  cornmeal  for  breakfast.  They  often  killed  deer, 
sometimes  early  enough  in  the  morning  to  have  venison  for 
breakfast.  In  March,  1883,  Hiram  Havens  went  to  More's  mill 
on  Panther  Creek,  in  company  with  a  man  named  Piatt.  But  on 
his  return  he  found  it  impossible  to  cross  the  Maekinew.  His 
companion,  Piatt,  managed  to  cross  on  the  ice  with  a  pole,  in- 
tending to  go  home  and  return  with  something  for  Havens  to 
eat,  but  on  his  return  it  was  impossible  to  re-eross  the  Mackinaw, 
as  it  had  risen  to  an  enormous  height.  Havens  was  left  to  lay 
all  night  on  an  open  sled,  on  the  bank  of  the  Mackinaw  in  a 
sleeting  storm.  But  he  fortunately  had  his  feet  protected  by  a 
big  dog,  which  kept  them  warm.  Tne  wolves  came  unpleasantly 
near  and  seemed  very  anxious  to  make  mutton  of  him.  The 
next  morning  he  rode  eight  miles  in  the  storm  on  one  of  his 
horses,  leading  the  other.  He  obtained  some  parched  corn  for 
breakfast,  of  a  man  named  More,  then  rode  two  miles  farther  to 
a  house  where  he  was  given  some  boiled  corn  and  venison.  .  He 
lived  there  sixteen  days  before  he  could  re-cross  the  Mackinaw. 
He  found  that  the  crows  and  mice  had  eaten  much  of  his  flour, 
and  possibly  the  wolves  might  have  assisted  in  the  matter. 

Hiram  Havens  was  a  good  shot  and  pretty  certain  to  bring- 
down his  game.  His  father  once  treed  a  lynx,  which  is  an  im- 
mensely long-bodied  animal,  with  spots  or  short  stripes,  and  with 
legs  which  are  short,  thick  and  powerful.  Hiram  was  called  to 
shoot  the  animal,  and  put  a  bullet  into  its  brain.  It  fell  to  the 
ground  and  an  incautious  dog  came  rather  close,  when  the  lynx 
gave  it  a  blow  with  its  paw,  which  sent  the  dog  rolling  senseless. 
The  lynx  died  in  a  few  moments.  It  measured  six  feet  from  tip 
to  tip,  but  its  tail  was  short.     Its  nails  were  two  inches  in  length. 

The  lynxes,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  description,  are  ferocious 
animals,  and  have  given  rise  to  many  stories.  One  of  these  was 
the  story  of  the  once  celebrated  Clem  Oatman.  It  was  said  that 
Clem  Oatman  was  once  coming  home  from  mill',  when  he  saw 
one  of  these  lvnxes  and  killed  it  with  a  club  and  carried  it  on  his 
horse,  which  was  a  very  tall  one.  And  it  was  said  that  this  lynx 
dragged  its  head  in  the  snow  on  one  side  and  its  hindquarters  in 
the  snow  on  the   other,  and  in  this  manner  the  wonderful  lynx 


m'lean  county.  633 

was  curried  home.  The  news  of  Clem  Oatman's  lynx  was  car- 
ried over  the  country,  and  was  told  in  every  school  house,  church 
and  grocery.  So  far  as  the  truth  of  this  story  is  concerned,  the 
reader  can  believe  as  much  or  as  little  as  he  chooses.  If  he 
wishes  to  cultivate  his  faith,  this  story  is  a  good  one  to  practice 
on. 

Mr.  Havens  takes  delight  in  stories,  and  tells  one  on  a  certain 
man  named  Wood,  an  English  sailor,  who  came  to  the  neighbor- 
hood with  Mr.  Samuel  Lewis.  Wood  went  hunting,  with  a  fine 
gun,  which  Lewis  had  brought  from  England.  The  gun  was 
scoured  up  brightly,  and  was  of  beautiful  workmanship.  Wood 
wounded  a  deer,  which  turned  for  fight,  and  came  with  its  hair 
all  bristling  forward,  though  it  was  much  worried  by  the  dogs. 
Wood  turned  to  the  deer  and  said  :  "Don't  }*ou  come  'ookin'  at 
me,  Mr.  Deer,  or  Ell  knock  'ee  in  the  'ead  with  the  gun."  But 
the  deer  was  not  familiar  with  broad  English  dialect  and  did  not 
heed  the  warning.  The  old  sailor  managed  the  gun  as  he  would 
a  handspike  and  broke  the  deer's  horns  and  mashed  its  head  and 
laid  it  out  dead.  But  the  pretty  gun,  which  had  been  brought 
from  England,  with  pretty  mountings  and  fancy  trappings,  was 
broken  and  battered  and  useless  for  further  service. 

Hiram  Havens  commenced  work  for  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road Company  in  1851,  when  that  great  undertaking  was  put 
under  contract.  He  worked  two  years  and  a  half,  furnishing 
ties,  bridge  lumber,  etc.,  and  could  have  remained  in  the  service 
of  the  company,  but  was  afraid  of  the  uncertainty  of  a  life  on 
the  road. 

Mr.  Havens  has  been  pretty  successful  in  life,  and  has  made 
his  money  by  the  hardest  of  labor.  When  he  married  and  com- 
menced life  for  himself,  he  was  on  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  was 
given  to  him  by  his  father.  He  lived  in  a  cabin  twelve  feet 
square,  made  of  split  logs.  It  had  only  one  window,  and  was  a 
hard  looking  affair.  He  and  his  wife  had  two  cows,  one  pony, 
two  chairs,  one  bed  and  one  blue  chest,  which  they  used  as  a 
table.  During  the  first  year  lie  did  his  ploughing  with  a  bor- 
rowed horse,  but  succeeded  well  and  bought  more  land  and  in 
about  three  years  was  able  to  build  a  house.  He  continued  farm- 
ing and  raising  stock  and  accumulating  property,  until  he  became 
pretty  independent.     In  185!)  he  bought  the  farm  of  Enoch  S. 


034  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Havens,  and  since  that  time  built  the  house  where  he  now  lives. 
His  property  is  not  tied  up  with  trust  deeds  or  mortgages,  but 
belongs  to  him  in  fee  simple. 

He  married  Sarah  A.  Trimmer,  April  5,  1838.  She  is  still 
living.  He  has  had  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  living. 
They  are  : 

Mrs.  Martha  E.  Johnson,  wife  of  John  S.  Johnson,  lives  in 
White  Oak  Grove. 

Alice  Havens  and  Etta  B.  Havens,  the  pet,  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Havens  is  nearly  six  feet  in  height,  and  has  a  fair  amount 
of  muscle.  His  hair  was  once  what  is  politely  called  intensely 
auburn,  that  is,  it  had  a  reddish  cast,  but  now  it  is  sprinkled  with 
gray.  He  has  been  a  hard  and  industrious  worker,  and  has  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  the  community  where  he  resides,  as  is 
seen  by  the  fact  that  he  has  been  justice  of  the  pe^ce  for  sixteen 
years. 

Benjamin  Wheeler. 

Benjamin  Wheeler  was  born  February  14,  1803,  in  Hardy 
County,  Virginia,  (now  West  Virginia,)  about  two  and  one-half 
miles  from  the  town  of  Morfield.  His  father's  name  was  Benja- 
min Wheeler,  and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Rachel  Har- 
ris. He  is  of  English  and  German  descent.  Mr.  Wheeler  was, 
of  course,  very  young  during  the  war  of  1812,  but  he  remembers 
that  about  that  time  his  mother  died,  leaving  seven  children  for 
the  father  to  look  after.  As  strange  luck  would  have  it,  Mr. 
Wheeler,  sr.,  was  dratted  during  that  war  in  what  was  called  the 
Whisky  Company,  while  he  had  all  these  seven  children  to  sup- 
port. But  the  case  was  one  of  such  hardship  that  the  town 
generously  paid  for  a  substitute,  and  Mr.  Wheeler  remained  at 
home. 

The  war  of  1812  had  a  great  effect  on  the  price  of  various 
articles,  which  were  imported  into  the  country.  When  it  was 
nearly  closed,  a  merchant  brought  some  salt  from  Baltimore  to 
Morfield  on  packhorses,  and  sold  it  for  fifty  cents  per  quart;  but 
soon  the  war  was  ended,  salt  was  brought  in  cheap,  and  the  mer- 
chant was  obliged  to  sell  out  at  a  loss. 

When  Benjamin  Wheeler,  jr.,  was  about  thirteen  years  of  age, 
the  family  came  to  Licking  Count v,  Ohio.     No  incident  of  im- 


m'lban  county.  635 

portance  occurred  during  his  youth.  He  married,  April  10, 1828, 
Dorcas  Havens,  and  during  the  fall  of  1829  started  for  the  West 
with  his  father-in-law,  Jesse  Havens.  He  came  to  Big  Grove, 
where  Champaign  City,  Ills.,  now  is,  and  in  1830  came  to  Mc- 
Lean County.  lie  began  farming  with  very  little  to  work  with 
and  no  money.  His  first  plow  was  partly  of  his  own  manufac- 
ture. He  had  a  land  side  and  a  shear,  and  he  made  a  wooden 
mould-board  himself.  The  appearance  of  this  plow  was  not  pre- 
possessing. It  seemed  more  like  an  A  harrow  than  a  plow;  but 
it  was  serviceable,  and  he  was  obliged  to  use  it  for  two  years  be- 
fore he  could  make  enough  money  to  buy  another. 

In  1839-40  he  experienced  the  celebrated  hard  times,  and 
sold  pork  in  Lacon  for  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  hundred,  took 
one-fourth  of  his  pay  in  store  goods,  and  the  remainder  in  Cairo 
money,  which  the  merchants  tried  to  shave  twelve  and  a  half 
cents  on  the  dollar;  but  he  refused  to  submit  to  it.  He  hauled 
shelled  corn  to  Peoria  and  sold  it  for  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per 
bushel.  But  in  1843  prices  rose,  and  farmers  could  make  money. 
The  fluctuations  in  currency  at  home  made  many  a  man's  for- 
tune. Many  men,  who  owed  the  State  Bank,  bought  up  its 
notes  at  a  large  discount  and  paid  their  debts.  But  with  all  of 
these  vexations,  Mr.  Wheeler  thinks  he  enjoyed  himself  better 
then,  than  he  has  done  during  the  last  fifteen  or  eighteen  years. 

Mr.  Wheeler  was  very  little  of  a  hunter.  He  killed  two  or 
three  deer,  but  was  more  successful  with  turkeys,  for  when  he 
shot  one  out  of  a  Hock,  the  rest  fluttered  around  and  huddled 
together,  and  would  not  run  until  the}'  saw  the  hunter.  He  only 
killed  three  deer,  and  two  of  these  were  during  the  winter  of  the 
deep  snow.  Only  six  or  seven  deer  lived  during  that  winter  in 
Havens'  Grove  ;  whole  droves  of  them  perished  in  the  snow. 

,  During  the  famous  sudden  change  of  December,  1836,  Mr. 
Wheeler  was  out  feeding  his  stock,  and  when  he  came  into  the 
house  and  pulled  off  his  overcoat  it  was  frozen  so  stiff  that  it 
stood  upright  on  the  floor.  He  speaks  of  a  man  and  his  daugh- 
ter, who  were  frozen  to  death  in  this  sudden  change,  before  they 
could  go  to  their  home,  a  few  miles  away.  This  incident  has 
been  related  by  several  other  settlers,  but  none  seem  to  know 
the  names  of  the  unfortunate  persons.     Mr.  Wheeler  saj-s  that 


636  OLD    .SETTLERS    OF 

two  hours  after  the  sudden  change  took  place,  the  Six  Mile  Creek 
could  be  crossed  on  the  ice. 

Mr.  Wheeler  speaks  of  other  phenomena.  In  1844,  the  year 
of  the  great  rains,  he  was  at  one  time  entirely  hemmed  in.  The 
Six  Mile  Creek  overflowed  the  bottom  lands,  and  Mr.  Wheeler's 
house  stood  on  an  island.  The  creek  was  higher  than  ever  be- 
fore,  except  the  spring  of  1881,  when  the  deep  snow  went  off. 

Mr.  Wheeler  has  suffered  much  by  fire.  During  the  fall  of 
1830  a  fire  came  up  from  Twin  Grove,  and  everyone  turned  out 
to  right  it;  but  it  burned  up  all  his  rails,  his  wheat  and  his  hay, 
and  during  the  succeeding  winter  he  was  forced  to  depend  on  his 
corn,  which  he  dug  out  of  the  deep  snow.  In  about  the  year 
1838  or  '40,  a  fire  came  rolling  over  the  prairie,  and  Mr.  Wheeler 
and  his  boys  tore  down  the  rail  fences  as  fast  as  possible  to  save- 
them,  but  nine  hundred  of  his  rails  went  up  in  smoke.  In  1840 
or  '41,  the  fire  came  so  swiftly,  that  it  jumped  a  piece  of  plowed 
and  burnt  ground  two  rods  wide.  At  another  time  it  jumped  the 
big  road,  which  is  more  than  two  rods  wide.  He  saw  a  dry  fence, 
belonging  to  Samuel  Lewis,  burnt  down  so  quickly  that  the  stakes 
and  riders  were  still  standing,  while  the  fence  was  burnt  out 
underneath.  Mr.  Lewis  was  away  from  home  at  the  time,  and 
Mrs.  Lewis  came  out  with  her  mopstick  to  do  something,  but  she 
might  as  well  have  thrown  it  at  the  Chicago  fire.  Mr.  Wheeler 
has  seen  fire  going  faster  than  a  horse  could  run  and  taking  fear- 
ful leaps.  It  would  suck  in  the  air  behind  it,  and  move  like  a 
flock  of  wild  geese  with  the  center  ahead  and  the  wings  on  each 
side  hanging  back. 

The  old  settlers,  of  course,  have  a  lively  recollection  of  those 
animals,  which  destroyed  their  property.  Mr.  Wheeler  remem- 
bers a  particularly  destructive  lynx,  for  which  a  reward  of  thirty 
dollars  was  offered.  An  Indian  succeeded  in  killing  it  and  claimed 
the  reward,  which  was  refused  ;  but  the  settlers  took  the  Indian's 
part  and  insisted  that  the  reward  should  be  paid,  and  the  Indian 
at  last  received  it. 

The  rattlesnakes,  in  early  days,  were  numerous,  and  Mr. 
Wheeler  says  that  the  poison  strikes  into  the  system  almost  in- 
stantly. A  Mrs.  Rook  was  bitten  by  a  rattlesnake  on  the  hand, 
and  her  husband  thought  he  would  show  great  presence  of  mind 
by  cutting  out  a  piece  of  flesh,  where  she  had  been  bitten;  but 


m'lean  county.  037 

she  came  near  dying  and  was  only  saved  by  an  Indian,  who  rub- 
bed her  with  China  snakeroot.     This  was  the  great  remedy. 

Mr.  Wheeler  lias  seen  all  phases  of  pioneer  life,  and,  notwith- 
standing all  the  hardships,  he  enjoyed  himself  very  much  in  the 
"good  old  times."  He  has  had  fourteen  children,  ten  of  whom 
are  living.     They  are  : 

Valentine  Wheeler,  who  lives  in  Hudson. 

Jesse  Wheeler,  who  lives  three  miles  west  of  Hudson. 

William  L.  Wheeler  lives  in  Ford  County,  near  Gibson  City. 

Mrs.  Eebecca  Miller,  wife  of  John  G.  Miller,  lives  in  Bloom- 
ington. 

John  T.  Wheeler  lives  in  Clay  Centre,  Clay  County,  Kansas. 

James  A.  Wheeler  lives  in  Farmer  City,  DeWitt  County. 

Rachel,  Elizabeth,  Mary  and  Henry  Wheeler,  live  at  home. 

Benjamin  Wheeler  is  almost  six  feet  in  height,  is  a  very  kind 
gentleman,  can  tell  what  he  knows,  and  fortunately  knows  some- 
thing to  tell.  His  hair  is  gray,  and  his  whiskers  are  of  mixed  red 
and  gray.  He  has  a  hopeful  disposition  and  a  pleasant  temper. 
He  suffers  with  the  asthma,  which,  he  thinks,  he  brought  on  by 
contending  with  fires  and  becoming  suddenly  warm  and  breath- 
ing the  smoke  and  heated  air.  Mrs.  Wheeler,  his  lady,  was  born 
June  9,  1810,  in  Licking  County,  Ohio.  She  is  a  woman  of  ten- 
der sympathy,  has  a  kind  heart  and  a  pleasant  word  for  all. 

John  Smith. 

John  Smith  was  born  December  11,  1804,  in  Randolph  Coun- 
ty, North  Carolina.  His  father's  name  was  David  Smith,  and 
his  mother's  name  was  Polly  McLaughlin.  His  grandfather, 
Zachariah  Smith,  was  a  German,  who  came  to  America  when  a 
boy.  He  was  a  Baptist  preacher  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Polly  McLaughlin  was  of  Scotch  descent.  David  Smith  moved 
to  Georgia  in  1811,  and  returned  the  following  year  to  North 
Carolina.  Many  soldiers  were  seen  on  the  way.  He  volunteered 
to  go  to  the  war  in  1812,  but  was  never  called  out.  Shortly 
afterwards  the  Smith  family  went  to  Kentucky,  where  they  re- 
mained a  year,  and  then  went  to  Centreville,  Indiana,  on  the 
Whitewater  River.  They  farmed  and  cleared  forty  acres  of  lam! 
on  the  beach.  Thev  hauled  their  corn  on  a  sled,  as  the  settle- 
ment  did  not  have  a  wagon  for  two  years.     After  four  years  of 


638  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

farming  there,  they  wont  to  StrawtOwn.  The  health  of  this  place 
may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  only  one  man  in  it  failed  to 
take  the  fever  and  ague.  A  little  difficulty  occurred  there  with 
the  Miami  Indians.  Some  of  them  came  to  the  house  of  a  pio- 
neer, named  Shintaffer,  and  insisted  on  having  whisky,  which 
was  refused.  One  of  them  in  his  anger  struck  Shintaffer's  wife 
on  the  cheek,  and  it  hurt  her  severely,  as  she  was  sutfering  with 
the  toothache.  Mr.  Shintaffer  picked  up  the  Indian  and  threw 
him  on  the  fire,  while  Mrs.  Shintaffer  took  the  butt  end  of  the 
whip  to  him.  The  Indian  was  severely  burnt,  and  would  have 
been  roasted  alive,  had  not  the  squaws  made  an  outcry.  This 
was  in  the  tall  of  the  year.  During  the  following  spring,  Mr. 
Shintaffer  went  with  .John  Smith  to  blaze  a  road  to  the  Wabash 
River,  and  a  party  of  twelve  Miami  Indians  attempted  in  his  ab- 
sence to  murder  his  family ;  but  he  returned  iust  as  they  were 
about  to  commence,  and  was  assisted  in  defending  his  familv  bv 
some  whites,  who  were  watching  the  Indians.  After  a  severe 
scuffle,  one  Indian  and  one  white  man  were  killed.  The  Shin- 
taffer and  the  Smith  families  moved  down  to  the  mouth  of  Eel 
River.  There  the  Smiths  lived  two  years,  then  moved  to  Honey 
Creek  prairie  on  the  Wabash,  where  they  remained  one  year, 
then  went  to  the  Grand  Prairie  near  the  State  line,  between  Illi- 
nois and  Indiana.  The  Grand  Prairie  was  a  name  given  to  the 
whole  prairie  of  the  Mississippi  valley.  On  the  line,  where  the 
Grand  Prairie  commenced,  the  beech  and  yellow  poplar  stopped. 

In  1824,  John  Smith  moved  a  family  to  Peoria,  which  then 
contained  only  two  or  three  houses.  While  on  this  trip,  he  saw. 
about  twenty  miles  above  Peoria,  a  large  log  in  a  tree,  and  on 
climbing  up  he  found  it  contained  the  bones  of  an  Indian,  who 
must  have  been  six  feet  and  five  inches  tall.  On  Mr.  Smith's 
return  home  he  moved  to  Big  Grove,  Illinois,  near  where  Urbana 
now  is.  While  he  was  there,  a  man  went  to  Peoria  on  foot  to 
perfect  his  title  to  some  land,  and  it  was  necessary  to  see  the  per- 
son whom  John  Smith  moved  there.  On  the  man's  return  he 
walked  himself  to  death,  and  was  found  lying  between  the  San- 
gamon and  the  head  of  the  Vermilion. 

The  Indian  trading-house  was  at  the  east  end  of  Bisr  Grove. 
In  the  timber  were  two  Indian  sugar  camps.  They  had  all  the 
apparatus  for  making  sugar.  They  had  immense  troughs,  which 
would  hold  six  or  eight  barrels  of  sap. 


m'lean  county.  639 

In  the  spring-  of  1830,  the  Smith  family  moved  to  what  was 
afterwards  called  Smith's  Grove.  John  Smith  immediately  en- 
tered tho  land,  where  the  Jones  family  now  live. 

The  winter  of  the  deep  snow  was  a  hard  one  for  the  Smith 
family.  When  the  first  heavy  snowfall  came,  John  Smith  was 
at  White  Oak  timber,  and  during  that  night  stayed  at  More's 
mill  with  several  others.  lie  was  watching  the  mill  as  it  ground 
his  corn,  but  it  broke  during  the  night,  and  he  could  grind  no 
more.  The  mill  was  built  of  logs,  and  was  not  chinked,  and  the 
snow  drifted  on  the  inside  about  eight  feet  high.  It  required  the 
whole  of  the  next  day  for  Mr.  Smith  to  go  to  Havens'  Grove, 
and  the  whole  of  the  following  day  to  reach  home  at  Smith's 
Grove.  A  few  days  afterwards,  when  the  snow  became  settled 
and  packed,  it  was  impossible  to  go  anywhere. 

John  Smith  married,  March  30,  1831,  Anna  Havens.  In  the 
spring  of  1832  he  settled  at  Havens'  Grove,  about  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  north  of  his  present  residence.  In  1849  he  settled 
about  half  a  mile  from  Hudson,  in  the  edge  of  Havens'  Grove, 
and  has  lived  there  ever  since. 

John  Smith  relates  an  incident,  which  occurred  in  December, 
1836,  during  the  sudden  change  in  the  weather.  On  the  day  of 
the  sudden  change,  a  man,  named  Lapham,  was  crossing  the 
Mackinaw.  He  came  oyer  the  ice  on  horseback;  but  just  as  his 
horse  was  stepping  from  the  ice,  which  had  been  raised  by  the 
thaw,  it  went  into  the  mud  and  water  between  the  ice  and  the 
steep  bank.  While  Lapham  was  trying  to  get  out  his  horse,  the 
sudden  change  came  on,  and  the  intensely  cold  wind  stupefied  the 
horse,  and  Lapham  left  it  and  walked  two  miles  and  a  half  to 
John  Smith's  house.  On  the  following  day  he  and  Smith  went 
back  for  the  saddle,  bridle  and  blankets.  The  horse  was  frozen 
solidly  in  the  ice.  The  water  and  mud  had  not  reached  to  its 
flanks,  but  it  was  so  chilled  by  the  sudden  change,  that  it  was 
powerless  to  loosen  itself. 

John  Smith  has  raised  quite  a  family  of  childreu.  lie  has 
had  eight  altogether,  of  whom  six  grew  up.      They  are  : 

Dr.  Lee  Smith,  who  was  born  May  8,  1832,  and  lives  in 
Bloomington. 

Mrs.  Irena  Lewis,  wife  of  Samuel  H.  Lewis,  lives  in  Hudson. 


<U0  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

• 

Jesse  and  David  Smith,  twins,  were  horn  December  31,  1836. 
Rev.  Jesse  Smith  lives  at  Hamilton  on  the  Mississippi  River,  is  a 
Methodist  minister,  and  belongs  to  the  Central  Illinois  Confer- 
ence.    David  Smith  lives  at  home  and  attends  to  the  farm. 

Christiana  Smith  lives  at  the  homestead. 

John  Smith  is  five  feet  and  nine  inches  in  height,  and  is  rather 
slenderly  built.  In  his  younger  days  he  was  pretty  muscular  and 
was  a  hard  worker.  He  is  very  industrious  and  strictly  honest. 
His  hair  is  heavy  and  stands  high  on  his  head.  Old  age  leaves 
its  effects  on  him,  and  his  eyesight  is  poor  and  his  hearing  has 
partially  failed.  He  is  a  good  man  and  wishes  to  perform  all  of 
his  duties  honestly  and  religiously.  He  has  been  very  successful 
in  life,  and  is  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  honored  pioneers  in 
the  grove  where  he  lives.  The  following  incident  may  throw 
some  light  on  Mr.  Smith's  character  and  disposition.  In  an  early 
day  an  old  Quaker,  named  Joseph  Wilson,  attempted  to  build  a 
mill  on  the  Mackinaw,  but  his  undertaking  was  not  fortunate,  as 
the  Mackinaw  is  rather  an  uncertain  stream.  He  afterwards 
went  to  the  northern  part  of  the  State  and  built  a  mill  on  Elk- 
horn  Creek,  and  became  quite  well  to  do  in  the  world.  He  came 
to  McLean  County  in  search  of  grafts  for  fruit-trees,  and  while 
on  this  excursion,  called  on  "his  old  friend,  John  Smith."  The 
two  old  pioneers  talked  over  their  matters  together.  Friend 
"Wilson  said,  he  wished  to  have  plenty  of  apple  trees,  so  that  he 
could  sit  down  with  a  basket  of  apples  beside  him,  and  when  they 
were  gone,  he  could  say  :  "  Boys,  bring  another  basket  of  apples." 
The  friends  discussed  their  financial  matters,  too,  and  John  Smith 
told  how  by  his  care  and  labor  he  had  money  at  interest.  Friend 
Wilson  asked  Smith,  if  the  latter  did  not  think  he  should  have 
given  his  money  to  the  poor.  "  No,"  said  John  Smith,  "  I  have 
worked  hard  for  it,  and  think  I  have  earned  it,  and  if  I  should 
give  it  to  others  they  might  not  appreciate  it.".  John  Smith  was 
right. 

Albert  Young  Phillips. 

Albert  Y.  Phillips  was  born  April  14,  1812,  at  Huntsville, 
Alabama.  His  father's  name  was  Glenn  Phillips  and  his  moth- 
er's name  before  her  marriage  was  Leah  McCord.  Albert  Y. 
Phillips  is  of  Scotch    and  Irish   descent.     Glenn   Phillips  was  a 


m'lean  county.  641 

soldier  in  the  war  of  1812  and  fought  at  the  battle  of  Horse  Shoe 
Bend  under  Andrew  Jackson  againsl  the  Creek  Indians,  and  died 
of  hardship,  exposure  and  want  of  food. 

When  Albert  Y.  Phillips  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age  the 
family  moved  to  Overton  County,  Tennessee,  and  there  Albert 
resided  until  the  fall  of  1830,  when  he  came  to  Illinois.  He  ar- 
rived at  Twin  Grove,  in  what  is  now  McLean  County,  November 
8,  1830.  He  did  very  little  during  the  succeeding  winter,  which 
was  the  one  of  the  deep  snow,  but  kept  bis  toes  warm  in  the 
house  as  well  as  possible. 

In  April,  1832,  the  Phillips  family  went  to  Indian  Grove, 
which  is  now  in  Livingston  County,  but  were  alarmed  for  fear  of 
Indian  troubles  during  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  went  to  White 
<  >ak  Grove.  The  Kickapoo  Indians  at  Indian  Grove  were  quiet 
during  the  Black  Hawk  war,  but  the  whites  were  suspicious  and 
fearful  of  them.  This  anxiety  was  increased  by  the  freaks  of  an 
Indian,  named  Turkey,  who  alarmed  the  whites  by  appearing 
among  them  with  bis  face  painted  a  blood-red  color.  But  the 
Kickapoos  were  friendly,  polite  and  well  behaved.  They  con- 
ducted themselves  as  gentlemen  should.  The}7  attended  church 
and  listened  to  the  preaching.  At  one  time  they  listened  to  the 
exhortations  of  a  Methodist  preacher,  named  Walker,  whose  ser- 
mon was  interpreted  to  them  by  Peter  Cudjoe,  who  had  married 
an  Indian  woman.  Mrs.  Phillips  says  she  was  glad  to  have  the 
Indian  women  come  to  see  her,  and  thought  them  quite  good 
looking.  They  had  regular  features  and  would  have  been  con- 
sidered remarkably  fine  women,  if  the  copper-colored  tan  could 
have  been  removed  from  their  cheeks. 

In  September,  1832,  Albert  Phillips  and  his  brother,  Calvin 
Marion,  and  a  man  named  Andrew  Barnard,  moved  to  Indian 
Grove  to  the  old  Indian  town,  which  the  Kickapoos  had  aban- 
doned during  that  foil.  The  men  started  with  little  to  eat,  as 
they  expected  to  be  joined  by  their  families  and  by  others  on  the 
following  day.  But  the  families  were  detained  and  did  not  come 
for  a  week,  and  the  three  men  were  obliged  to  live  during  thai 
time  on  honey  and  hog  potatoes.  These  potatoes  grew  wild  on 
the  creek  bottoms  and  along  the  sloughs.  They  were  little  black 
things  about  the  size  of  an  egg,  and  could  be  boiled  or  roasted, 
but  had  a  flavor  very  different  from  Irish  potatoes.     They  were 

41* 


642  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

tubers,  grew  from  three  to  six  inches  apart,  and  had  two  or  three 
potatoes  to  a  stem. 

The  deer,  which  had  been  killed  off  during  the  winter  of  the 
deep  snow,  became  numerous  a  few  years  later,  and  had  a  bad 
habit  of  eating  up  the  settlers'  corn.  They  would  eat  the  corn 
from  the  cob  without  tearing  off  the  husk  or  breaking  down  the 
stalks,  and  the  patch  would  appear  a  fine  field  of  corn,  when 
scarcely  a  kernel  was  left.  The  settlers  hunted  the  deer  not  only 
to  obtain  venison,  but  to  protect  the  corn,  They  usually,  or  at 
least  very  often,  hunted  on  horseback,  and  when  a  deer  was 
killed,  it  was  very  common  to  tie  it  to  a  horse's  tail  and  in  this 
manner  have  it  dragged  home.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  the  necks 
of  the  bucks  became  as  large  as  their  bodies  and  very  hard  and 
gristly.  Mr.  Phillips  tells  of  a  man,  named  "William  Popejoy, 
who  fired  at  the  neck  of  a  deer,  which  was  lying  in  the  grass. 
The  deer  jumped  up,  looked  around  and  laid  down,  and 
Popejoy  shot  it  in  the  eye  and  killed  it.  He  tied  it  to  the 
tail  of  his  horse,  and  brought  it  home,  and  when  it  was  dressed, 
the  ball  was  cut  from  the  neck,  in  which  it  had  only  penetrated 
two  inches  and  was  flattened  in  the  gristle.  Mr.  Phillips  saw 
this  himself. 

The  following  story,  which  Mr.  Phillips  tells  of  Nicholas 
Jones,  is  a  very  remarkable  one,  but  is  confirmed  by  nearly  all 
the  settlers  in  Money  Creek  timber.  It  seems  that  Nicholas 
Jones  once  shot  a  deer  in  the  neck  and  stunned  it.  He 
went  up  to  it,  and  not  having  a  butcher  knife,  neglected  to  cut 
its  throat,  but  tied  it  to  his  mare's  tail  and  started  home.  When 
he  had  gone  only  a  few  steps  across  Money  Creek,  his  mare 
stopped  and  Jones  felt  a  decided  jerk.  Looking  around,  he  saw 
that  the  buck  had  come  to  life  and  was  trying  to  gore  the  mare 
with  its  antlers.  He  whipped  his  horse  into  a  run  and  went 
home,  but  could  not  stop  running  for  a  moment  for  fear  of  the 
deer.  He  ran  his  horse  around  the  wagon,  all  the  time  calling  to 
his  wife  :  "  Oh,  Jane !  fetch  the  butcher  knife,  the  butcher  knife, 
Jane,  quick,  the  butcher  knife!"  At  last  the  deer's  antlers  be- 
came tangled  in  the  wagon  wheel  and  it  was  killed. 

Albert  Phillips  is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  is  rather 
sparely  built,  is  a  very  industrious  man,  loves  humorous  stories 
and  is  very  hospitable  and  kind.     He  married  Margaret  Moats, 


m'lean  county.  643 

February  17,  1850.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Sarah 
Moats,  of  Money  Creek  timber.  They  have  had  no  children. 
They  married  late  in  life,  nevertheless  their  wedded  life  has  been 
very  happy.  But  they  advise  young  men  and  women  to  get 
married  early. 

Isaac  Turnipseed. 

Isaac  Turnipseed  was  horn  July  16,  1809,  in  Fayette  County, 
Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  Christopher  Turnipseed,  and  his 
mother's  name  was  Mary  McMullen.  His  father  was  of  Penn- 
sylvania Dutch  descent  and  his  mother's  ancestors  were  from 
Scotland.  He  came  to  what  is  now  McLean  County,  Illinois,  on 
horseback,  in  the  spring  of  1831.  Here  he  worked  during  the 
first  serson  for  Jacob  Haner,  and  in  the  fall  bought  cattle  and  fed 
them  through  the  winter.  In  the  spring  he  went  back  to  Ohio, 
stayed  two  years,  and  then  returned  to  McLean  County,  where 
he  lived  until  his  death. 

He  bought  a  claim  on  Mackinaw,  near  Haner's  mill,  and 
made  a  settlement.  He  married,  July  30,  1834,  Jane  Messer, 
who  is  yet  living.  He  succeeded  pretty  well,  and  was  pretty 
sharp  to  see  the  value  of  things.  He  had  nine  children,  seven  of 
whom  grew  up  and  were  married.     They  are : 

John  M.  Turnipseed  lives  on  Buck  Creek,  north  of  the  Mack- 
inaw. 

Mary  Jane,  wife  of  Matthias  Carter,  is  dead. 

Sidney  Ann,  wife  of  John  I>eubarger,  died  in  Kansas. 

Sarah  Elizabeth,  wife  of  J.  D.  Viles,  lives  in  Jasper  County, 
Illinois. 

Anderson  Y.  Turnipseed  lives  in  Kansas. 

Isaac  Turnipseed,  jr.,  lives  at  Mr.  Hinthorn's. 
G.  W.  Turnipseed  lives  at  home.     The  two  latter  are  not  mar- 
ried. 

Mr.  Turnipseed  was  a  man  of  medium  height,  and  very 
healthy,  and  took  very  little  medicine.  He  was  one  of  the  best 
known  settlers  in  Mackinaw  timber.  He  lived  in  the  edge  of 
Money  Creek  timber  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His  widow,  Mrs. 
Turnipseed,  still  lives  on  the  homestead  place.  She  is  a  kind 
and  hospitable  old  lady,  whom  it  is  a  pleasure  to  be  acquainted 
with. 


044  old  settlers  of 

Elijah  Priest. 

Elijah  Priest  was  born  September  10,  1812,  in  Muskingum 
County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  James  Priest,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Anderson.  James  Priest 
was  a  great  hunter  after  deer  and  bear.  On  one  of  his  hunting 
excursions  the  old  gentleman  cornered  a  bear  by  the  root  of  a 
tree.  It  began  hugging  his  hunting  dog,  and  he  killed  it  by 
striking  it  on  the  head  with  an  axe.  The  fat  on  the  ribs  was 
nearlv  four  inches  thick,  the  fattest  bear  he  ever  killed. 

Elijah  Priest  worked  in  the  summer  at  the  business  of  making 
charcoal,  and  in  the  winter  he  worked  in  a  furnace  for  melting 
ore  into  pig-iron.  This  was,  indeed,  warm  work,  so  warm,  that 
the  sweat  ran  down  into  his  shoes  and  squirted  out  at  every  step 
he  took ;  indeed,  it  was  so  hot,  that  water  was  poured  on  his 
clothes  to  prevent  them  from  catching  fire.  It  was  Mr.  Priest's 
duty  to  clear  out  the  hole  in  order  to  draw  the  melted  ore  from 
the  furnace  into  the  sand-bed  to  cool  into  pig  metal.  •  The  hole 
was  stopped  with  clay,  and  when  the  furnace  was  heated  and  the 
iron  melted,  this  clay  became  as  hard  as  iron,  and  had  to  be 
drilled  out.  Mr.  Priest  drilled  it  out  while  from  two  to  four  tons 
of  melted  iron  were  in  the  furnace.  If  he  allowed  a  particle  to 
tall  into  the  liquid  metal,  it  would  boil  up  and  spit  out  melted 
iron,  and  a  piece  of  clay  as  large  as  an  egg  would  blow  up  the 
whole  mass  of  metal.  The  hands,  who  worked  at  the  furnace, 
wore  linen,  and  persons  stood  near  and  poured  water  over  them. 
Mr.  Priest  worked  first  in  the  Mary  Ann  furnace  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  and  next  in  the  town  of  Zoar,  in  Tuscarawa 
Countv.  The  town  of  Zoar,  as  well  as  the  furnace,  was  owned  by 
a  German,  named  Beimoner.  This  man  provided  for  the  entire 
town.  He  employed  men  to  herd  the  cattle,  and  women  to  herd 
the  sheep  and  geese.  Mr.  Priest  never  saw  any  children  in  the 
place. 

On  the  eleventh  of  September,  1833,  the  day  after  he  became 
i  if  age,  Mr.  Priest  married  Rebecca  Hinthorn,  and  in  June,  1834, 
he  started  for  the  West.  He  arrived  at  Money  Creek  timber  on 
the  west  side,  where  he  now  lives,  on  the  eighth  day  of  July. 
The  journey  was  a  warm  and  dry  one,  and  he  suffered  greatly 
for  want  of  water  and  food.     He  ran  out  of  provisions  near  Big 


m'lean  county.  645 

Grove,  then  called  Pin  Hook,  now  called  Urbana.  He  made 
many  enquiries,  and  beard  that  a  certain  man  had  recently  two 
sacks  of  meal  ground  at  mill.  Mr.  Priest  wished  to  buy  some, 
and  sent  a  little  boy,  named  Henry  Moats,  to  get  it.  Henry  came 
back  empty-handed,  but  reported  that  the  man  had  a  big  corn 
pone  on  the  fire.  Mr.  Priest  then  went  with  the  boy,  and  the 
latter  was  instructed  to  open  the  door,  whenever  Priest  stood  by 
the  fire.  Mr.  Priest  offered  to  buy  some  meal,  but  was  refused  ; 
then  he  stood  by  the  fire,  where  the  pone  was  cooking,  and  Henry 
immediately  opened  the  door.  Priest  was  then  about  to  walk 
off  with  the  pone  ;  but  the  man  of  the  house  saw  that  he  must 
give  way,  and  he  allowed  Priest  a  peck  of  meal.  When  Mr. 
Priest  arrived  at  Money  Creek  timber,  he  would  have  given  all 
he  possessed  to  have  been  back  in  Ohio  ;  but  it  was  impossible 
to  get  away.  He  immediately  began  farming  and  worked  very 
hard.  He  never  bought  a  sack  of  flour  after  his  arrival  here, 
as  he  always  raised  his  own.  He  was  a  man  of  great  strength, 
and  made  sometimes  three  hundred  rails  in  one  day. 

Mr.  Priest  has  done  some  hunting,  for  deer  were  plenty  and 
easy  to  kill.  He  once  found  a  little  fawn  as  he  was  out  in  the 
timber  cutting  a  tree.  When  the  tree  fell  the  fawn  started  from 
its  hiding  place  and  jumped  into  Mr.  Priest's  arms.  It  was  a 
pretty,  spotted  little  creature,  about  two  weeks  old,  and  he  took 
it  home,  and  it  became  very  tame,  and  ran  all  over  the  neighbor- 
hood. It  was  distinguished  from  the  wild  deer  by  a  tassel  around 
its  neck.  It  was  a  doe,  and  when  it  grew  up,  he  raised  seven 
deer ;  but  when  game  grew  scarce,  they  were  all  killed  b}T  hun- 
ters. The  doe  was  killed  by  Samuel  Ogden,  who  immediately 
informed  Priest  that  it  was  done  by  accident.  But  the  parties, 
wlio  killed  the  other  seven,  were  never  discovered. 

Mr.  Priest  came  to  the  West  a  poor  man  in  a  borrowed  wagon, 
but  has  been  very  industrious,  and  has  succeeded  well.  Four 
3'ears  ago  he  was  offered  forty-five  thousand  dollars  for  his  prop- 
erty, but  did  not  consider  it  for  a  moment.  His  property  has 
been  earned  by  his  strong  muscle  and  his  good  judgment. 

Mrs.  Priest  died  some  years  ago,  and  on  the  eleventh  of  Sep- 
tember, 1870,  Mr.  Priest  married  Mrs.  Minerva  McCurdy.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Minerva  Johnson. 


646  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Priest  has  had  seven  children,  but  four  died  in  infancy, 

7  t>    7 

and  three  are  now  living.     They  are  : 

Sarah  Priest,  James  Saulsbury  Priest  and  George  Washing- 
ton Priest. 

Mr.  Priest  is  about  five  feet  and  nine  inches  in  height,  and 

~         7 

weighs  two  hundred  and  thirty  pounds.  lie  is  a  man  of  extra- 
ordinary strength,  and,  in  his  younger  days,  scarcely  knew  what  it 
•was  to  be  tired.  He  has  worked  during  his  life  without  the  benefit 
of  an  education,  for  an  education  could  not  be  obtained  where  he 
lived  in  Ohio.  But  in  spite  of  these  disadvantages  he  lias  been 
very  successful,  and  owes  nothing  to  anyone,  except  good  will. 
He  is  a  very  clever  man  to  anyone  who  is  disposed  to  deal  fairly 
and  do  right  with  him  ;  but  to  anyone  who  is  disposed  to  cut  up 
shines,  Mr.  Priest  is  a  very  unpleasant  customer.  His  memory 
seems  remarkably  good,  and  in  conversation  he  tells  of  many 
curious  and  strange  incidents.  He  is  a  man  with  a  very  strong 
constitution,  and  his  temperate  habits  have  preserved  it  unim- 
paired. "With  his  great  strength  and  good  health,  he  ought  to 
live  to  be  a  centenarian  and  celebrate  one  hundred  Fourths  of 
July. 

Samuel  Lewis. 

Samuel  Lewis  was  born  in  the  fall  of  1800,  in  England.  He 
was  a  plumber,  glazier  and  painter  by  trade.  He  married,  in 
England,  Sarah  Seelev.  He  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
November,  1835.  The  Lewis  family  came  over  to  New  York  in 
the  sail  vessel  Virginia,  and  were  twent}T-six  days  on  the  journey. 

At  that  time  the  Hudson  colony  was  talked  of,  and  the  three 
agents  of  the  compairy,  Pettit,  Purkit  and  Gregory,  induced 
Lewis  to  join  it  and  buy  a  section  of  land.  The  land  was  bought 
by  the  agents  at  Havens'  Grove,  and  in  May,  1836,  Samuel  Lewis 
went  there  with  his  family  b}*  way  of  New  Orleans.  They  went 
to.the  latter  place  on  a  sail  vessel,  which  brought  up  a  Chinese 
junk  from  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans.  From 
New  Orleans  they  came  up  the  river  by  steamboat,  and  on  the 
route  the  passengers  amused  themselves  by  shooting  at  alliga- 
tors. The  Lewis  family  stayed  two  or  three  months  at  Hennepin, 
and  then  came  through  to  Havens'  Grove  with  ox-teams.  Mr. 
Lewis  settled  during  the  first  winter  in  the  south  end  of  the  grove 


m'lean  county.  647 

in  a  rented  log  cabin.  lie  immediately  began  tanning,  setting 
out  fruit  trees  and  grafting  them.  He  hunted  once  in  a  while, 
though  seldom.  At  one  time  while  hunting  he  saw  a  deer  come 
bounding  up  with  blood  pouring  from  its  side.  He  fired  and  the 
animal  fell.  Mr.  Havens  came  up  and  claimed  the  deer,  and  as 
but  one  bullet  hole  was  found,  Mr.  Lewis  gave  it  up,  for  it  had 
certainly  been  shot  before  he  fired.  Havens  took  home  the  deer, 
but  in  dressing,  he  found  two  bullets,  and  it  was  evident,  that 
both  had  entered  the  deer  at  the  same  spot,  and  that  the  shot  of 
Lewis  had  taken  effect.     The  deer  was,  therefore,  divided. 

Mr.  Lewis  hauled  pork  to  Pekin,  and  during  one  trip  carried 
a  whisky  bottle  and  put  it  into  a  hog,  and  as  it  was  cold  weather 
the  hog  froze  up.  On  the  way  he  met  a  preacher,  and  the  two 
men  had  a  very  difficult  undertaking  to  get  out  the  whisky. 

People  were  all  neighborly  in  the  early  days.  Mr.  Lewis' 
daughter  Jane  was  once  bitten  by  a  rattlesnake,  and  old  John 
Pennel,  who  lived  six  miles  distant,  left  his  wheat  stacks,  where 
he  was  at  work,  and  dug  China  snakeroot  and  cured  her.  He 
would  accept  no  pay  for  this,  as  he  "  never  charged  neighbors 
anything."  A  horse  belonging  to  Mr.  Lewis  went  astray,  and 
was  taken  up  and  kept  by  Peter  McCullough,  who  lived  nine  or 
ten  miles  away  at  Dry  Grove,  and  when  Mr.  Lewis  asked  the 
bill,  old  Peter  said  he  "  never  charged  neighbors  anything."  In- 
deed, the  people  considered  all  men  neighbors  whom  they  met 
within  eighty  miles  or  more. 

The  dress,  which  the  Lewis  family  wore,  was  somewhat  dif- 
ferent from  that  worn  by  them  in  England.  The  English  goods 
gave  way  to  blue  jeans  and  buckskin. 

When  Mr.  Lewis  had  an  opportunity  he  worked  at  his  trade. 
He  made  the  first  vats  in  St.  Louis  for  pressing  stearine  candles 
out  of  lard. 

Mr.  Lewis  died  December  29,  1871.  He  had  six  children,  of 
whom  four  grew  up  to  years  of  discretion.     They  are  : 

William  Lewis,  who  was  a  bugler  in  the  regular  army.  He 
died  at  Fort  Gibson,  which  is  now  in  the  Indian  Territory,  in 
1844. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Ann  Burtis,  wife  of  Edwin  E.  Burtis,  lived  in 
Hudson.     She  died  about  twelve  years  ago. 

Samuel  H.  Lewis  lives  in  Hudson. 


648  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mrs.  June  Wheeler,  wife  of  Valentine  Wheeler,  lives  in 
Hudson. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  five  feet  ten  and  one-half  inches  in  height. 
He  walked  erect,  was  a  hard  worker,  was  very  successful  in  busi- 
ness, was  a  kind  neighbor  and  an  honest  man. 

Samuel  Henry  Lewis. 

Samuel  H.  Lewis  was  born  April  14,  1828,  in  Cheltenham, 
Gloucestershire,  England.  His  father  was  Samuel  Lewis,  whose 
sketch  is  given  above.  When  he  came  to  Hudson  he  early  learned 
to  cultivate  his  muscle  by  hard  work  on  a  farm.  Nevertheless, 
he  did  not  allow  the  work  of  the  farm  to  prevent  him  from  mak- 
ing sharp  work  with  the  deer  and  turkeys,  and  at  one  time  killed 
three  deer  within  a  space  of  a  few  rods.  One  of  them  was  not 
immediately  killed,  and  Mr.  Lewis  ran  up  to  finish  the  work  with 
Lis  knife,  when  the  animal  uttered  a  bawl,  threw  up  its  hind  legs 
and  tore  Mr.  Lewis'  pants  frightfully  ;  but  he  killed  it  at  last. 
At  one  time  he  shot  a  deer  and  wounded  it  severely,  when  it 
turned  on  him  with  its  hair  bristled  up  and  pointing  forward. 
Mr.  Lewis  made  quick  time  to  the  rear,  and  his  father  came  to 
his  assistance  and  shot  the  pugnacious  buck. 

The  most  serious  trouble  the  settlers  encountered  was  the  dif- 
ficulty in  getting  their  grain  ground.  Samuel  Lewis  and  his 
brother  once  went  to  Crocker's  mill  and  found  three  weeks  grind- 
ing to  be  done  before  their  turn  would  come.  Fred  Trimmer 
wished  to  have  the  business  done  for  the  boys  first,  so  that  they 
could  go,  but  this  was  not  allowed,  as  it  was  said  that,  if  this  was 
done,  people  would  always  send  their  boys  to  mill.  Sometimes 
when  he  was  delayed  at  the  mill  he  worked  for  his  board,  for  he 
was  an  industrious  boy.  He  went  to  Green's  mill,  above  Ottawa, 
sixty  miles  distant,  and  found  this  easier  than  going  to  the  mills 
nearer  home,  as  he  could  get  his  grinding  done  at  Ottawa  with- 
out waiting. 

Mr.  Lewis  traveled  in  the  West  occasionally,  and  saw  some- 
thing of  the  country.  Some  twenty  years  ago  he  made  an  excur- 
sion to  Texas,  and  found  the  people  hospitable  and  kind,  and 
everyone  was  ready  and  willing  to  entertain  him,  when  he  wished 
to  stop.     He  made  a  trip   down  there  after  the  war,  but  no  one 


m'lean  county.  649 

was  willing  to  entertain  him,  for  all  looked  upon  him  with  sus- 
picion.    Such  are  the  results  of  the  war. 

His  first  excursion  was  full  of  life.  While  crossing  the 
Trinity  River  on  horseback,  the  swift  current  carried  him  down 
stream,  and  pressed  him  and  his  horse  against  a  sapling,  and  tore 
off  one  of  his  saddle-hags.  He  sprang  from  his  horse  and  saved 
the  missing  bag,  and  by  good  luck,  as  well  as  good  conduct,  came 
out  of  the  river  in  safety.  Mr.  Lewis'  partner,  on  this  excursion, 
a  man  named  Mason,  rode  an  active  little  pony,  which  some- 
times raised  its  rider  in  the  air.  Mr.  Mason  wTas  thrown  three 
times  in  one  day.  His  pony  once  dodged  a  greenbriar  thicket 
on  one  side,  while  the  rider  thought  it  would  go  the  other,  and 
he  was  compelled  himself  to  take  a  middle  course  and  go  head 
first  into  the  thicket.  On  their  return,  Lewis  and  Mason  came 
through  the  Indiin  territory  with  a  drove  of  cattle.  The  Indians 
were  partly  civilized,  and  were  up  to  a  great  deal  of  civilized 
rascality.  While  the  drovers  were  crossing  the  Canadian  River, 
in  the  Chocktaw  country,  the  Indians  drove  the  cattle,  which  cross- 
ed first,  up  on  a  mountain,  and  when  the  drovers  came  over,  the 
Indians  offered  to  get  the  cattle  down  for  a  dollar  a  head.  But 
the  drovers  hired  a  negro  to  bring  down  the  cattle  for  fifty  cents 
a  head,  so  that  the  Indians  made  nothing  by  their  sharpness  after 
all.  The  Indians,  at  that  time,  lived  a  civilized  life  and  owned 
slaves,  and  some  of  them  were  quite  wealthy.  TherQ  were  among 
the  Chocktaws  some  half-breed  Indians  and  negroes,  but  this  was 
a  bad  cross,  as  the  half-breeds  were  treacherous  and  cowardly. 
Lewis  and  Mason  had  their  cattle  twice  stampeded,  once  from  a 
corral,  but  had  little  difficulty  in  finding  them.  The  Texas  cattle 
are  a  strange  breed.  It  is  dangerous  to  approach  them  on  foot ; 
but  they  are  very  easily  driven  by  men  on  horseback.  The  Texas 
drovers  are  bold  riders,  and  when  seated  on  a  horse  it  is  impos- 
sible to  shake  them  off.  They  would  ride  any  bull  for  five  dol- 
lars. They  would  lassoo  the  bull,  strap  on  a  saddle  tightly,  and 
ride  the  ferocious  animal  until  it  sulked  and  laid  down,  and  then 
they  would  take  off  the  saddle.  Mr.  Lewis  was  with  the  Indians 
in  the  Indian  territory  long  enough  to  form  an  opinion  of  some 
of  the  tribes.  He  was  much  impressed  with  the  civilization  of 
the  Chocktaws  and  Cherokees,  but  the  Creeks  were  not  so  intel- 
ligent.    The  various  Indian  nations  had  their  territory  set  off  to 


650  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

them,  and  were  divided  from  each  other  by  iron  posts  set  up  on 
the  prairie,  which  showed  the  division  lines.  The  life  of  a 
drover  does  not  improve  a  man's  personal  appearance,  and  Mr. 
Lewis,  on  his  return,  was  not  the  handsome  man,  who  went  away» 
His  beard  was  grown,  his  coat  was  lost,  his  clothing  torn,  his  face 
tanned,  and  in  his  general  appearance  he  bore  a  closer  resemblance 
to  a  shaggy  buffalo  on  the  plains  than  to  a  human  being. 

Mr.  Lewis  made  an  excursion  to  Texas  since  the  war,  and 
while  there,  was  in  danger  of  the  Comanches,  who  came  down 
the  night  before  his  arrival,  killed  several  men,  and  took  several 
children  prisoners.  The  children  would  be  traded  back  for  a 
pony  or  a  horse.  The  Comanches  are  fierce  and  vicious.  "When 
they  find  a  man  on  the  prairie,  they  circle  around  bin  on  horse- 
back, and  lay  on  the  sides  of  their  horses  and  shoot  from  un- 
derneath while  on  the  run.  A  good  double-barrelled  shot  gun 
is  the  most  effective  weapon  of  defence,  and  more  feared  by  them 
than  a  rifle.  Mr.  Lewis  did  not  buy  cattle  on  that  excursion,  as 
he  could  not  see  that  it  would  pay. 

Mr.  Lewis  married,  January  1,  1868,  Irene  Smith,  and  has 
two  children.  He  is  six  feet  in  height,  is  squarely  built,  has 
broad  shoulders,  a  heavv  head  of  sandy  hair,  and  heavy  red 
whiskers.  He  has  blue  eyes,  and  a  broad,  square,  English  face. 
He  has  had  as  good  an  education  as  the  child  of  a  pioneer  could 
get.  He  went  to  old  Dr.  Hobbs,  of  Bloomington.  When  Mr. 
Lewis  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  was  made  a  constable, 
and  served  under  "William  McCullough.  Mr.  Lewis  has  assessed 
the  town  of  Hudson  for  eight  years,  and  the  experience  he  ob- 
tained under  McCullough  has  been  of  great  advantage  to  him 
in  making  his  assessments.  He  is  a  jolly  man,  full  of  fun  and 
jokes,  enjoys  a  good  story,  and  can  tell  one  himself  very  easily. 
He  "never  charges  neio-hbors  anything." 

James  Turner  Gildersleeve. 

James  T.  Gildersleeve  was  born  April  10, 1803,  in  Hempstead, 
Queens  County,  New  York.  His  father's  name  was  James  Gil- 
dersleeve, and  his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Cath- 
erine Dorlon.  Hempstead  was  settled  in  1643  by  a  few  emigrants 
from  New  England,  who  came  originally  from  Hemel  Hemp- 
stead, twenty-three   miles  from  the   city  of  London.      They   re- 


m'lean  county.  651 

ceived  a  patent  of  ground-brief  from  Governor  Kieft,  the  Dutch 
governor  of  what  was  called  New  Netherlands.  This  patent  was 
granted  November  16,  1644,  and  was  confirmed  by  the  Indians 
July  4,  1657.  This  confirmation  was  obtained  for  the  purpose 
of  preventing  any  disturbances,  which  might  otherwise  occur 
between  the  whites  and  their  Indian  neighbors. 

Among  the  first  colonists  were  Richard  Gildersleeve  and 
Richard  Gildersleeve,  jr.,  ancestors  of  James  T.  Gildersleeve. 
They  received  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  In  those 
days  the  colonists  were  obliged  to  pay  tithes  to  the  Dutch  gov- 
ernor, and  it  was  resolved  in  town  meeting  of  July  10,  1658,  to 
depute  Richard  Gildersleeve  to  go  down  to  the  Manhattans  to 
agree  with  the  governor  concerning  the  tithes,  which  they  re- 
solved should  not  exceed  one  hundred  sheeples  of  wheat,  to  be 
delivered  at  the  town  harbor.  At  the  same  town  meeting  they 
agreed  to  pay  the  herdsman  twelve  shillings  sterling  per  week 
in  butter,  corn  and  oats,  at  fixed  prices,  as  follows  :  butter,  six 
pence  per  pound  ;  corn,  two  shillings  and  six  pence  per  bushel. 
The  prices  of  other  things  were  also  fixed.  Wheat  was  to  be 
four  shillings  per  bushel  ;  pork,  three  pence  per  pound  ;  lodg- 
ing, two  pence  per  night;  board,  five  shillings  per  week;  victuals, 
six  pence  per  meal,  and  labor,  two  shillings  and  six  pence  per 
day.  It  was  further  agreed,  that  the  people  should  all  be  ready 
at  the  sounding  of  the  horn  to  turn  out  their  cows  and  the 
keeper  was  required  to  be  ready,  when  the  sun  was  half  an 
hour  high,  to  take  them  to  the  pasture.  He  was  to  bring  them 
back  every  evening  a  half  an  hour  before  sunset,  and  to  drive 
them  one  day  in  each  week  to  Cow  Neck,  where  they  could  eat 
the  vegetation,  which  was  salted  by  the  tide. 

James  T.  Gildersleeve  lived  on  his  father's  farm  near  Hemp- 
stead nearly  all  the  time  until  he  came  West.  He  spent  a  short 
time  in  New  York  studying  law.  He  married  in  Hempstead, 
August  23,  1828,  Mary  Ann  Eckford  Rhodes,  who  died  in 
Bloomington,  August  9,  1846. 

In  the  winter  of  1835-6,  in  the  town  of  Jacksonville,  Mor- 
gan County,  Illinois,  certain  parties  drew  up  articles  of  agree- 
ment, associating  themselves  together  to  form  a  colony.  This 
association  was  formed  February  6,  1836,  and  it  was  known  as 
the  Illinois  Land  Association.     The   business  of  the  association 


<i-32  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

was  conducted  by  an  executive  committee  of  three.  These  were 
George  F.  Purkitt,  Horatio  N.  Pettit  and  John  Gregory.  In  the 
spring  of  1836  Horatio  X.  Pettit  came  to  Mr.  Gildersleeve  in 
Hempstead,  and  wished  him  to  join  the  colony.  James  T.  and 
Joseph  D.  Gildersleeve  subscribed  for  four  colony  interests,  which 
gave  them  the  right  to  nearly  seven  hundred  acres  of  land, 
consisting  of  prairie  and  timber  land,  and  town  lots  in 
Hudson.  Mr.  Gildersleeve  started  West  in  September,  1836, 
from  Xew  York  with  his  wife  and  child.  They  went  to 
Philadelphia,  thence  to  Pittsburg,  and  thence  by  steam- 
boat to  St.  Louis.  From  Louisville  to  St.  Louis  they  enjoyed 
the  society  of  a  circus  troupe.  From  the  latter  place  they  went 
by  steamboat  to  Pekin,  and  from  there  started  to  Bloomington 
in  a  three-horse  wagon.  There  was  then  a  perfect  rush  of  peo- 
ple to  Illinois,  and  wherever  they  went  on  their  journey,  every 
place  and  all  means  of  transportation  were  crowded.  When  it 
drew  towards  night  on  their  journey  from  Pekin  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  get  a  place  to  stay  one  night.  Each  one  referred 
them  to  the  next  house.  His  first  hotel  bill  was  $2.50,  for  which 
he  wished  to  give  a  gold  quarter-eagle,  but  the  man  wanted  it  in 
silver.  At  Dry  Grove  Mr.  Gildersleeve  learned  that  Bloom- 
ington was  full  of  people,  so  he   came  across  to  Havens'  Grove. 

Mr.  Gildersfteve's  family  lived  very  uncomfortably  and  in 
close  quarters  until  he  could  build  a  house,  which  he  occupied 
on  the  fourth  of  December.  This  forms  a  part  of  the  house 
where  he  now  lives.  Jacob  H.  Burtis,  of  Jacksonville,  stayed 
that  winter  in  one-half  of  his  house,  and  was  ready  to  build  in 
the  spring.  During  that  winter  Mr.  Gildersleeve's  family  had 
no  flour  and  was  obliged  to  boil  corn  as  a  substitute  for  bread. 

The  rattlesnakes  in  early  days  were  plenty,  and  they  took  up 
quarters  wherever  they  could  find  it  convenient.  Mr.  Gilder- 
sleeve remembers  that  on  one  occasion,  when  he  went  to  the 
hearth  to  light  his  pipe,  he  heard  a  sharp  rattle  and  found  a 
snake,  coiled  up  on  the  hearth.  It  had  crawled  through  the 
weather-boarding  between  the  outside  of  the  house  and  the  wall 
and  there,  seeing  a  hole  in  the  plastering,  had  crawled  through 
to  the  hearth. 

The  difficulties  of  travel,  before  the  roads  were  worked  and 
the  bridges  built,  were  of  course  much  greater  than  at  present. 


m'lean  county.  653 

Mr.  Gildersleeve  had  once  a  very  intelligent  horse,  and  in 
March,  1837,  wished  to  cross  the  Six  Mile  Creek  near  Havens' 
Grove,  while  the  ice  was  running.  His  horse,  full  of  courage 
and  intelligence,  sprang  upon  a  thick  cake  of  ice  as  it  floated 
down,  walked  across  and  stepped  off  on  the  other  side.  Mr. 
Gildersleeve  was  once  riding  this  horse  across  a  bridge  on  Sugar 
Creek,  when  the  stream  was  high  and  running  like  a  mill-race. 
Several  planks  were  floated  off  and  others  were  raised  up ;  but 
the  horse  stepped  cautiously  over  the  holes,  and  when  the  planks 
were  raised  up,  it  carefully  pressed  them  down  to  the  beams  on 
which  they  rested,  before  it  trusted  its  weight.  After  the  coun- 
try became  a  little  settled,  the  ducks  and  geese  and  sandhill 
cranes  became  very  numerous.  At  one  time,  while  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gildersleeve  were  riding  over  the  country,  which  had  late- 
ly been  burnt  by  a  fire,  they  saw  what  appeared  to  be  a  new 
fence,  which  extended  a  long  distance  ;  but  as  they  approached, 
it  proved  to  be  some  thousands  of  sandhill  cranes. 

In  about  the  year  1843  or  '44  a  great  hail  storm  visited  the 
West.  It  was  the  severest  ever  known.  A  green  cloud  came 
up  from  the  south,  and  when  the  storm  burst  the  hail  stones 
came  down  with  terrific  force.  They  split  the  shingles  on  the 
roofs  of  houses,  killed  the  prairie  chickens  and  snipe  on  the 
prairie,  and  broke  the  back  of  a  hog  in  Havens'  Grove,  a  half  a 
mile  west  of  Hudson.  These  hail  stones  were  of  great  size ; 
one  of  them  measured  seven  inches  in  circumference.  When 
the  storm  was  over,  a  Mr.  Rinehart  took  a  basket  and  collected 
it  full  of  prairie  chickens  and  snipe,  which  had  been  killed  by 
the  hail  stones. 

In  the  spring  of  1845  Mr.  Gildersleeve  was  appointed  Clerk 
of  the  Circuit  Court  by  Judge  Treat.  Some  time  after  this  the 
new  constitution  was  adopted,  making  the  office  elective.  In 
November,  1848,  the  time  for  election  came,  and  Mr.  Gilder- 
sleeve and  William  H.  Allin  were  candidates,  the  former  a  Dem- 
ocrat and  the  latter  a  Whig.  The  contest  wa%  very  sharp  indeed, 
and  Mr.  Gildersleeve's  friends  worked  very  hard.  Even  Abra- 
ham Brokaw,  who  never  before  or  since  took  an  interest  in 
politics,  worked  for  Mr.  Gildersleeve  enthusiastically.  The 
Whig  majority  was  about  six  hundred,  bnt  Mr.  Gildersleeve  was 
only  beaten  by  eighty  or  ninety  votes. 


654  OLD    SETTLERS* OF 

In  March,  1849,  Mr.  Gildersleeve  moved  back  to  Hudson, 
where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  Mr.  Gildersleeve  has  had 
three  children,  but  only  one  is  living.  This  is  Charles  Turner 
Gildersleeve,  who  was  brought  to  this  country  when  only  six 
years  old.  It  was  at  that  time  supposed  that  every  one  who 
came  to  the  West  would  have  the  ague,  and  though  the  infant 
Gildersleeve  was  a  fine,  healthy  boy,  it  was  thought  that  he  too 
must  endure  the  shakes.  An  old  lady,  who  saw  young  Charles, 
said:  "You  poor  little  boy,  to  think  how  soon  the  color  must 
come  out  of  those  cheeks  !"  But  the  old  lady  was  wrong, 
for  Charles  has  borne  the  climate  well  and  is  a  healthy  man. 

Mr.  Gildersleeve  is  six  feet  in  height,  and  is  generously 
formed ;  his  hair  is  white  and  flowing,  and  this,  with  his  full 
white  beard,  gives  him  the  appearance  of  a  patriarch.  His  eyes 
are  black,  and  his  features  are  large.  He  seems  to  be  a  man  of 
large  mind,  and  would  naturally  be  popular  and  command  the 
support  of  friends.  He  is  full  of  humor  and  loves  to  tell  funny 
stories  almost  as  well  as  Abraham  Lincoln  ;  and  they  are  good 
ones,  and  have  point  and  fun  in  them.  He  married,  October  14, 
1847,  Elizabeth  S.  Conkling,  at  Leroy.  The  ceremony  was 
performed  by  Rev.  Dr.  Perry.  She  is  a  pleasant  lady  and  loves 
a  joke  as  well  as  her  husband.  She  has  very  quick  percep- 
tions and  greatly  enjoys  the  society  of  her  friends. 

Joseph  Darling  Gildersleeve. 

Joseph  D.  Gildersleeve  was  born  November  30,  1805,  in 
Hempstead,  Queens  County,  New  York,  on  Long  Island.  (For 
his  ancestors  see  sketch  of  his  brother  James). 

Mr.  Gildersleeve  remembers  some  of  the  queer  customs  among 
the  farmers  of  Hempstead,  and  particularly  what  was  called  "sheep 
parting."  They  all  had  their  sheep  marked  and  turned  out  on 
the  commons  on  the  first  of  April  of  every  year ;  and  on  the 
first  of  November  the  sheep  were  put  in  a  large  pen,  around  which 
were  several  smaller  pens,  and  here  the  sheep  were  divided.  All 
were  driven  up  together  and  each  farmer  hunted  up  his  sheep, 
which  were  recognized  by  their  marks  and  put  in  separate  pens. 
This  was  always  a  great  day  and  a  large  crowd  attended.  They 
drank  wine  and  cider  and  beer  and  varied  the  exercises  with 
horse- racin  sr. 


m'leax  county.  655 

Air.  Gildersleeve  went  to  school  in  Hempstead  and  received  his 
common  school  education  there.  He  was  not  remarkably  different 
from  other  boys,  but  occasionally  had  his  fun.  He  once  went 
down  to  explore  a  well  on  a  boyish  frolic  and  the  well  caved 
partly  in.  He  was  rescued,  but  shortly  afterwards  it  all  caved 
in.  He  and  a  companion  once  rescued  a  man,  who  was  caught 
in  a  well,  which  had  caved  in  and  covered  up  the  unfortunate 
person,  so  that  only  his  hair  was  visible.  They  dug  away  the 
dirt  around  his  head,  put  a  barrel  over  it  to  protect  him  and  suc- 
ceeded at  last  in  getting  him  out. 

Mr.  Gildersleeve  chose  the  profession  of  carriage  maker  and 
painter,  and  worked  on  Long  Island  and  also  for  a  year  or  two 
in  Dutchess  County.  In  the  fall  of  1836  he  came  with  his  brother, 
James  T.  Gildersleeve,  to  Hudson,  McLean  County,  Illinois,  and 
began  farming  and  raising  stock.  He  has  ever  since  resided  in 
Hudson  township.  He  was  something  of  a  sportsman,  and  oc- 
casionally hunted  wolves,  deer  and  turkeys.  Mr.  Gildersleeve 
frequently  chased  wolves,  and  at  one  time,  while  riding  eagerly 
after  one  on  horseback  with  a  gun,  he  tried  to  shoot,  but  every 
time  he  stopped,  the  wolf  gained  so  fast  and  went  so  far  that  he 
was  obliged  to  renew  the  chase.  At  last  he  fired,  but  the  exer- 
tion was  too  much  for  his  gravity,  and  he  pitched  headlong  from 
the  horse,  which  went  after  the  wolf  on  its  own  account.  Mr. 
Gildersleeve  was  not  always  so  unfortunate  in  hunting,  for  occa- 
sionally luck  seemed  to  decide  in  his  favor.  He  at  one  time 
killed  three  deer  with  two  bullets.  The  first  bullet  killed  two 
deer  standing  together,  and  the  second  killed  a  third  deer  near 

by. 

Mr.  Gildersleeve  married,  May  23,  1844,  Mary  Messer.  He 
has  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  dead  and  two  are  living. 
They  are  : 

James  Gildersleeve,  born  March  29,  1845,  died  February  14, 
1847. 

Elizabeth  Hellen  Gildersleeve,  born  May  17,  1849,  died  No- 
vember 28,  1865. 

Catherine  J.  Gildersleeve,  born  June  30, 1851,  married  Robert 
Mavis,  and  lives  one  mile  east  of  Hudson. 

Isaac  M.  Gildersleeve,  born  April  7, 1854,  lives  at  home. 


656  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Gildersleeve  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height. 
His  hair  and  whiskers  are  perfectly  gray  with  age.  He  has 
rather  a  strong  face,  has  black  eyes,  is  a  kind  man  and  has  plenty 
of  courage.  He  has  been  temperate  in  his  habits,  never  smoked 
or  chewed  tobacco,  and  never  played  a  game  of  cards,  in  which 
respect  he  differs  from  many  young  men  of  the  present  day. 

Jacob  Hicks  Burtis. 

Jacob  Hicks  Burtis  was  born  November  18,  1796,  in  Queens 
County,  on  Long  Island,  within  a  few  miles  of  Hampstead. 
When  eighteen  or  twenty  years  of  age  he  went  to  New  York 
and  learned  the  carving  business  of  the  cabinet  makers'  trade. 

During  the  war  of  1812,  he  enlisted  in  a  company  in  New 
York  city  and  was  chosen  captain,  but  was  never  called  into 
active  service.  He  married,  February  5,  1821,  Eliza  Carman, 
who  died  in  1832.  Mr.  Burtis  was  a  merchant  for  two  years  in 
Brooklyn.  In  May,  1835,  he  married  Mary  "Weeks,  and  in  Sep- 
tember of  that  year  he  started  for  the  west.  His  family  stopped 
for  a  while  in  Jacksonville,  and  at  Alton,  Illinois,  and  did  not 
arrive  at  Hudson  township  until  December  1,  1836.  His  family 
lived  during  the  first  winter  with  James  T.  Gildersleeve.  Mr. 
Burtis  had  bought  a  share  in  the  Hudson  colony,  and  this  gave 
him  a  right  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  prairie  and  some 
wood  land.  He  settled,  in  the  spring  of  1837,  about  two  miles 
north  of  the  village  of  Hudson,  and  there  remained  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  June  16,  1873.  He  first  built 
a  small  house  of  lumber,  sawed  with  a  whip  saw,  but,  with  im- 
proving circumstances,  he  was  enabled  to  build  larger. 

His  health,  previous  to  his  death,  had  not  been  good  for  some 
time,  but  the  sickness,  which  immediately  preceded  his  death, 
lasted  only  two  days. 

Mr.  Burtis  was  a  Christian  man,  though  not  a  member  of  any 
church.  He  received  the  rite  of  baptism  in  the  Episcopal  church  ; 
but  as  his  parents  died  when  he  was  very  young,  he  was  never 
confirmed.  He  was  very  quiet,  patient  and  hopeful,  in  his  last 
illness,  as  long  as  consciousness  remained. 

Mr.  Burtis  had  four  children  by  his  first  marriage,  and  five 
by  his  second.     The  children  by  the  first  marriage  are  : 

Edwin  Elias,  who  died  in  March,  1869. 


m'lean  county.  657 

Phoebe  Eliza;  wife  of  Alfred  T.  Weeks,  lives  just  north  of 
the  homestead. 

Jacob  Hicks  Burtis,  jr.,  lives  at  El  Paso. 

Hannah  Alma,  wife  of  John  Carl,  died  in  1859. 

The  children  by  the  second  marriage  are  : 

Catherine  Augusta,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Alfred  S.  Burtis  was  a  soldier  during  the  rebellion  in  the 
Fourth  Illinois  Cavalry,  and  died  January  9,  1862,  of  sickness  in 
the  hospital  at  Mound  City. 

Catherine  Augusta,  wife  of  William  M.  Collins,  lives  at 
Moline. 

Rachel  R.,  wife  of  Francis  R.  Johnston,  lives  at  the  home- 
stead. 

James  H.  Burtis  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Illinois  Cavalry,  and 
died  at  Camp  Butler,  near  Springfield,  February  3, 1864. 

Enoch  A.  Gastman. 

Enoch  A.  Gastman  was  born  June  5,  1801,  in  West  Fries- 
land,  Holland.  His  father's  name  was  Eilt  A.  Gastman.  He 
never  came  to  America,  nor  did  any  of  his  relatives,  except  his 
son,  Enoch,  whose  sketch  we  are  writing.  In  1808  young  Enoch 
went  on  board  of  a  French  man-of-war,  when  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte was  at  the  head  of  affairs  in  France.  It  was  young  Enoch's 
business  to  brush  coats  and  black  boots.  The  discipline  was 
very  strict,  as  Enoch  found  by  sad  experience. 

In  1812-13,  Napoleon  made  his  celebrated  march  to  Moscow 
and  his  disastrous  retreat.  After  his  defeat  and  capture,  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  under  him  were  discharged,  and  Enoch  was 
told  to  go.  He  went  back  to  Holland,  where  he  remained  until 
spring,  and  then  went  coasting  on  board  of  a  Dutch  schooner. 
After  coasting  about  a  great  deal  and  visiting  many  ports,  he 
came  on  land  for  a  while,  and  was  bound  out  to  learn  the  trade 
of  carpenter  and  joiner.  After  working  for  two  years  he  took 
French  leave  of  his  master.  He  worked  at  other  places  and 
stayed  for  one  winter  with  his  father.  When  he  became  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  he  fell  in  with  an  East  India  captain  and  ship- 
ped as  carpenter's  mate  forBatavia,  on  the  island  of  Java.  There 
he  saw  many  Chinamen  with  their  brimmed  hats.  But  the  crew 
were  seldom  allowed  to  go  ashore,  as  the  place  was  very  sickly. 
42 


658  OLD   SETTLERS   OF 

An  intoxicating  drink,  called  arrack,  is  made  there  out  of  the 
juice  of  the  cocoanut  tree.  This  juice  is  allowed  to  ferment,  and 
when  it  works  it  makes  the  intoxicating  drink.  All  persons, 
who  go  to  Java,  must  exercise  the  greatest  caution  in  their  diet 
or  they  sicken  and  die.  While  Mr.  Gastman  was  there,  an 
American  ship  came  to  port,  and  as  the  sailors  had  been  with- 
out grog  for  a  long  time,  they  were  given  their  back  rations  in 
arrack,  and  they  drank  themselves  to  death  and  were  buried  on 
the  island  of  Unrest.  Mr.  Gastman  made  three  trips  to  Java. 
In  1824  he  and  three  others  chartered  a  vessel  to  carry  a  cargo 
of  powder  and  gin  to  the  Mexicans,  who  were  then  fighting  for 
independence  against  Spain.  They  started  through  the  British 
channel,  but  a  southwest  wind  blew  them  to  the  North  Sea. 
They  attempted  to  go  around  the  British  Isles  to  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  but  were  dismasted  and  waterlogged,  and  would  have 
gone  to  the  bottom,  had  not  the  cargo  of  gin  kept  the  vessel 
afloat.  Seven  of  the  crew  were  drowned,  and  seven  were  picked 
up  by  an  American  vessel.  Of  these,  two  died  from  the  effects 
of  their  hardships,  and  the  remaining  five  were  carried  to  New 
York.  There  he  shipped  on  board  of  a  vessel  for  Norfolk, 
thence  to  Grenada,  South  America,  thence  to  Turk's  Island,  and 
thence  to  Portland,  Maine.  He  made  a  great  many  voyages  to 
all  parts  of  the  world,  and  had  a  great  many  adventures,  but 
thought  he  would  settle  down  at  work  in  New  York  as  a  rigger. 
But  soon  he  was  off  on  a  voyage  to  London,  then  came  back  to 
New  York.  Here  he  married,  July  11, 1830,  Margaret  Hiegans. 
After  many  voyages  and  adventures,  he  had  a  wife,  and  seventy- 
five  cents  in  his  pocket.  He  again  became  a  rigger  for  a  while, 
but  soon  was  a  public  porter,  and  remained  such  for  six  years. 
For  six  years  also,  he  was  a  night  watchman,  and  a  part  of  this 
time  a  porter.  He  had  many  lively  adventures  in  New  York, 
while  making  arrests,  as  thieves  and  smugglers  were  plenty.  In 
the  winter  of  1837-8,  he  started  for  Illinois,  and  arrived  at 
Hudson,  McLean  County,  in  March.  Everything  was  then  sell- 
ing at  high  prices.  He  boarded  for  a  while  with  Horatio  N. 
Pettit,  then  traded  his  land  for  the  place  of  R.  G.  Marion,  and 
moved  on  the  latter  farm  in  June.  In  1840  the  prices  of  pro- 
duce of  all  kinds  came  down,  and  it  seemed  as  if  everything 
was  given  away.     Mr.  Gastman    contracted   to   sell    a  load   of 


m'lean  county.  659 

potatoes  to  Mr.  Barnett,  of  the  Eagle  Hotel,  but  when  the 
former  went  to  deliver  them  he  could  get  only  four  cents  per 
bushel.  Rather  than  sell  them  at  such  a  figure  he  carried  them 
down  to  Sugar  Creek,  took  out  the  tail-board  of  his  wagon  and 
emptied  them  into  the  stream. 

In  the  spring  of  1857,  Mrs.  Gastman  died,  and  in  April,  Mr. 
Gastman  moved  to  Hudson  and  sent  his  children  to  Eureka  Col- 
lege. In  1858  he  married  Ann  Hitch.  She  died  in  1862.  He 
then  moved  to  his  sou's  farm.  In  1863,  Mr.  Gastman  married 
Lavinia  Randalls,  who  is  yet  living. 

Mr.  Gastman  has  had  five  children,  of  whom  two  are  living. 
They  are  : 

Enoch  A.  Gastman,  jr.,  who  was  born  June  15,  1834,  in  New 
York  city,  No.  54  Mulberry  street.  He  went  to  Eureka  College 
for  three  months,  then  to  the  Normal  school,  where  he  graduated. 
He  has  been  for  twelve  years  superintendent  of  schools  at  Deca- 
tur, Illinois. 

George  Washington  Gastman  was  born  July  12,  1837,  in 
New  York  city.  He  went  one  year  and  three  months  to  Eureka 
College,  when  his  health  failed  him,  and  he  returned  to  his  farm. 
He  is  married,  and  lives  on  his  farm  near  Hudson. 

Francis  Marion  Gastman  was  born  in  August,  1842,  in  Hud- 
son township.  He  was  two  years  at  Eureka  College,  and  two 
years  at  the  Normal.  He  enlisted  in  the  army  in  1861,  in  the 
Normal  regiment,  (Thirty-third  Illinois,)  commanded  by  Colonel 
Hovey.     He  died  at  Black  River,  March  22,  1862. 

These  are  all  of  Mr.  Gastman's  children,  who  grew  up  to 
manhood.  He  named  the  last  two  after  Revolutionary  patriots 
and  is  sorry  that  Enoch  was  not  also  named  after  some  Revolu- 
tionary soldier.  If  he  had  another  child  he  would  name  it 
Andrew  Jackson,  (regardless  of  sex,)  on  account  of  the  services 
rendered  by  Jackson  during  the  Revolution.    (?) 

Mr.  Gastman  is  a  Democrat,  dyed  in  the  wool,  a  real,  genuine, 
uncompromising  Democrat,  and  would  vote  for  no  man  of  any 
other  party.  He  is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  and  is 
enormously  muscular.  He  treats  a  rough  man  roughly,  but  when 
he  talks  to  gentlemen  he  is  a  gentleman  himself.  He  is  a 
humorous  man,  and  takes  life  pleasantly.     He  delights  in  telling 


660  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

of  his  adventures,  and  will  sit  and  talk  by  the  hour,  when  he  has 
an  appreciative  listener.  He  is  proud  of  his  boys,  and  has'  a 
right  to  be,  for  they  are  an  honor  to  him. 

LAWKDALE. 

David  Henline  and  "William  B.  Henline. 

David  and  William  13.  Henline,  brothers,  live  near  each  other 
in  Lawndale  township.  They  own  their  large  property  together, 
consisting  of  large  flocks  of  cattle  and  stock  of  all  kinds,  and 
about  four  thousand  acres  of  laud.  As  they  are  united  in  all 
things,  their  sketches  are  written  together  and  so  placed  in  this 
volume. 

David  was  born  March  6,  1822,  and  William  B.  was  born 
December  20, 1823,  in  Boone  county,  Kentucky.  Their  father's 
name  was  John  Henline,  of  German  descent,  and  their  mother's 
name,  before  her  marriage,  was  Mary  Darnell.  John  Henline 
was  a  successful  farmer  and  kept  his  business  very  straight.  In 
the  fall  of  1828,  the  Henline  family  came  to  the  West.  On  the 
first  day  of  the  journey,  John  Henline  broke  his  leg,  and  it  was 
set  by  quack  doctors  and  bound  with  straight  splints.  He  suf- 
fered with  it  severely,  and  during  the  first  winter  after  his  arrival 
in  the  West,  he  chopped  in  the  timber  by  kneeling  down.  The 
family  came  first  to  Hittle's  Grove,  in  Tazewell  county,  near  the 
present  line  between  Tazewell  and  McLean.  There  they  re- 
mained a  few  weeks,  while  John  Henline  went  to  Mackinaw 
timber  and  built  a  cabin.  When  it  was  finished,  he  returned 
and  brought  the  family.  The  three  brothers,  John,  George  and 
William  Henline,  all  settled  near  each  other. 

The  little  Henline  boys  were  often  visited  by  the  little 
Indians.  The  latter  were  usually  the  victors  in  the  races  they 
ran  ;  but  the  former  showed  more  muscle  and  came  out  first  best 
in  the  childish  quarrels.  Such  things  always  excited  the  anger 
of  the  squaws,  and  they  would  chastise  the  little  pappooses 
severely,  and  bring  up  the  little  Henlines  to  their  mother  and 
clap  their  hands  together  and  say,  "  whip  pappoose,  whip  pap- 
poose."  The  old  lady  would  go  through  the  motions  of  whip- 
ping her  boys,  and  the  little  Henlines  would  yell,  and  the  squaws 
would  laugh,  and  all  parties  would  be  satisfied. 


m'lean  county.  661 

In  the  fall  of  1830,  the  Henlines  went  back  to  Kentucky  to 
get  a  stock  of  farming  implements.  While  there,  Mrs.  Henline 
took  up  a  lot  of  little  apple  sprouts  in  a  stocking,  put  earth 
around  them  and  brought  them  out  to  Illinois.  The  orchard 
raised  from  these  sprouts  is  yet  standing  on  the  Henline  place. 
At  Cincinnati,  the  Henlines  bought  large  kettles  in  which  to 
boil  maple  sap,  and  some  of  these  kettles  they  still  have. 

The  winter  of  1830-31,  of  the  deep  snow,  is  an  era  in  the 
life  of  all  who  experienced  its  severity.  When  the  snow  began 
falling,  Martin  Darnell,  from  Indian  Grove,  was  at  the  house  of 
the  Henlines.  He  started  home,  ten  miles  distant,  after  the  snow 
began  falling,  in  company  with  John  Henline  and  Squire  Thomp- 
son. The  two  latter  went  about  three  miles,  and  Darnell  went 
the  rest  of  the  way  alone.  He  was  short  of  meat,  but  captured 
a  few  wild  hogs,  and  by  this  means  his  family  was  saved  from 
great  suffering.  They  saw  no  living  person  outside  of  their  own 
family  for  six  weeks  or  more.  During  that  fearful  winter,  the 
Henline  boys  obtained  plenty  of  healthy  exercise  by  gathering 
corn.  John  Henline,  jr.,  fed  wild  hogs  out  in  the  snow,  and 
thej^  made  a  track  as  they  came  up.  One  morning,  he  told  the 
folks  to  look  out  for  deer,  as  he  would  drive  some  up.  Soon  he 
was  heard  to  halloo  and  sure  enough  up  came  the  deer.  Three 
of  them  were  killed,  but  were  hardly  worth  it,  as  they  were 
very  poor. 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war  the  people  were  much  alarmed, 
and  the  settlers  made  a  fort  on  the  land  of  John  Henline,  and 
during  their  occasional  frights  would  collect  there  from  all  parts 
of  the  country.  The  slightest  thing  would  cause  an  alarm,  and 
the  people  would  gather  in.  At  one  time  an  Indian  came  to  the 
house  of  a  woman  named  Shelton,  and  obtained  some  bread  and 
milk;  but  she  was  so  scared  that  she  took  her  children  to  a 
schoolhouse,  where  her  husband  was  teaching,  and  the  school 
was  dismissed  immediately  and  the  people  were  aroused.  At 
another  time  some  boys  were  out  in  the  woods  at  play,  when  one 
of  them  caught  sight  of  a  stump  and  said,  "  I  see  an  Injin,"  and 
ran  for  home  digging  up  dirt  with  his  little  toes  at  every  leap. 
The  rest  of  the  boys  laughed  at  him  and  called  him  back,  and  at 
last  sat  the  dog  on  him;  but  he  reached  home,  told  his  story  and 
the  credulous  neighborhood  was  aroused  again,  and  women  ran 


662  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

with  their  babies  for  the  fort.  Men  were  sent  out  to  investigate 
the  matter  and  at  last  learned  the  mistake.  During  all  of  this 
excitement  the  rangers  moved  from  one  fort  to  another,  and 
when  they  camped  at  night  they  usually  helped  themselves  to 
whatever  they  could  find  to  eat,  and  the  settlers  were  very  will- 
ing they  should.  One  of  these  rangers  had  a  fondness  for  milk 
and  would  pick  up  a  panful  and  say,  "  boys,  this  is  what  I  was 
raised  on,"  and  drink  it,  During  one  dark  evening  he  happened 
to  pick  up  a  pan  of  dish  water !     The  rest  may  be  imagined. 

When  Mr.  John  Henline  came  to  this  country  he  was  lame, 
in  consequence  of  a  severe  injury  to  his  leg,  and  could  not  walk 
fast.  He  had  a  couple  of  rams  which  the  boys  had  taught  to  be 
vicious,  though  the  latter  could  always  manage  them.  One 
morning  the  old  gentleman  came  out  in  the  yard  and  the  vicious 
rams  charged  on  him,  and  as  he  could  not  run  he  was  obliged  to 
take  refuge  on  a  stump,  and  there  called  to  his  boys  to  take 
away  the  rams.  But  it  is  sad  to  record  that  these  youngters 
were  so  neglectful  of  their  duty  and  enjoyed  so  keenly  the  sport, 
that  they  allowed  the  old  gentleman  to  remain  on  the  stump 
until  he  said,  "  boys,  I  would  n't  serve  you  so,"  when  they  took 
away  the  rams. 

The  Henline  boys  amused  themselves  in  their  youthful  days 
by  trapping  turkeys.  These  foolish  birds  would  walk  into  the 
traps  with  their  heads  down,  eating  corn,  and  would  not  know 
enough  to  put  down  their  heads  and  walk  out.  Out  of  a  flock 
of  about  thirty  turkeys,  only  three  knew  enough  to  escape. 

The  Henline  boys  went  to  school,  of  course,  when  a  school 
was  taught  in  the  neighborhood,  and  they  traveled  through  snow 
and  rain  and  slush.  During  the  sudden  change  in  December, 
1836,  they  started  from  the  school  house,  wading  in  slush  knee 
deep,  and  before  going  far  they  "  scooted  over  the  ice  like  a  top." 

In  writing  of  the  experience  of  David  and  William  B.  Hen- 
line, the  things  they  saw  in  childhood  are  particularly  given, 
because  they  were  children  in  the  early  days.  But  many  things 
of  a  very  important  nature  are  impressed  on  the  minds  of  chil- 
dren, and  from  childish  recollections  we  obtain  actual,  life-like 
impressions.  The  Henlines  remember  the  wagons  of  the  men 
who  came  over  the  country  to  speculate  and  buy  land.  The  par- 
ties looking  up  land  used  the  rudest  but  most  iugeuious  ways  to 


m'lean  county.  663 

learn  its  description.  They  bunted  up  the  corners  of  sections, 
then  traveled  by  compass,  tied  a  rag  to  a  wagon  wheel,  counted 
the  revolutions,  and  by  this  means  measured  the  distance. 

John  Henline,  the  father  of  David  and  William,  was  born 
November  7,  1787,  and  died  July  26,  1869.  His  wife  Mary,  was 
born  January  22,  1791,  and  died  November  28,  1865. 

David  and  William  Henline  are  of  about  the  same  height, 
five  feet  and  four  or  five  inches.  They  have  heavy  whiskers  and 
are  very  muscular.  William  is  rather  stouter  in  build.  They 
are  both  good  natured,  kind  hearted  and  hospitable,  and  love 
fun  and  humor.  David  Henline  was  married  in  the  winter  of 
1855,  but  his  wife  is  now  dead.  William  B.  Henline  married  in 
June,  1853,  Jane  Wright,  who  died  in  1861.  Two  children  born 
of  this  marriage,  John  D.  and  Elmira  A.  Henline,  live  at  home. 
On  the  25th  of  February,  1866,  W.  B.  Henline  married  Jane 
Moon,  a  woman  who  is  kind  in  her  manner  and  sensible  in  her 
conversation. 

Martin  Henline. 

Martin  Henline,  brother  of  David  and  W.  B.  Henline,  was 
born  October  25,  1819,  in  Boone  County,  Kentucky.  He  lived 
there  until  the  Fall  of  1828,  when  he  came  with  the  Henline 
family  to  Illinois.  The  family  immediately  began  farming  on 
their  arrival,  on  what  has  since  been  called  Henline  Creek,  in 
the  northern  edge  of  Mackinaw  timber. 

Martin  Henline,  of  course,  remembers  the  deep  snow  of 
1830-1,  and  being  then  a  little  boy,  he  could  run  around  on  top 
of  it.  He  remembers  how  his  elder  brother  John  drove  up  three 
deer  from  the  pasture,  when  he  went  out  to  feed  the  pigs;  for 
the  wild  nature  of  the  deer  was  tamed  by  cold  and  starvation. 
It  was  no  easy  matter  to  obtain  fuel  to  burn  during  that  winter, 
and  in  order  to  get  it  the  Henlines  cut  down  trees  and  hauled 
them  in  by  dragging  them  over  the  snow  with  oxen. 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war  the  Henline  fort  was  the  place 
where  all  the  frightened  settlers  congregated,  whenever  they 
thought  it  worth  while  to  take  a  scare.  The  Henlines  had  a 
large  gun,  which  they  called  the  "  old  yawger;"  this  gun  made 
a  loud  report,  and  was  known  by  the  sound.  At  one  time,  while 
Martin  was  out  in  the  woods  with  others  at  play,  some  parties 


664  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

attempted  to  play  a  trick  on  him  by  firing  the  gun  to  bring  him 
in  for  fear  of  Indians  ;  but  Martin  was  too  sharp,  for  he  knew 
the  report  of  the  "  old  yawger." 

Martin  Henline  married,  May  16, 1841,Feraby  Cunningham. 
He  has  had  ten  children,  of  whom  eight  are  living.     They  are  : 

David  and  Seth  Henline,  who  live  about  three  miles  east  of 
their  father's. 

Lucretia,  wife  of  Harvey  Harris,  lives  near  David. 

Pierce,  William,  Joseph,  Martha  and  Ella,  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Henline  is  somewhat  below  the  medium  height,  is  rather 
fleshy,  has  a  round  head,  thick,  black  hair  and  heavy  whiskers. 
He  is  a  pleasant,  humorous  man,  takes  life  easily,  and  does  not 
trouble  himself  unnecessarily  about  the  future. 

Martin  Batterton. 

Martin  Batterton  was  born  September  29,  1807,  in  Madison  ■ 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father,  Abraham  Batterton,  was  of 
English  descent,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Su- 
sannah Henline,  was  of  Dutch.  Abraham  Batterton  was,  for  a 
short  time,  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  served  under  Gene- 
ral Hopkins  against  the  Indians.  Martin  Batterton  lived  in 
Kentucky,  where  he  was  born,  until  the  fall  of  1833,  when  he 
came  to  Illinois.  He  went  to  school  in  Kentucky,  was  a  fair 
scholar,  and  paid  strict  attention  to  his  book.  In  the  fall  of  1833 
he  came  out  on  horseback  with  a  friend  to  Mackinaw  timber, 
where  his  relatives,  the  Henlines,  lived.  In  August,  1834,  he 
went  back  to  Kentucky,  and  brought  out  some  carpenter's  tools 
and  other  articles  necessary  in  a  new  country.  He  became  a 
jack-of-all-trades,  and  could  make  anything  out  of  wood.  He 
was  farmer,  carpenter,  cooper,  cabinetmaker,  shoemaker,  and, 
indeed,  was  handy  at  all  things.  He  made  his  own  chairs  when 
he  first  came  to  the  country  and  has  them  yet.  In  1835  he 
entered  the  land  where  he  now  lives,  having  bought  the  improve- 
ment made  on  it  by  Nickolas  Darnell,  and  on  this  land  built  the 
house  in  which  he  now  resides. 

Mr.  Batterton  married  America  Taylor  on  the  10th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1836.     They  have  had  three  children  : 

Ira  Abbott  Batterton,  who  was  a  soldier  during  the  rebellion 
in  the   Eighth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  afterwards  editor  of  the 


m'lean  county.  665 

Vicksburr/  Herald.  He  was  accidentally  shot  in  Vicksburg,  in 
July,  1865. 

Mary  Ellen,  wife  of  Thomas  B.  Kilgour,  lives  about  three 
miles  east  of  her  father's. 

Surrilda  J.,  wife  of  Almaron  J.  Moon,  lives  in  Lexington. 
Mr.  Moon  is  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Smith  &  Moon. 

Mr.  Batterton  is  rather  less  than  the  medium  height.  His 
hair,  once  dark,  is  now  becoming  gray.  His  eyes  are  dark,  with 
a  clear,  intelligent  expression,  and  his  nose  is  a  little  Roman. 
He  is  a  remarkably  careful,  accurate  man  in  his  business,  and 
none  of  his  property  suffers  for  want  of  attention.  His  crops 
are  always  gathered  in  season  ;  his  stock  is  seldom  caught  in  a 
dangerous  storm  ;  everything  about  the  place  is  very  neat.  In 
other  words,  he  is  a  careful,  thrifty  farmer,  with  a  large  farm 
and  a  big  barn  to  shelter  his  stock. 


LEXENTGTOK 

Jacob  Spawr. 

Jacob  Spawr  was  born  January  24,  1802,  in  Westmoreland 
County,  Pennsylvania,  His  father's  name  was  Valentine  Spawr, 
and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Anna  Margaret 'Richer.  Val- 
entine Spawr  was  American  born,  but  of  German  descent,  and 
his  wife,  Anna  Margaret,  was  born  in  Germany,  but  came  to  the 
United  States  when  only  two  years  of  age.  Valentine  Spawr  was 
a  soldier  and  served  under  General  Anthony  Wayne  against  the 
Indians,  and  was  once  wounded  through  the  body. 

In  the  fall  of  1826  Jacob  Spawr  came  to  Illinois,  in  company 
with  the  Cox  family  and  Robert  Guthrie.  His  father's  family 
came  the  following  year.  The  journey  was  pleasant  and  Mr. 
Spawr  was  active  in  driving  the  sheep  and  cattle.  He  went  to 
Money  Creek  timber  and  there  commenced  working  for  Mrs. 
Trimmer,  who  had  a  large  family  of  children.  Her  husband  had 
died  a  short  time  previous. 

Jacob  Spawr  married,  December  3,  1826,  Eliza  Ann  Trimmer, 
one  of  the  old  lady's  daughters.  He  had  no  license,  as  he  would 
have   been  obliged  to  go  to  Vandalia  to  get  one,  so  he  posted 


666  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

up  notices  and  the  justice  of  the  peace,  William  Orendorff,  who 
married  him,  made  return  of  the  marriage  to  the  Clerk  of  the 
Court  at  Vandalia.  Six  or  seven  years  afterwards  Mr.  Orendorff 
married  a  second  wife,  and  Jacob  Spawr,  who  had  been  elected  a 
justice  of  the  peace  in  the  meantime,  performed  the  ceremony. 
After  Mr.  Spawr's  marriage  he  began  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count. 

In  1827  the  settlers  were  much  excited  by  the  Winnebago 
war,  which  was  threatened  in  the  mining  country  by  Red  Bird, 
the  chief  of  the  Winnebagoes.  While  the  excitement  continued 
old  Machina,  the  chief  of  the  Kickapoos,  came  down  to  Mr. 
Spawr  to  inquire  the  condition  of  affairs,  whenever  the  latter  re- 
turned from  Bloomington,  where  he  went  to  militia  training. 
Machina  declared  that  in  case  of  war  the  Kickapoos  would  cer- 
tainly help  the  whites.  After  a  while  an  order  came  to  send 
fifteen  men,  and  Mr.  Spawr,  being  first  lieutenant  of  the  com- 
pany, was  ordered  to  go  with  them.  But  the  Rev.  Mr.  Latta  in- 
sisted on  taking  Mr.  Spawr's  place,  and  at  last  was  allowed  to  do 
so.  The  fifteen  men  were  taken  to  Peoria,  but  the  Indian  trou- 
bles were  soon  quieted,  and  the  men  came  home. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  Mr.  Spawr  pounded  corn 
of  course.  For  nearly  sixty  days  the  sun  did  not  shine  warm 
enough  to  make  a  wet  spot  in  front  of  his  south  door.  During 
that  winter  a  man  named  Rook  came  down  from  Rook's  Creek 
(Little  Vermilion)  with  a  handsled,  walking  with  snow-shoes,  and 
obtained  corn  for  his  family  of  Conrad  Flesher,  who  lived  where 
Lexington  now  stands. 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war  the  people  of  Mackinaw  and 
Money  creek  timber  were  excited  and  apprehensive,  and  many  of 
them  moved  away  to  Sangamon  County.  Many  men  at  Eppard's 
Point,  on  the  Little  Vermilion,  moved  their  families  to  Money 
Creek  and  went  back  themselves  to  attend  to  their  crops.  The 
volunteers  from  Indiana,  about  six  hundred  in  number,  camped 
within  twenty  or  thirty  rods  of  Mr.  Spawr's  house,  and  during 
the  night  had  two  false  alarms.  At  one  time  a  lightning  bug 
showed  its  phosphorus,  and  one  of  the  guards  fired  at  the 
harmless  insect,  and  the  camp  was  in  an  uproar.  But  after  a 
while  matters  were  quieted.  Soon  another  gun  was  discharged, 
and  on  inquiry  it  was  found  that  a  soldier,  who  had  a  pique 


m'lean  county.  667 

against  two  others,  had  fired  into  their  tent.  The  excitement 
among  the  soldiers  was  very  great  for  a  while,  and  one  of  them, 
while  loading  his  gun,  mistook  a  can  of  buttermilk  for  a  powder 
horn,  and  loaded  his  gun  accordingly.  The  soldiers  wished  Mr. 
Spawr  to  issue  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  the  man,  who  attempted 
to  shoot  his  comrades,  hut  Air.  Spawr  told  them  that  their  own 
martial  law  should  settle  such  matters. 

The  town  of  Lexington  was  laid  off  in  1835  ;  and  in  1836  Mr. 
Spawr  moved  there  from  Money  Creek  timber.  It  was  during 
December  of  that  year  that  the  great  sudden  change  of  the 
weather  occurred.  Mr.  Spawr  then  saw  the  water  blown  into 
waves  and  frozen  in  that  way.  He  speaks  of  another  sudden 
change  almost  as  severe.  In  November,  1842,  he  started  for  Chi- 
cago with  a  party  to  drive  stock.  The  weather  had  been  mild, 
but  it  snowed  and  melted  and  by  the  seventh  of  November  it 
froze  up.  On  the  return  of  the  party  from  Chicago  they  crossed 
the  Kankakee  on  the  ice  at  the  rapids,  where  the  water  runs  as 
swiftly  as  a  mill  race.  A  thaw  came  in  January,  but  the  cold 
weather  again  returned  and  winter  continued  until  March. 

Mr.  Spawr  has  had  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  living,  all 
daughters: 

Ann  Margaret,  wife  of  Benjamin  Fitzgerald,  lives  in  Lexing- 
ton. 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  Perceval  Champlin,  who  lives  in  Lexing- 
ton. 

Mary  Jane,  wife  of  Abiud  Sweet,  lives  at  Eppard's  Point  in 
Livingston  County. 

Sarah  Catherine,  wife  of  Xoah  Franklin,  lives  a  mile  and  a  half 
west  of  Lexington. 

Emily,  wife  of  S.  S.  Shade,  lives  in  Lexington. 

Lowisa  Isabel,  wife  of  C.  K.  Preble,  lives  in  Lexington. 

Mr.  Spawr  has  twenty-one  grandchildren  and  one  great  grand 
child — enough  to  eat  up  his  surplus  apples. 

Mr.  Spawr  is  of  medium  height,  is  rather  solidly  built,  and 
seems  to  be  enjoying  good  health  in  his  old  age.  He  is  a  quiet 
man,  is  very  kindly  disposed,  and  much  looked  up  to^among  the 
old  settlers.  He  leads  a  very  quiet,  contented  life,  though  he 
works  enough  to  keep  himself  healthy.  He  is  a  man  universally 
respected  for  his  integrity  and  correct  judgment. 


668  old  settlers  of 

George  Spawr. 

George  Spawr,  son  of  Valentine  Spawr,  was  born  December 
26,  1806,  in  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania.  In  the  fall  of 
1827, he  came  to  Illinois  with  the  Spawr  family,  except  two  sisters, 
who  never  came,  and  also  except  Jacob  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Cath- 
erine Guthrie,  who  came  the  year  before.  When  they  came  to 
the  Indiana  wilderness  of  heavy  timber,  they  met  with  a  lot  of 
teams,  and  all  joined  and  went  through  the  wilderness  together, 
in  order  to  be  protected  against  a  band  of  robbers,  by  whom  it 
was  infested.  The  travellers  camped  one  night  in  the  wilderness 
and  were  visited  by  a  suspicious  character,  but  they  detailed  seven 
men  to  watch  the  camp  and  were  not  molested.  In  the  morning 
their  unwelcome  visitor  left. 

After  they  crossed  the  Wabash  River  and  came  to  the  prairie 
they  mired  down  in  the  first  slough  ;  but  they  soon  learned  the 
nature  of  the  sloughs  and  drove  through  them  quickly  without 
stopping  long  enough  to  become  fast  in  the  mire.  They  found 
the  worst  slough  at  Cheney's  Grove.  But  by  good  management 
and  quick  driving  the  Spawr  family  came  safely  through  without 
assistance.  The  Cheneys  took  care  of  them  that  night  and  showed 
the  greatest  hospitality,  and  made  no  charge  for  favors  rendered. 
The  next  day  the  Spawr  family  took  the  Indian  trail  and  went  on 
to  Money  Creek  timber,  where  they  settled. 

The  next  year  Mr.  Spawr  began  to  raise  a  crop  of  corn,  but 
sold  out  and  went  with  Jonathan  Cheney  to  the  lead  mines  to 
make  a  fortune,  but  returned  the  next  fall  without  the  fortune. 
Then  he  started  with  Isaac  Funk,  who  was  taking  a  drove  of 
cattle  to  Ohio,  but  the  cattle  were  stampeded  by  wolves,  and  the 
trip  to  Ohio  was  spoiled.  He  then  helped  to  take  care  of  the 
Cheneys,  who  were  sick  with  the  measles,  and  became  sick  him- 
self and  lived  on  milk-punch.  (Who  wouldn't  have  the  measles !) 
Mr.  Spawr  married,  March  19,  1831,  Rhoda  Walden. 
In  the  spring  of  1832  occurred  the  Black  Hawk  war.  Mr. 
Spawr  enlisted  in  a  company  of  rangers  commanded  by  Merrit 
Covel,  after  the  fight  at  Stillman's  Bun.  It  was  the  business  of 
the  rangers  to  guard  the  country  from  the  Mackinaw  to  Ottawa. 
The  people  were  much  disturbed  by  false  alarms  and  regular 
frights.     At  one  time  two  men,  Isaac  T and  Mat  F ,  went 


m'lean  county.  669 

to  Bloomington,  the  former  mounted  on  his  fleet  horse  and  the 
latter  on  an  Indian  pony,  which  he  found  hoppled  near  by.  On 
their  return  they  passed  where  the  town  of  Kormal  now  stands. 
There  they  saw  some  blood  on  the  ground.  It  was  where  Isaac 
Funk  had  bled  his  horse  on  account  of  some  sickness,  which  the 
animal  had  contracted.  But  Isaac  and  Mat  knew  nothing  of  the 
real  cause,  but  supposed  immediately  that  some  one  had  there 
been  murdered  by  Indians,  and  that  the  savages  had  already  com- 
menced the  work  of  slaughter  and  destruction.  The  men 
whipped  up  their  horses  and  went  across  the  prairie,  and  saw  the 
tall  rosin  weeds  waving:  in  the  wind  and  thought  each  one  was  an 
Indian  after  them.  Isaac,  being  better  mounted,  ran  far  ahead, 
and  Mat,  who  was  behind,  called  out,  "Wait  for  me,  Isaac!"  and 
the  reply  came  back,  "Whip  the  pony,  Mat!"  At  last  they  ar- 
rived home,  and  Mat  mounted  one  of  his  own  fleet  horses  and  said : 
"  Father  and  mother,  I  respect  you,  I  respect  you  above  every- 
body else,  but  I  must  leave  you,  I  must  go  to  Ohio,  and  must  be 
at  Cheney's  Grove  to. night!"  When  he  arrived  at  Cheney's 
Grove,  he  was  laughed  out  of  his  fright.  At  one  time  the  neigh- 
borhood took  a  great  scare ;  some  thought  they  saw  Indian  signs, 
and  others  imagined  that  they  saw  in  the  distance  the  smoke 
arising  from  Indian  camps.  The  rangers  were  called  out,  and 
they  hunted  through  the  timber,  displaying  the  most  excellent 
training,  and  at  last  found  the  track  of  a  pig !  During  that  even- 
ing the  settlers  collected  at  the  house  of  John  Henline  near  the 
head  of  Mackinaw  timber.  The  rangers  also  came  there,  and 
during  the  night  George  Spawr  and  Henry  Davis  were  instructed 
to  raise  a  false  alarm  in  order  to  test  the  pluck  of  the  men. 
Spawr  and  Davis  were  placed  on  picket.  Spawr  says  :  "Just  be- 
fore we  were  relieved,  I  called  out,  'Who's  there,  who's  there, 
who's  there  ?'  and  tired  my  gun  and  ran  to  the  house,  yelling 
'Injins'  at  every  jump  !"  The  men  at  the  house  turned  out,  some 
with  guns  and  some  not,  and  all  were  in  disorder.  Captain  Covel 
was  swearing  and  the  women  were  making  a  great  ado.  A  squad 
of  men  were  placed  in  charge  of  the  guard  and  they  went  out, 
and  the  wicked  Spawr  slipped  off  his  shoe  and  made  a  track, 
which  was  pronounced  "Injin  sign,"  and  the  panic  was  greater 
than  ever.  One  of  the  men  at  the  house  was  so  stricken  with 
fear  that  he  gave  up  his  gun  and  jumped  into  bed  behind  his 


670  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

wife.  The  guards  who  were  posted  were  relieved,  and  one  of 
them  was  found  trying  to  catch  his  horse  to  get  away,  another 
was  found  lying  flat  on  his  face,  hoping  that  in  the  darkness  of 
The  night  he  would  escape  the  general  massacre  !  The  next 
morning  a  voice  was  heard  calling  :  "Who  jumped  in  bed  behind 

his  wife?"     An  answering  voice  replied:  "T F.**     It  was 

indeed  true  that  the  frightened  man  had  run  to  the  house,  and 
old  Mrs.  Henline  had  kept  him  out.  At  last  old  Joseph  Brum- 
head  said  :  "I  wish  I  had  a  gun,  I  wish  I  had  a  gun  \"  "Here, 
uncle  Joe,"  said  the  frightened  man,  "here's  a  gun."  Mr.  Brum- 
head,  who  was  a  verv  religious  man,  took  it,  savins; :  "I  am  not 
afraid  to  fight,  and  die,  if  need  be,  so  help  me  Lord,  for  Christ's 
sake  !"  The  man,  having  given  up  his  gun.  was  allowed  to  come 
into  the  house  where  he  jumped  into  bed  behind  his  wife. 

A  fort  was  built  at  the  house  of  the  Henlines,  and  another  at 
the  Little  Vermilion.  ]STot  long  afterwards,  while  some  of  the 
rangers  were  picking  strawberries,  George  Spawr  and  William 
Dimmitt  fired  off  their  guns  to  give  the  men  a  scare.  The  joke 
was  successful,  for  the  frightened  rangers  ran  plashing  through 
the  Vermilion,  and  on  three  miles  to  the  fort.  The  neighborhood 
was  again  alarmed,  men  were  hurrying  to  and  fro,  and  women 
were  riding  with  their  infants  in  their  arms,  in  every  direction. 
The  rangers  continned  reconnoiterinir  until  the  Black  Hawk  war 
was  ended. 

In  the  summer  of  1837  George  Spawr  went  to  Franklin 
County,  Illinois,  where  he  lived  until  the  fall  of  1863.  Franklin 
County  had  been  settled  by  men  from  the  south :  and  during  the 
rebellion  they  were  so  much  in  favor  of  the  rebel  cause,  and 
made  so  many  threats  against  Union  men,  that  in  the  fall  of 
1863  George  Spawr  went  back  to  his  old  home  in  Mackinaw  tim- 
ber, and  now  lives  in  Lexington. 

Mr.  Spawr  has  had  ten  children,  of  whom  six  are  living. 
They  are  : 

Charles  Wesley  Spawr,  who  lives  about  two  miles  from  Belle- 
flower.  He  was  in  the  110th  Illinois  Volunteers  during  the  war 
and  served  under  Sherman. 

Mary  .lane,  widow  of  Terry  Scarlock,  lives  at  Pleasant  Hill. 
Mr.  Scarlock  had  been  a  soldier. 

Dr.  Braxton  Benton  Spawr  lives  in  Franklin  County,  where 
he  practices  medicine  and  dentistry. 


m'lean  county.  671 

Dr.  Elijah  Valentine  Spawr  lives  in  Mackinawtown,  in  Taze- 
well County.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Eighteenth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteers. 

William  Walker  Spawr  lives  in  Farmer  City.  He  was  in  the 
three  months'  service  during  the  rebellion,  and  in  1865  he  re-en- 
listed. 

Margaret  Malinda  was  married  to  Charley  Kemp  and  lives  in 
Bloomino-ton. 

Mr.  Spawr  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  and 
weighs  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  pounds.  He  has  a  round, 
healthy  face,  and  his  eyes  have  an  honest,  open  expression,  but 
one  can  see  the  love  of  practical  jokes  in  them.  His  hair  stands 
up  decidedly  on  his  head.  He  has  been  a  mechanic  for  thirty 
years,  and  still  works  at  his  trade.  He  gets  up  early  in  the 
morning  and  goes  to  work  on  time.  He  is  very  jovial  and  loves 
to  talk  over  the  adventures  of  other  days.  It  does  him  good  to 
laugh  at  the  funny  scenes  which  happened  when  the  people  in 
Mackinaw  timber  took  their  periodical  frights. 

Joseph  Brumhead. 

Joseph  Brumhead  came  to  the  West  with  the  Haner  family, 
in  1828.  Before  comino;  to  the  West  he  married  Catherine  Haner 
in  Ohio.  He  settled,  on  his  arrival  from  Ohio,  in  Mackinaw 
timber,  near  old  John  Haner's  place,  a  little  west  of  where  John 
Haner,  jr.,  now  lives.  Mr.  Brumhead  was  a  very  religious  man, 
and  was,  for  many  years,  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  belonged  to  this  denomination  when  he  came  to  Mackinaw 
timber,  and  was  one  of  the  eight  members  who  organized  the 
first  Methodist  Church  in  McLean  County  north  of  Bloomington. 
This  was  in  1830.  He  was  a  class-leader  for  nearly  a  year  after 
its  organization.  He  was  then  made  a  licensed  exhorter,  and  went 
to  the  different  groves  and  held  meetings.  He  was  not  an  edu- 
cated man,  but  was  possessed  of  great  natural  ability. 

The  Indians  were  quite  numerous  before  the  winter  of  the 
deep  snow.  At  one  time  Mr.  Brumhead  had  a  horse,  which  was 
bitten  by  an  Indian  pony,  and  was  much  annoyed.  Mr.  Brum- 
head tied  the  pony  to  a  tree  with  a  log  chain.  After  a  while  its 
Indian  owner  came  for  it,  and  when  he  found  it  fastened  with  the 


672  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

log  chain  he  walked  around  it  carefully,  and  at  last  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  "  he  no  get  loose."  Mr.  Brumhead  at  last  gave 
the  Indian  the  pom'. 

Mr.  Brumhead  was  a  very  courageous  man.  During  the 
Black  Hawk  war,  while  the  settlers  were  collected  at  the  house 
of  John  Henline,  for  fear  of  trouble  with  the  Indians,  Mr.  Brum- 
head was  one  of  the  coolest  and  most  collected  among  them.  His 
religious  feeling  bore  him  up  always,  and  during  the  Indian 
troubles  he  seemed  to  feel  no  fear,  for  he  trusted  his  life  to  the 
keeping  of  Divine  Providence.  He  died  in  the  year  1838,  and 
his  wife  died  a  week  after  him.  Their  death  resulted  from  eating 
unhealthy  meat.  Two  of  their  children  are  living.  The  eldest 
son,  John  Wesley  Brumhead,  was  the  first  white  child  born  on 
the  Mackinaw.  His  birth  was  in  1829.  He  now  lives  on  the 
north  of  the  Mackinaw,  and  is  an  incorrigible  bachelor.  The 
second  son,  Anderson  S.  Brumhead,  lives  in  Blue  Mound  town- 
ship. He  does  not  believe  in  a  bachelor's  life,  and  has  married  a 
very  amiable  and  attractive  lady. 

Hexsox  B.  Downey. 

Henson  B.  Downey  was  born  August  26,  1817,  in  Frederick 
County,  Maryland.  His  father  was  Alexander  Downey,  and  his 
mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Mary  Tucker.  He  was 
partly  of  Scotch  and  Welch  descent.  In  about  the  year  1828  he 
came  with  the  family  to  Illinois.  He  grew  up  in  the  West,  and 
Patrick  Hopkins  says  of  him  during  his  youth  and  early  man- 
hood :  "  He  was  about  as  high  a  chicken  as  you  could  scare  up." 

On  the  7th  of  April,  1830,  he  married  Phebe  Brumhead, 
youngest  daughter  of  Joseph  Brumhead.  She  died  March  16, 
1852.  The  children  by  this  marriage  were  James  X.  Downey, 
who  lives  in  the  northern  part  of  Blue  Mound  township ;  Emily, 
wife  of  Henry  Walden,  lives  in  the  northern  part  of  Blue  Mound  ; 
J.  Henson  Downey  also  lives  in  Blue  Mound,  and  his  brother, 
Allen  T.  Downey,  lives  with  him. 

<  >n  the  24th  of  July,  1852,  Mr.  Downey  married  Lowisa  Ellen 
Hand.  The  children  by  this  marriage  are  Merritt  R.,  William 
A.,  Mary,  Ann  Elizabeth,  John  W.,  Frank  E.,  Lu  Elle,  Henry 
Benjamin  and  Harvey  E.  Downey.     Of  these,  William  A.,  Mary 


m'lean  county.  673 

and  John  W.  Downey,  are  dead.  Tlie  living  children  are  with 
their  mother  on  the  homestead  place,  in  Lexington  township,  on 
the  south  of  the  Mackinaw. 

Henson  B.  Downey  died  June  29,  1871.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Church  for  fifteen  or  twenty  years  previous  to 
his  death,  and  held  the  positions  of  steward,  class-leader,  exhorter 
and  all  the  stations  on  the  official  board.  He  was  a  very  high- 
spirited  man,  and  had  a  quick  temper,  which  frequently  was  the 
cause  of  difficulty  with  his  friends.  But  he  would  always  apolo- 
gize for  his  anger  and  try  to  make  amends. 

John  Haner. 

John  Haner  was  born  July  3,  1819,  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio. 
His  father's  name  was  "William  Haner,  and  his  mother's  name 
was  Jane  Steel.  His  father  was  of  Dutch  descent  and  his  mother 
of  Irish.  John  Haner  lived  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio,  until  he 
was  eight  years  of  age,  when  the  family  came  to  Sangamon 
County,  Illinois.  After  living  here  one  year  they  came  to  Macki- 
naw timber,  in  the  present  township  of  Lexington,  in  the  present 
county  of  McLean.  This  was  in  the  fall  of  1828.  They  went  to 
farming  immediately,  and  had  the  usual  hard  times,  which  the 
old  settlers  experienced.  In  December,  1830,  the  day  before  the 
deep  snow,  they  obtained  a  large  quantity  of  corn-meal  and  flour 
from  Cunningham's  mill,  and  it  was  supposed  to  be  sufficient  to 
last  all  winter  ;  but  it  was  only  enough  for  a  short  time,  as  they 
supplied  the  neighbors,  who  could  not  go  to  mill.  After  it  was 
gone  they  pounded  corn,  and  sometimes  took  it  over  to  old  John 
Patton's  hand-mill  and  ground  it  there.  Many  of  the  families  in 
the  neighborhood  vsuffered  severely  during  the  deep  snow.  ISTot 
long  before  the  deep. snow,  Mr.  Harrison  Foster  sold  his  claim, 
went  to  a  new  piece  of  ground  and  built  a  cabin.  The  clapboard 
roof  was  put  on,  but  the  cabin  was  only  partly  chinked,  and  the 
chimney  was  built  no  higher  than  the  mantle-piece.  When  the 
deep  snow  came  it  nearly  covered  the  cabin  on  the  outside,  and 
nearly  filled  it  on  the  inside.  The  bed  in  which  Foster  slept  had 
upon  it  a  foot  of  snow.  He  arose  in  the  morning  and  could  not 
put  on  his  moccasins,  but  drew  on  his  socks  and  walked  nearly  a 
mile  and  a  half  down  the  Mackinaw,  on  the  ice,  to  his  brother's 
house.  The  two  brothers  then  went  back  to  bring  away  the 
43 


674  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

family.  Sarah  Foster  was  carried  on  the  back  of  her  Uncle 
William.  She  clutched  hold  of  his  coat,  and  when  they  arrived 
at  the  latter's  house  she  could  not  loosen  her  hold,  as  her  fingers 
were  frozen  stiff,  and  had  to  be  pulled  open.  The  skin  on  the 
ends  of  her  finders  and  the  nails  afterwards  came  off. 

During  the  fall  before  the  deep  snow,  Charles  and  John  Cox 
came  to  Mackinaw  timber  and  put  up  a  log  cabin,  but  as  they 
had  no  out-buildings,  they  kept  their  pigs  in  one  part  of  the  cabin 
during  the  winter,  while  the  family  lived  in  the  other,  a  slab  par- 
tition separating  them.  William  Haner,  quite  as  careful,  kept 
his  chickens  and  sheep  in  the  cellar.  During  that  severe  winter 
the  Haners  had  a  six-acre  patch  of  shocked  corn,  and  the  wind 
whistled  around  the  shocks,  sometimes  leaving  bare  places.  When 
the  snow  came,  a  calf  was  caught  in  it  near  one  of  these  shocks, 
and  lived  there  all  winter,  the  Haners  bringing  it  water ;  but  its 
ears  were  frozen  off.  During  that  winter  the  deer  came  up 
among  the  stock  and  ate  with  them.  The  wolves  became  saucy, 
impudent  and  troublesome,  and  often  came  to  the  house  and 
snatched  and  ran  off  with  what  they  could  find.  One  of  these 
animals  made  its  home  in  a  shock  of  corn,  but  Haner's  dog 
brought  it  out  of  those  quarters  and  killed  it.  At  one  time  a 
rather  awkward  mistake  occurred.  A  wolf  came  up  to  Joseph 
Brumhead's  house,  and  he  chased  it  with  a  shoe-hammer  along  a 
path  leading  to  William  Haner's,  and  called  to  the  latter  to  come 
out.  Haner  did  so,  and  hissed  on  his  dog;  but  the  dog  mistook 
the  object  of  the  excitement  and  grabbed  an  ox  by  the  nose,  and 
the  astonished  animal  whirled  around  and  sent  the  dog  against 
Haner,  and  the  two  went  rolling  into  the  snow.  But  Haner  re- 
covered himself  in  a  moment  and  pointed  out  the  wolf,  which 
was  soon  brought  down.  In  the  fall  of  1831,  William  Haner 
built  a  horse-mill  on  the  Mackinaw.  A  few  years  later,  John 
Haner,  sr.,  the  father  of  the  former,  built  a  water-mill,  and  for 
many  years  Haner's  mills  ground  the  wheat  and  corn  for  a  large 
section  of  country  around. 

John  Haner,  jr.,  of  whom  we  are  writing,  tells  some  interest- 
ing matters  concerning  the  Black  Hawk  Avar.  During  that  ex- 
citing  time  the  settlers  collected  at  the  house  of  John  Henline. 
While  there  a  great  scare  occurred,  and  it  was  thought  that  the 
Indians  had  come.     The  people  in  the  house  were  ordered  away 


m'lean  county.  675 

from  the  walls  to  let  the  soldiers  have  a  chance  to  shoot,  and  the 
children  were  pitched  into  the  middle  of  the  floor.  John  Haner, 
then  a  child,  was  one  of  the  3-oungsters  who  were  so  roughly  hand- 
led. But  at  last  the  men  with  their  ffuns  took  the  outside  of  the 
house.  The  excitement  lasted  until  nearly  morning.  The  Haner 
family  remained  at  the  Henllne  house  for  nearly  a  week,  then 
came  home,  remained  two  weeks,  then  took  another  alarm  and 
went  to  Bloomington,  and  stayed  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Goodheart. 

Many  practical  jokes  were  played  hy  the  settlers  during  the 
Black  Hawk  troubles.  George  Spawr  played  a  wicked  trick  upon 
his  father,  Valentine  Spawr.  Whhile  the  old  gentleman  was  ab- 
sent, George  tied  strings  around  his  feet  and  walked  around  the 
house,  leaving  tracks  resembling  those  made  by  Indian  mocca- 
sins ;  then  he  shot  a  few  bullet-holes  through  the  door  and  left. 
The  old  gentleman  came  home,  saw  the  bullet-holes  and  tracks, 
and  the  more  he  looked  at  them  the  more  his  hair  began  to  rise. 
At  last  he  started  on  the  run  for  the  Henline  fort,  and  as  he  was 
rather  fleshy  his  movements  were  by  no  means  graceful.  While 
he  was  crossing  a  creek  near  by  on  a  high  log,  the  wicked  George 
fired  a  gun.  This  caused  the  old  gentleman  to  make  a  misstep, 
and  he  fell  into  the  water.  But  he  scrambled  out  and  went  to 
the  fort.  Notwithstanding  his  scare,  the  cheery  old  gentleman 
did  not  lose  heart,  but  congratulated  himself  that,  though  in  his 
fall  he  had  "  got  his  lower  body  wet,  he  had  kept  his  upper  body 
dry." 

The  youthful  sons  and  daughters  of  the  early  settlers  of  course 
had  their  affairs  of  the  heart;  but  as  they  worked  very  hard  they 
had  little  time  to  think  of  such  matters,  and  did  not  attend  to 
them  in  the  way  their  sons  and  daughters  have  learned  to  do 
since.  It  is  said  that  Moses  Patton  once  traveled  twelve  miles  to 
visit  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Allen,  in  Old  Town  timber.  He  sat 
up  with  her  until  midnight,  but  could  scarcely  master  courage  to 
say  a  word.  At  last  he  turned  to  her  and  said  in  a  scarey  way  ; 
"  I  s'pose  you  think  I'm  a  long  time  a  com-men-cin  !"  She  made 
some  evasive  answer,  and  after  a  while  he  retired  for  the  nisrht. 
The  next  morning  he  asked  if  he  might  call  again,  and  she  re- 
plied, that  "  if  he  had  no  more  to  say  the  next  time,  she  hardly 
thought  it  would  be  worth  while  for  him  to  come  twelve  miles  to 
tell  it !" 


676  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

John  Haner  married,  May  28,  1839,  Miss  Caroline  Bull,  who 
was  born  in  Indiana,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1837. 
They  have  had  eight  children,  of  whom  seven  are  living,  and 
three  are  married.     They  are  : 

Esther  Jane,  wife  of  Herbert  Cool,  lives  in  Keelsville,  Chero- 
kee County,  Kansas. 

Mary  Ellen,  wife  of  Thomas  Davis,  lives  in  Blue  Mound 
township. 

William  Haner  lives  in  Cherokee  County,  Kansas. 

Merritt  Steel,  Jessie  Edwin,  Charles  Luther  and  Maggie  May 
(the  pet),  all  live  at  home. 

John  Haner  is  six  feet  in  height,  has  rather  a  broad  face  and 
bluish-gray  eyes.  He  seems  a  very  modest  man,  has  a  peaceable 
disposition,  and  is,  no  doubt,  on  the  best  terms  with  his  neigh- 
bors. The  humorous  stories  which  he  has  related  show  that  the 
love  of  fun  is  strong  within  him,  and  his  amiable  and  accom- 
plished lady  is  not  far  behind  him  in  this  respect.  He  is  a  man 
of  good  development  of  muscle,  and  has  never  been  afraid  to 
work.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  life  and  manages  his  prop- 
erty well. 

Benjamin  Wiley  Patton. 

Benjamin  Patton  was  born  June  18,  1817,  in  Kentucky,  in 
Garret  County  (he  thinks).  His  father's  name  was  John  Patton, 
and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Margaret  Wiley.  John  Pat- 
ton was  of  Irish  descent,  and  his  wife  was  probably  of  English 
and  Welch.  He  was  quite  a  genius,  and  master  of  a  number  of 
trades  and  professions.  He  was  a  farmer,  mechanic,  gunsmith 
and  blacksmith.  He  made  ploughs,  both  the  iron  work  and  the 
wood  work,  and  made  household  furniture,  all  that  was  necessary 
for  the  family.  He  was  a  professor  of  religion  and  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  and  his  house  at  Mackinaw  timber  was  a 
preaching  place  for  many  years. 

When  Benjamin  Patton  was  less  than  a  year  old,  his  parents 
left  Kentucky,  where  he  was  born,  and  came  to  Switzerland 
County,  Indiana,  andathere  remained  until  they  came  to  Illinois, 
which  was  in  the  fall  of  1828.  They  came  with  two  teams  (two 
yoke  of  oxen  and  four  horses).  Benjamin  was  obliged  to  walk 
and  drive  the  cattle,  and   as   he  wore   light   shoes,  the  exercise 


m'lean  county.  677 

chafed  his  feet  so  severely  that  his  two  great  toe-nails  came  off. 
The  family  arrived  at  Old  Town  timber  in  November,  and  went 
into  an  old  round  log  house,  without  chinking  or  chimney,  and 
there  remained  during  the  winter.  Mr.  Patton,  sr.,  cut  logs  to 
build  a  house  at  Buckles'  Grove,  but  changed  his  mind  as  to  his 
location,  and  went  to  Mackinaw  timber.  There  the  Patton  family 
lived  for  a  while  in  a  deserted  wigwam  of  the  old  Indian  town. 
It  was  a  queer  structure,  built  up  on  all  sides,  with  a  hole  in  the 
top  for  the  smoke  of  a  fire  inside  to  pass  out. 

Benjamin  Patton  has  experienced  the  hardships  common  to 
the  old  settlers.  He  married,  October  13,  1839,  Mary  Ann  Con- 
over.  He  has  had  no  children.  He  is  full  six  feet  in  height,  is 
rather  spare  in  build.  He  appears  to  have  succeeded  very  well 
in  life. 

Pateick  Hopkins. 

Patrick  Hopkins  was  born  June  11,  1799,  in  Sussex  County, 
Delaware.  His  father's  name  was  Robert  Hopkins,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Nancy  Spence.  His  father  was  of 
"Welch  descent  and  his  mother  of  Scotch.  His  father  was  a 
farmer,  plain  and  unassuming  in  his  manner,  though  rather  im- 
posing in  appearance,  as  he  weighed  about  two  hundred  and 
twenty  pounds.  Mrs.  Hopkins,  the  mother  of  Patrick,  was  a 
smart,  energetic,  little  woman.  So  far  as  her  person  was  con- 
cerned, she  would  hardly  bear  down  the  scales  against  her  hus- 
band, as  she  only  weighed  ninety-four  pounds.  But  what  she 
lacked  in  size  she  made  up  in  spirit  and  energy.  She  was  a  good 
deal  of  a  theologian  and  would  discuss  religious  matters  with  airy 
one  who  chose  to  test  her  argumentative  powers.  She  and  her 
husband  were  both  members  of  the  Methodist  Church.  There 
were  nine  children  of  the  Hopkins  family,  five  boys  and  four 
girls  ;  they  all  lived  to  be  grown  and,  like  their  parents,  have  led 
an  unassuming  and  retired  life. 

In  1806,  the  Hopkins  family  went  to  Woodford  County,  Ken- 
tucky. There  Robert  Hopkins  bought  a  farm  and  lived  on  it 
until  1814. 

Patrick  Hopkins  had  few  opportunities  of  obtaining  an  educa- 
tion, and  he  has  been  obliged  to  make  his  way  in  the  world  with 
the  benefit  of  only  forty  days  schooling. 


678  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

In  the  fall  of  1814,  the  Hopkins  family  moved  to  Clark 
County,  Indiana,  among  the  deer,  bear  and  Indians.  In  1817, 
Patrick  went  to  Georgetown,  Kentucky,  to  learn  the  bricklaying: 
trade.  In  1820,  lie  came  hack  to  Clark  county  and  married  Mary 
Bartholomew.  During;  the  following  year,  he  moved  to  Owen 
County,  where  he  laid  brick  and  worked  a  small  farm.     In  1830, 

v    *  7 

he  came  with  his  wife  and  four  children  to  the  head  waters  of  the 
Mackinaw,   in  what  was  then    Tazewell   County,    Illinois.     He 

'  «/    7 

raised  a  cabin  and  in  the  following  year  broke  prairie  for  a  farm. 
He  lived  very  quietly  until  1832,  when  the  Black  Hawk  war 
broke  out.  In  those  days,  the  settlers  were  liable  to  take  a  scare 
at  any  moment,  as  it  was  very  hard  to  obtain  correct  news  from 
the  seat  of  war.  One  of  the  neighbors,  named  Bartholomew,  an 
old  Indian  fighter  and  formerly  a  soldier  in  Wayne's  army,  ad- 
vised the  settlers  to  build  a  fort,  which  they  did  on  the  place 
where  John  B.  Dawson  now  lives.  On  the  day  before  the  settlers 
collected  in  the  fort,  Mr.  Hopkins  was  alarmed  by  the  barking  of 
dogs  and  thought  the  Indians  had  certainly  come,  but  concluded 
to  fisrlit  not  onlv  for  his  family  but  also  for  his  horses,  and  took 
his  gun  and  went  to  the  barn  ;  but  the  alarm  was  false.  On  the 
following  day,  the  families  of  the  settlers  went  to  the  fort,  and 
Mr.  Hopkins  went  with  a  company  collected  by  Mr.  Bartholomew 
to  Indian  Grove,  where  the  Kickapoos  were  encamped,  to  see 
whether  the  latter  were  disposed  to  be  hostile.  The  Indians  had 
just  returned  from  their  winter  quarters  and  were  very  friendly. 
They  were,  when  the  whites  arrived,  collecting  food,  and  in  the 
evening  came  to  camp  with  all  kinds  of  game,  from  a  snipe  to  a 
raccoon.  They  treated  the  whites  with  great  courtesy,  took 
charge  of  their  horses,  put  strong  halters  on  them,  and  set  two 
men  to  guard  them  through  the  night.  The  party  that  evening 
witnessed  some  religious  ceremonies,  which  were  carried  on  by 
Indians  who  were  converted  to  Christianity.  All  were  seated  on 
the  ground,  except  the  leader,  and  they  sang  and  exhorted  for  a 
long  time.  At  last  the  leader  took  his  seat,  and  then  occurred  a 
singular  ceremony.  An  Indian  stepped  forward  and  asked  to  be 
whipped  for  the  sins  he  had  committed  during  the  week,  and 
drew  his  garment  over  his  head,  exposing  his  bare  back.  Four- 
teen stripes  were  given  him  by  three  Indians  nearby,  with  smooth 
hickory  rods  about  three  feet  long.     The  stripes  were  received 


m'lean  county.  679 

•without  a  movement  to  indicate  pain.  This  example  was  fol- 
lowed by  fifty  others,  who  received  fourteen  or  twenty-eight 
stripes  laid  on  with  such  force  that  any  one  of  them  left  a  mark. 
The  stripes  were  administered  by  three  Indians.  When  fourteen 
stripes  were  called  for,  the  first  Indian  gave  seven,  the  second 
four  and  the  last  three.  When  twenty-eight  stripes  were  called 
for,  the  first  Indian  gave  fourteen,  the  second  seven  and  the  last 
seven.  When  each  applicant  for  stripes  had  been  whipped,  he 
turned  around  and  shook  hands  with  the  men  who  bore  the  rods. 
The  interpreter  told  the  whites,  who  were  looking  on,  that  these 
stripes  were  given  because  of  disobedienee  to  the  commands  of 
the  Great  Spirit  during  the  week. 

In  the  spring  of  1833  he  put  up  a  log  cabin  in  Lexington 
township,  on  the  farm  now  known  as  the  Lemuel  Biggs  place. 
When  he  first  moved  into  it,  his  chickens  roosted  on  the  partly 
built  wooden  chimney.  One  evening,  while  he  was  holding  fam- 
ily worship,  an  owl  took  a  chicken  from  the  chimney ;  but  as  the 
fowl  was  heavy,  both  birds  came  down  in  the  yard.  Mr.  Hopkins 
says  :  "I  won't  say  how  long  I  continued  the  prayer,  but  it  was 
short.  I  reached  for  my  gun,  glanced  along  the  sights,  shot  the 
owl  by  good  luck  and  released  the  chicken." 

The  settlers  went  sometimes  long  distances  to  get  their  mill- 
ing done,  and  were  frequently  gone  eight  or  ten  days.  Mr.  Hop- 
kins went  to  Cheney's  Grove,  and  afterwards  to  Fox  River  above 
Ottawa.  At  one  time  he  went  to  mill  at  Ottawa  with  William  Pope- 
joy.  The  latter  was  a  very  fair-minded  man,  but  it  stirred  up  his 
anger  if  he  was  imposed  on  in  any  way.  Mr.  Hopkins,  on  the 
contrary,  would  "rather  suffer  evil  than  do  evil."  They  were 
obliged  to  stay  over  night  at  the  mill,  while  waiting  for  their  grist. 
During  the  night  Mr.  Popejoy  waked  up  Mr.  Hopkins,  saying  : 
"Hopkins,  Hopkins,  get  up,  get  up,  that  other  man  has  given  the 
miller  fifty  cents  to  grind  Iris  grist  before  ours,  and  we  will  miss 
our  connections  to-morrow  if  that  is  done."  Mr.  Hopkins 
aroused  himself  reluctantly,  and  Popejoy  brought  up  their  corn 
to  put  into  the  hopper  as  soon  as  it  became  empty.  "You  can't 
put  in  that  corn,"  said  the  miller.  "Yes  I  will."  "ISTo  you  won't, 
unless  you  are  a  better  man  than  I  am."  When  Popejoy  heard 
this,  his  coat  dropped  from  his  shoulders  as  he  stepped  up,  say- 
ing: "I  never  yet  failed  to  whip  a  mean  man."     The  miller 


680  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

stepped  around  on  the  other  side  of  the  hopper !  The  corn  was 
ground  on  time,  and  Popejoy  and  Hopkins  made  their  connec- 
tions. 

Mr.  Hopkins'  wife  died  August  29,  1839.  She  Avas  a  very 
kind  lady  and  their  marriage  was  a  happy  one.  They  had  rive 
children,  one  of  whom  was  born  in  Illinois.  They  are  two  sons 
and  three  daughters,  and  are  all  married.  Mr.  Hopkins  married, 
November  15,  1847,  near  Pleasant  Hill,  Matilda  Smith,  daughter 
of  William  and  Obedience  Smith.  They  have  had  no  children. 
They  have  lived  together  very  happily.  In  1867  Mr.  Hopkins 
moved  to  Lexington,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 

Patrick  Hopkins  is  five  feet  and  eleven  and  a  half  inches  in 
height.  He  has  a  full  head  of  hair,  which  is  now  nearly  white. 
He  wears  glasses  while  reading,  though  the  sight  of  his  right  eye 
is  very  good.  He  lost  the  use  of  his  left  eye  in  1842,  when  it 
was  struck  by  a  branch  of  a  tree  while  he  was  going  through  the 
timber.  His  health  is  now  pretty  good,  though  he  has  suffered 
a  great  deal  from  the  bilious  fevers  common  to  the  western  coun- 
try in  early  days.  He  has  not  had  extraordinary  success  finan- 
cially, as  the  goodness  of  his  heart  has  too  often  induced  him  to 
become  security  for  men  whose  obligations  he  has  been  obliged 
to  pay.  Nevertheless  he  has  plenty  to  make  him  comfortable, 
and  is  in  the  happy  condition  of  the  man  who  has  neither  poverty 
nor  riches. 

Mr.  Hopkins  died  February  21st,  1874. 

Peter  Hefner. 

Peter  Hefner,  known  as  "Uncle  Peter,"  was  born  April  20, 
1813,  in  what  was  called  Pendleton  County,  Virginia,  but  is  now 
called  Highland  County.  His  father's  name  was  Michael  Hefner 
and  his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Barbara  Flesher. 
The  Hefner  family  moved  to  Payette  County,  Ohio,  when  Peter 
was  between  two  and  three  years  of  age.  As  soon  as  the  latter 
became  five  or  six  years  of  age  he  showed  a  disposition  for  rais- 
ing stock,  and  attended  to  the  feeding  of  the  animals,  and  took 
notice  of  all  the  transactions  in  stock.  This  little  five-year  old 
infant  knew  of  every  cow,  pig  or  sheep  bought  or  sold  in  the 
neighborhood  and  the  prices  paid.  In  1830  the  Hefner  family 
moved  to  Mackinaw  timber,  Illinois. 


m'lean  county.  681 

When  the  family  came  to  this  country  Mr.  Hefner  received  a 
fine  colt  as  a  present  from  his  father.  It  was  carefully  raised  and 
trained,  and  became  the  celebrated  Tiger  Whip,  one  of  the  fastest 
horses  in  the  country.  This  horse  once  ran  a  race,  in  which  were 
a  number  of  fine  racers,  and  among  them  was  Bald  Hornet,  rid- 
den by  E.  E.  Greenman,  now  of  Leroy.  Tiger  Whip  won  the 
race  triumphantly.  Greenman  thought  that  if  fair  play  could 
have  been  had,  the  Bald  Hornet  would  have  come  out  first  best ; 
but  the  trouble  was  that  Tiger  Whip  ran  faster.  Mr.  Hefner 
once  rode  Tiger  Whip  on  a  queer  race.  While  coming  home 
from  Bloomington  he  chased  a  prairie  chicken,  and  notwith- 
standing its  long  flights  he  tired  it  out  and  caught  it.  After  Mr. 
Hefner  had  won  some  money  by  the  speed  of  his  horse,  his 
uncle  Flesher  said  he  considered  it  a  misfortune,  for  the  money 
obtained  in  that  way  would  never  do  any  good,  and  Providence 
would  be  sure  to  bring  some  misfortune  upon  Peter,  and  the  lat- 
ter would  learn  to  drink  whisky  and  to  gamble,  and  would  fall 
into  evil  ways  generally.  But  nothing  of  the  kind  occurred ;  the 
latter  never  drank  the  intoxicating  fluid  nor  gambled  nor  fell 
into  evil  ways. 

Mr.  Hefner  went  to  mill  occasionally.  He  once  went  to  Che- 
ney's Grove  with  a  load  of  twenty-five  bushels  of  wheat.  There 
he  succeeded  in  getting  two  or  three  bushels  ground,  but  no  more 
for  want  of  water.  Then  he  went  to  a  new  steam  mill,  which 
was  then  just  in  operation  in  Bloomington,  and  there  two  or  three 
bushels  more  were  ground.  Then  he  went  to  a  mill  on  the 
Mackinaw,  but  could  get  nothing  ground  at  all.  Then  he  went 
to  Ottawa  with  a  full  load,  and  after  waiting  a  week  or  more,  his 
wheat  was  ground. 

The  author  is  sorry  to  relate  that  Mr.  Hefner  has  been  occa- 
sionally "up  to  his  capers."  John  Messer  was  once  going  to  mill 
and  was  asleep  in  his  wagon,  as  his  slowly  moving  oxen  were 
plodding  along.  Peter  Hefner  and  a  few  other  sports  made  mo- 
tions at  the  oxen  and  gradually  turned  them  around  and  started 
them  in  the  opposite  direction.  They  went  a  mile  or  more  on 
the  back  track  before  Messer  discovered  the  error.  He  never 
forgave  Peter  for  this  prank. 

The  settlers  were  many  times  in  want  of  the  necessaries  of 
life.     The  Hefner  family  once  thought  themselves  in  luck  when 


682  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

they  obtained  the  half  of  a  wild  hog  by  active  hunting,  but  they 
had  no  salt  for  cooking  it,  and  Peter  started  for  some.  He  went 
to  Dry  Grove,  failed  there,  went  to  John  Benson's  at  "White  Oak 
Grove,  and  there  found  salt  and  came  home,  and  the  Hefner  fam- 
ily had  a  few  "square  meals." 

The  pigs  that  were  raised  by  the  early  settlers  were  "  prairie 
rooters."  They  could  root  up  anything  with  their  long  noses, 
climb  anything  and  run  anywhere.  The  Hefner  family  were  once 
short  of  meat  in  harvest  time,  and  the  old  gentleman  decided  to 
kill  the  only  pig  they  possessed.  He  said  :  "Boys  ,you  shall  have 
some  meat  for  supper,"  and  sharpened  his  knife  for  the  bloody 
work,  and  started  for  the  pen.  The  intelligent  pig  saw  what  was 
coming,  and  as  the  old  gentleman  climbed  into  the  pen  on  one 
side  the  pig  climbed  out  on  the  other  and  ran  off  switching  de- 
fiance with  its  tail !  The  old  gentleman  was  left  to  meditate  on 
the  uncertainties  of  life,  and  the  pig  was  not  found  for  six 
months. 

Mr.  Hefner  had  his  experience  in  the  deep  snow.  When  the 
heavy  snow  fell  in  December  of  the  celebrated  winter  of  1830-1 
he  was  coming  with  two  others  from  the  house  of  Louis  Sowards 
on  Money  Creek,  with  a  load  of  corn  and  a  hog  on  a  sled,  drawn 
by  four  horses.  They  were  so  blinded  by  the  falling  snow  that 
they  could  not 'see  the  lead  horses,  and  they  unhitched  and  rode 
back  to  Sowards!  There  they  kept  warm  during  the  night  by 
building  a  great  fire,  though  the  weather  was  intensely  cold, 
and  the  cabin  was  unchinked.  In  the  morning  they  returned 
home  safely. 

Traveling  in  the  early  days  was  not  always  safe,  as  may  be 
supposed.  Mr.  Hefner  tells  of  a  trip  to  Danville,  to  show  the 
difference  between  the  old  days  and  the  new.  He  went  first  to 
Newcom's  Ford,  where  he  was  followed  by  a  pack  of  wolves. 
There  he  staved  over  night,  and  the  wolves  were  so  ferocious  and 
bold  that  they  drove  the  dogs  into  the  house.  The  next  day  he 
crossed  two  sloughs,  and  in  each  case  was  obliged  to  wade  waist 
deep  in  freezing  water  and  break  the  ice  for  his  horse.  On  his 
return  he  swam  the  Sangamon  at  Newcom's  Ford,  and  as  the 
weather  was  bitterly  cold  and  a  west  wind  was  blowing,  he 
thought  he  had  a  good  chance  of  freezing  to  death;  but  he 
reached  a  settler's  cabin,  thawed  himself  out  and  ^*ent  home. 


m'lban  county.  683 

At  one  place  where  Mr.  Hefner  stopped,  about  sixteen  miles 
this  side  of  Danville,  was  a  clever,  good-natured  gentlemen,  old 
General  Bartholomew.  Peter  Hefner,  being  an  active  lad, 
brought  up  the  general's  horse,  and  the  latter  was  so  pleased 
by  the  little  favor  that  he  paid  Hefner's  bill.  When  Hef- 
ner inquired  the  bill  the  landlord  said  nothing.  The  old  general, 
who  was  looking  on,  said  :  "Well,  sir,  now  I  learn  the  custom  of 
this  road ;  the  man  who  eats  thirteen  buckwheat  cakes  for  break- 
fast, has  his  bill  free  !" 

Peter  Hefner  married,  March  27,  1833,  Betsy  Flesher.  He 
has  had  nine  children,  of  whom  five  are  living.     They  are  : 

Harmon,  who  lives  on  the  old  place  on  Mackinaw,  in  Money 
Creek  township. 

Mar}T,  wife  of  J.  P.  Curry,  lives  in  Lexington. 

Adeline,  wife  of  John  Campbell,  lives  in  Lexington  township. 

John  A.  and  George  M.  Hefner  live  in  Money  Creek  town- 
ship. 

Mr.  Hefner  is  about  six  feet  in  height,  weighs  two  hundred 
and  thirty-five  or  forty  pounds,  has  black  hair  and  dark  eyes,  is 
plain  spoken  and  fond  of  humor  and  practical  jokes.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1870,  he  moved  from  Money  Creek  to  Lexington.  He  was 
always  a  hospitable  man  and  never  charged  travelers  anything. 
But  afterwards  he  varied  a  little  from  this  rule  and  made  peddlers 
"come  down  with  their  stamps."  Mr.  Hefner  is  a  man  of  great 
strength  and  nerve,  and  the  exposure  of  a  frontier  life  has  not 
injured  his  constitution  in  the  least.  He  is  a  straightforward  man 
in  his  dealings  and  prompt  to  meet  his  engagements. 

John  Dawson,  (of  Lexington.) 

There  are  two  John  Dawsons  in  McLean  County;  the  one 
lives  inBloomington  and  the  other  in  Lexington.  They  are  not 
related  to  each  other,  because  they  happen  to  be  John  Dawsons, 
any  more  than  if  they  happened  to  be  John  Smiths;  though  the 
relationship  of  either  would  be  an  honor,  for  they  are  both  gen- 
tlemen. John  Dawson  was  born  December  4,  1820,  in  Madison 
Countv,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  James  R.  Dawson  and  was 
of  English  and  Welch  descent.  The  great,  great  grandfather  of 
John  Dawson  was  one  James  Dawson,  who  came  from  Wales, 
and  settled  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Potomac  in  Virginia.     This 


684  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

gentleman  was  married  twice  and  had  sixteen  children  by  each 
marriage,  making  thirty-two  in  all.  At  the  time  of  his  death, 
his  youngest  child  was  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  the  old 
gentleman  was  himself  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  years  old. 
His  thirty-two  children  were  all  living  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
His  death  occurred  while  he  was  moving  about,  carrying  corn  to 
his  horses,  in  which  he  took  great  pride.  This  liking  for  horses 
has  ever  been  a  characteristic  of  the  Dawson  family. 

The  grandfather  of  John  Dawson  was  born  in  Virginia, 
moved  to  Kentucky  at-an  early  day,  and  was  there  killed  by 
Indians. 

The  father  of  John  Dawson  was  James  R.  Dawson,  who  was 
born  October  10,  1794,  in  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen  he  left  Kentucky  and  went  to  Ohio,  and  there  mar- 
ried Mary  Ogden  in  the  year  1816.  She  was  a  lady  of  English 
and  Irish  descent.  On  the  26th  of  September,  1832,  the  Dawson 
family  came  to  Mackinaw  timber,  McLean  County,  Illinois. 
There  the  old  gentleman  bought  three  eighties  of  land  and  began 
farming.  During  the  fall  after  their  arrival  the  Dawsons,  senior 
and  junior,  made  a  visit  to  Chicago  and  there  saw  General  Scott 
and  the  troops  and  cannon  brought  on  account  of  the  Black 
Hawk  war. 

John  Dawson  was  particularly  skillful  in  killing  wolves,  and 
pretty  sure  to  finish  one  at  a  single  stroke  of  his  club.  He 
describes  the  manner  in  which  a  dog  catches  a  wolf  in  the  chase. 
The  dog  takes  the  wolf  by  the  hind  legs,  while  both  are  running 
at  full  speed;  this  throws  the  wolf  from  its  feet,  and  the  dog 
catches  it  by  the  throat  before  it  can  recover  from  the  fall.  Some- 
times dog  and  wolf  will  turn  a  complete  somersault  in  the  air. 
The  vicious  wolves  were  put  to  death  in  the  most  convenient 
way.  Mr.  Dawson  killed  one  by  thrashing  it  on  the  ground. 
John  Ogden  once  came  up  to  a  wolf,  which  was  whipping  his 
dog,  threw  a  blanket  over  the  wolf  and  pounded  it  to  death  with 
his  fist. 

John  Dawson  married,  February  25,  1844,  Araminta  Adams. 
He  has  had  eight  children,  four  boys  and  four  girls,  but  only  two 
are  living.     These  are:  >. 

Thomas  A.  Dawson,  who  lives  on  a  farm  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  Lexington. 


m'lean  county.  685 

Orlando  Francis  Dawson  lives  at  home  with  his  father. 

John  Dawson  is  six  feet  and  an  inch  and  a-half  in  height  and 
weighs  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  pounds.  He  is  very  mus- 
cular and  is  good  natured  and  kind  in  his  manner.  He  is  a  man 
of  steady  nerve  and  understands  what  he  is  doing,  no  matter 
how  much  excitement  is  raised.  He  is  a  most  conscientious 
man,  both  in  his  religious  opinions  and  in  his  dealings  with  his 
fellow  men. 

The  following  are  the  children  of  James  R.  Dawson,  the 
father  of  John  Dawson : 

Albert  Dawson,  who  lives  on  the  south  side  of  the  Mackinaw, 
about  two  miles  from  Lexington. 

John,  whose  sketch  appears  above. 

Croghan  and  Samuel,  live  in  Lexington. 

Cynthia,  wife  of  Shadrach  Kemp,  lives  in  Kansas,  near  Fort 
Scott. 

Margaret,  wife  of  William  Roe,  lives  in  Lexington. 

Washington  and  James  Marion  Dawson  are  twins  and  live  in 
Chenoa  township. 

The  children  by  J.  R.  Dawson's  second  marriage,  with  Mrs. 
Sarah  Robbins,  are : 

Lafayette  Dawson,  who  lives  in  Missouri. 

Philander  and  Mary,  wife  of  Daniel  Underwood,  live  in 
Lexington. 


Croghan  Dawson. 

Croghan  Dawson,  son  of  James  R.  Dawson,  was  born  October 
10,  1822.  When  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  the  family  started  for 
the  West,  and  arrived  at  Money  Creek  timber,  September  26, 
1832.  They  went  to  Mackinaw  timber  about  the  first  of  Decem- 
ber, 1832.  He  there  worked  for  his  father  until  the  age  of  twenty, 
when  he  began  the  work  of  farming  and  catching  wolves.  In 
the  latter  occupation  he  went  into  partnership  with  his  brother 
John.  They  had  great  sport  and  were  pretty  sure  to  bring  down 
their  game.  If  a  dozen  men  were  after  a  wolf,  either  John  or 
Croghan  was  pretty  sure  to  get  the  scalp.  He  has  killed  wolves 
with  steel  traps  and  with  strychnine.  The  latter  was  most  effec- 
tual.   In  one  winter  he  killed  twenty-six  wolves  with  this  poison. 


686  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Croghan  Dawson  has  also  bad  his  sport  in  chasing  deer,  and  par- 
ticularly the  fawns  which  run  faster  than  full  grown  deer.  He 
remembers  a  particularly  lively  chase  after  a  fawn,  near  Patton's 
Creek.  The  parties  to  the  sport  chased  it  far  and  fast  enough  to 
catch  a  deer.  At  last  it  hid  in  the  high  grass,  and  two  of  the 
hunters,  Isaac  Haner  and  Valentine  Spawr,  were  thrown  from 
their  horses  in  the  slough,  while  trying  to  catch  it.  Mr.  Dawson 
at  last  caught  it  with  his  hands,  holding  its  fore  and  hind  legs, 
stretching  it  out  helpless.  He  has  caught  quite  a  number  of 
fawns,  by  springing  from  his  horse  and  holding  them  in  this  way. 
Mr.  Dawson  has  occasionally  chased  wild  hogs,  and  they  have 
occasionally  chased  him.  He  once  went  after  two  of  his  father's 
hogs  which  by  neglect  had  become  wild,  and  they  turned  on  him 
savagely.  He  tried  to  climb  a  tree,  but  the  tree  was  simply  a 
little  bush  and  broke  down,  and  his  situation  seemed  a  bad  one; 
but  his  dogs  came  to  his  rescue  and  occupied  the  attention  of  the 
ferocious  hogs. 

The  Dawson  family  are  great  lovers  of  stock,  and  it  seems 
natural  for  them  to  manage  cattle  and  horses  well ;  but  Mr.  Daw- 
son once  had  great  difficulty  with  an  ox  belonging  to  his  father. 
Good  management  and  kind  treatment  had  no  effect  upon  it.  It 
would  not  be  broken  or  trained,  but  would  hook  and  kick  and 
even  bite.  If  it  had  lived  in  the  days  of  the  Jews,  it  would  have 
been  supposed  that  the  evil  spirits,  which  were  then  so  numerous, 
had  entered  into  it. 

Croghan  Dawson  married,  February  2, 1847,  Elizabeth  Haner. 
He  has  had  nine  children,  of  whom  eight  are  living.     They  are  : 

Merritt  Dawson,  lives  in  Chenoa  township. 

James  B.,  Ellen,  Ezra,  Azor,  Dolly  and  Captain  J.  Dawson, 
live  at  home. 

Emma  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Dawson  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  and 
nearly  all  that  is  said  of  his  brother  John's  disposition  and  char- 
acter will  apply  equally  well  to  Croghan.  He  is  a  kind  man  and 
talks  in  a  homelike  manner,  and  he  is  blessed  with  a  family  of 
very  intelligent  children. 


m'lean  county.  687 


James  Adams. 


James  Adams  was  born  February  3,  1826,  in  "Boone  County, 
Kentucky.     His  father's  name    was    Matthew  Adams,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Jane  Black.  His  father's  descent  was 
Irish,  and  his  mother's  was  English.    Matthew  Adams  was  raised 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Avar  of  1812,  just  after 
Hull's  surrender  at  Detroit.     He  was   a  man  somewhat  peculiar 
in  his  ideas.     If  he  had  money  he  would  sometimes  lend  it,  but 
would  never  charge  a  cent  of  interest.  He  raised  corn,  but  would 
never  sell  it  for   less   than  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel,  as  he 
thought  that  a  fair  price,  and  if  he  could  not  get  this  price  imme- 
diately, he  kept  his  corn  until  it  rose  in  the  market.     On  the 
other  hand,  he  never  charged  more  than  twenty-five  cents  per 
bushel,  no  matter  how  high  it  rose  in  the  market,  as  he  thought 
the  acceptance  of  a  larger  price  would  be  extortion.     During  the 
year  1844,  the  year  of  the  great  flood,  when  all  the  crops  failed, 
Matthew  Adams  had  on  hand  about  a  thousand  bushels  of  old 
corn.     He  could  have  sold  it  for  a  very  large  price,  but  would 
accept  only  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel,  and  would  never  sell  to 
anyone  more  than  that  person  needed  for  his  family.     No  specu- 
lator was  allowed  to  buy  his  corn.    People  came  from  Old  Town, 
Cheney's  Grove,  Buckles'  Grove,  and  from  all  over  the  country, 
to  get  some  of  Adams'  corn.     James  Adams  lived  in  Kentucky 
until    October,    1834,   when    the   family  came   to   Illinois.     The 
journey  was  pleasant  until  the}'  came    to   the  black   swamps  of 
Indiana.     There  it  rained  four  days,  and  they  traveled  over  the 
corduroy  roads  slowly,  going  fifteen   miles  in  two  days.     After 
twenty-six  days  of  travel  they  arrived  at  the  house  of  John  B. 
Thompson,  who  then  lived  in  what  is  now  Lexington  township, 
on  the  north  of  the  Mackinaw.     There  Matthew  Adams  bought 
a  claim  of  Harrison  Foster,  entered  it  two  years  afterwards,  and 
it  still  belongs  to  the  family. 

When  James  Adams  arrived  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  took 
great  interest  in  hunting,  and  made  a  specialty  of  shooting  tur- 
keys. At  one  time  he  killed  fifteen  in  a  single  day.  He  also 
hunted  deer.  The  first  he  killed  was  a  little  spike-horn  buek, 
which  he  creased  on  the  neck,  so  that  it  was  stunned  and  fell,  and 
he  killed  it  with  his  knife  before  it  could  recover.     He  was  a 


688  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

tireless  hunter,  and  once  chased  a  deer  all  day  after  breaking  into 
the  Mackinaw  and  having  his  wet  clothes  frozen.  He  experienced 
some  of  the  dangers  as  well  as  the  excitements  of  the  chase.  At 
one  time  while  chasing  a  deer  his  horse  stepped  into  a  badger's 
hole,  turned  a  somersault,  and  sent  the  rider  rolling.  At  one 
time  James  Adams  and  his  brother  Thomas  were  chasing  deer 
on  horseback.  The  horse  which  the  former  rode  was  shod  as  to 
its  fore  feet,  but  the  horse  ridden  by  the  latter  had  no  shoes  at 
all.  Unexpectedly  they  came  to  a  slough  overflowed  and  covered 
with  ice.  The  horses  were  on  the  keen  run  and  could  not  be 
reined  up,  and  they  crossed  the  slough  of  ice  without  slipping. 

James  Adams  speaks  of  a  strange  circumstance  which  hap- 
pened while  one  of  his  neighbors,  John  Spawr,  was  chasing  a 
wolf.  The  horse  which  Mr.  Spawr  rode  had  been  accustomed 
to  step  on  the  wolves,  when  it  overtook  them,  but  was  once  bitten 
and  refused  to  step  on  them  afterwards.  While  Spawr  was  chas- 
ing the  wolf,  he  became  so  anxious  that  he  shouted,  and  at  last 
eagerly  pitched  headlong  from  his  horse  on  the  wolf,  crushed  it 
to  the  ground,  tied  its  mouth  with  a  suspender  and  brought  the 
wild  creature  home. 

The  early  settlers  were  toughened  and  made  hardy  by  their 
exposures.  Mr.  Adams  speaks  of  the  Foster  family  particularly. 
During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  the  famih*  of  Harrison  Fos- 
ter had  their  cabin  nearly  covered  with  snow  on  the  outside,  and 
nearly  filled  on  the  inside,  and  they  were  obliged  to  leave  it  and 
go  to  the  cabin  of  William  Foster,  a  mile  and  a  half  distant,  and 
were  all  more  or  less  frost-bitten.  But  the  Fosters  became  very 
tough  and  could  endure  much  cold.  Mr.  Adams  has  seen  the 
children  sliding  barefooted  on  the  ice.  Little  Aaron  Foster  often 
ran  about  in  the  snow,  with  no  garment  to  protect  him  but  a 
shirt.  He  was  once  lost  and  was  found  curled  up  in  a  snow-drift 
fast  asleep,  with  nothing  but  his  shirt  and  the  snow  to  keep  him 
warm. 

Mackinaw  Creek,  where  Mr.  Adams  lives,  is  nearly  always 
difficult  and  dangerous  to  cross  in  the  spring  of  the  year  or 
during  a  thaw  in  the  winter.  The  following  incident  shows  what 
risks  3'oung  men  will  sometimes  take  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances. In  January,  1846,  Mr.  Adams  had  an  engagement  with 
a  young  lady,  who  afterwards  became  Mrs.  Adams.     The  Macki- 


M'LEAN    COUNTY.  689 

naw  was  full  of  water  and  ice  from  bank  to  bank ;  nevertheless, 
lie  crossed  it  by  stepping  on  a  cake  of  ice,  then  pushing  it  over 
to  another  and  stepping  upon  that.  On  his  return,  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  he  re-crossed  it  in  the  same  wa}<.  Mr.  Adams 
says  that  the  Mackinaw  was  never  so  high  as  to  prevent  him  from 
crossing,  though  he  was  once  stopped  for  a  short  time.  He  at- 
tempted to  cross  it  on  horseback,  and  his  horse  begun  plunging 
and  kept  it  up  for  half  an  hour.  He  was  obliged  at  last  to  build 
a  raft.  He  sometimes  took  passengers  over  on  it,  and  at  one 
time  ferried  over  a  certain  Mr.  Samuel  ShurtlefT.  The  logs  rolled 
a  little  and  Mr.  Shurtleff  was  much  frightened,  and  sat  in  the 
middle,  calling  out,  "  Oh,  Lord !  Oh,  Lord !"  but  was  safely 
landed.  About  six  years  ago,  while  the  Mackinaw  was  high,  in 
February,  Mr.  Adams  had  a  raft  with  which  he  ferried  people 
over.  He  made  several  successful  trips,  but  once  came  veiy  near 
being  carried  under  the  ice,  for  it  was  piled  up  six  feet  high  along 
the  banks. 

If  the  West  has  been  troubled  with  wet  seasons,  so  it  has  also 
been  troubled  with  dry.  Mr.  Adams  speaks  of  a  dry  fall  when 
he  went  to  Chicago,  and  his  oxen  gave  out  on  the  prairie  on  ac- 
count of  thirst  and  refused  to  travel  for  some  time.  At  last  went 
forward  to  the  Mazon  River,  but  found  it  dry,  with  the  exception 
of  a  puddle  of  water,  in  which  about  two  hundred  of  Isaac  Funk's 
cattle  had  been  wallowing. 

Church-going  was,  in  early  days,  cmite  a  journey.  The  Adams 
family  went  to  church  to  Indian  Grove,  twelve  miles  distant,  and 
to  Money  Creek,  nine  miles  distant,  They  were  obliged  to  be 
at  church  by  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  for  love-feast,  and  found 
the  congregation  more  punctual  than  at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Adams  married,  February  9,  1847,  Margaret  Foster,  a 
woman  who  bore  the  trials  of  a  pioneer  life  bravely.  She  died  in 
1855.     Three  children  were  born  of  this  marriage.     They  are  : 

Lee  Adams,  who  lives  just  east  of  his  father's. 

Thomas  B.  and  William  W.  Adams  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Adams  married,  February  28, 1856,  Miss  Annie  Ransom, 
one  of  the  most  agreeable  and  accomplished  of  women.  She  is 
a  lady  who  commands  the  respect  and  admiration  of  all  who  are 
so  fortunate  as  to  be  numbered  among  her  acquaintances. 

James  Adams  is  five  feet  and  ten  or  eleven  inches  in  height^ 
44 


690  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

is  somewhat  slim,  has  clear,  blue  eyes,  and  a  rather  prominent 
nose.  He  is  a  very  companionable  gentleman,  and  loves  to  talk 
of  the  good  old  days.  He  is  very  courteous  to  all  with  whom  he 
converses,  and  is  widely  known  and  respected. 

Shelton  Smith. 

Shelton  Smith  was  born  February  27,  1825,  in  Switzerland 
County,  Indiana.  His  father's  name  was  John  Smith,  and  his 
mother's  name  was  Cassandra  Wiley.  John  Smith  was  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  his  wife  Cassandra  was  of  English,  and,  perhaps, 
partly  of  Welch.  In  1834  the  Smith  family  came  to  the  Henline 
settlement  in  Mackinaw  timber,  Illinois.  They  made  their  jour- 
ney in  the  fall  of  the  year,  and  had  a  pleasant  time.  When  they 
came  to  the  prairie  they  followed  the  Indian  trail ;  but  at  one  time 
lost  it  and  wandered  out  of  sight  of  timber.  They  returned  on 
their  own  track  for  some  distance,  and  employed  a  guide  to  take 
them  through.  When  they  came  to  Mackinaw  timber  they  bought 
a  claim  of  George  Henline  and  commenced  farming. 

During  the  winter  of  1830  Shelton  Smith  commenced  going 
to  school.  His  first  teacher  was  an  Irishman,  who  made  the 
scholars  study  at  the  top  of  their  voices.  As  they  shouted  their 
lessons  he  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  slapping  his  hands  and 
saying :  "Whoop !  boys,  I'll  take  ye  through  the  avitkmathic  in 
four  weeks  !"  This  Irishman  taught  school  until  the  day  after 
Christmas,  and  then  suddenly  disappeared  and  was  never  seen 
again.  It  was  supposed  that  he  left  because  the  scholars  gave 
him  to  understand  that  they  would  bar  him  out  and  make  him 
treat,  between  Christmas  and  Xew  Year's.  The  last  day  of  school 
that  season  was  in  December,  183(3,  on  the  day  of  the  great 
"sudden  change.''  When  school  was  dismissed,  the  water  and 
snow  had  just  commenced  freezing.  AVhile  he  and  some  larger 
boys  were  on  their  way  home,  they  came  to  low  ground  covered 
with  running  water  a  foot  or  more  in  depth,  and  fifty  or  sixty 
yards  wide.  The  tall  boys  started  across  it  while  a  thin  scale  of 
ice  was  freezing.  When  they  were  coming  out  of  the  water  on 
the  opposite  side,  they  had  some  difficulty  in  breaking  the  ice,  as 
it  partially  bore  their  weight.  Shelton  stood  watching  them  and 
they  hallooed  to  him  to  come  across,  and  if  he  could  not  wade 
through  they  would  pull  him  out.  lie  started,  and  the  ice  bore 
him  up  all  the  way  over. 


m'lean  county.  691 

In  the  winter  of  1834-5,  when  the  Smiths  came  to  this  coun- 
try, Shelton  Smith  and  his  younger  brother  John  set  traps  for 
the  prairie  chickens.  These  traps  were  set  near  the  house,  where 
some  flax,  belonging  to  George  Ilenline,  was  rotting.  The  chick- 
ens came  there  in  great  flocks  to  eat  the  flaxseed,  and  the  little 
Smith  boys  watched  them  as  they  filled  up  the  traps.  The 
chickens  were  taken  out,  and  the  traps  were  filled  again  and 
again.  During  that  winter  these  boys  caught  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  chickens.  The  breasts  of  the  chickens  were  salted  away  in 
barrels,  and  the  other  parts  were  eaten.  The  family  obtained 
enough  meat  from  these  chickens  to  last  during  the  following- 
summer. 

When  Shelton  Smith  was  fourteen  years  of  age  he  often  took 
his  father's  gun  and  went  out  to  hunt.  On  his  first  hunt  he  dis- 
covered a  deer,  which  came  close  to  him,  but  instead  of  shooting, 
he  climbed  a  tree  from  fear,  and  the  deer  ran  off.  Little  Shelton 
determined  to  be  more  brave  the  next  time,  and  not  long  after- 
wards, on  another  hunt,  he  saw  a  deer  and  laid  his  gun 
on  a  log,  took  deliberate  aim  and  fired.  The  deer  fell,  and  with 
boyish  excitement  little  Smith  dropped  his  gun  and  ran  up.  But 
when  he  approached  the  deer  it  rose  to  its  feet,  threw  its  hair 
forward  and  sprang  towards  him.  He  went  up  a  tree  in  a  mo- 
ment, and  the  deer  came  near  and  laid  down.  Little  Shelton  re- 
mained in  the  tree  for  several  hours,  shivering  with  fear  and 
cold,  and  throwing  down  branches  to  frighten  away  the  animal 
below.  At  last,  being  fearful  of  freezing  to  death,  he  descended 
and  found  the  deer  cold  and  stiff.  The  deer  were  very  plenty. 
At  another  time  little  Smith  shot  a  very  large  buck  on  the  side 
of  a  hill,  and  was  much  excited  and  jumped  on  it  with  his  knife 
to  cut  its  throat.  But  as  he  caught  hold  of  the  large  antler  he 
thought  he  would  first  count  the  prongs,  and  he  counted  seven ; 
just  then  the  deer  doubled  up  and  gave  little  Smith  a  kick, 
which  sent  him  rolling  down  the  hill,  and  as  he  looked  up,  the 
deer  was  running  away.  It  was  never  seen  again  by  little  Smith. 

When  Shelton  Smith  became  large  enough  to  chase  wolves 
on  horseback  he  had  great  sport.  He  once  tired  out  a  wolf  after 
a  long  chase,  and  his  horse  stumbled  over  it,  and  Smith  was 
thrown.  In  the  struggle  he  succeeded  in  getting  hold  of  the 
wolf,  choked  it  down,  tied  its   mouth   with  a    suspender  and 


692  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

brought  it  home  alive.  Mr.  Smith  tells  a  story  on  Samuel  Og- 
den, which  has  often  been  related  by  political  speakers  to  illus- 
trate their  points.  Samuel  Ogden  had  a  fine  greyhound,  called 
Sharp,  which  was  fleet  after  deer.  Once,  while  Sharp  was 
coming  up  to  a  buck,  which  was  running  with  all  its  might,  the 
latter  became  frightened  and  confused  and  ran  in  a  zigzag  course. 
Then  Samuel  Ogden  exclaimed  :  "Oh,  you  may  gee  and  you  may 
haw,  but  Sharp  will  take  you  at  last."  This  incident  has  often 
been  told  by  political  speakers  to  illustrate  the  zigzag  courses  of 
their  adversaries,  and  that  justice  will  overtake  them  at  last. 

Shelton  Smith  married,  November  16,  1851,  Melinda  Powell. 
He  has  had  seven  children,  of  whom  live  are  living.     They  are  : 

Emma,  Lucinda,  Charlotte,  Shelton,  jr.,  and  Albert.  Those 
who  are  dead,  are  :  Harper  and  Cassandra. 

Mr.  Smith  is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height.  He  is 
straight  in  build,  and  pleasant  in  his  manner.  He  loves  fun, 
though  he  is  somewhat  slow  of  speech.  He  appears  to  have  suc- 
ceeded well  in  life,  and  has  an  interesting  family.  He  is  a  very 
reliable  man  and  much  respected  in  the  community  where  he 
resides.  He  likes  to  play  croquet,  which  is  a  favorite  game  in 
Lexington. 

Milton  Smith. 

Milton  Smith  was  born  Februaiy  19, 1808,  in  Franklin  Coun- 
ty, Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  William  Smith,  and  his 
mother's  name  was  Obedience  Brown.  He  thinks  he  is  of  Irish, 
Welch  and  English  descent.  The  father  of  Milton  Smith  died 
when  the  latter  was  eight  years  of  age.  Milton  grew  up  in 
Franklin  County,  where  he  was  born.  He  had  many  lively  ex- 
periences, as  he  was  a  lively  boy.  There  was  a  species  of  insect 
called  the  yellow  jacket,  which  was  quite  common  in  Kentucky. 
This  insect  was  long,  with  yellow  stripes  or  bars  running  around 
its  body,  and  was  something  between  the  bee  and  the  wasp.  It 
had  a  fearful  sting  in  its  tail ;  and  when  it  was  angry  this  insect 
would  take  hold,  with  its  bill,  of  the  object  of  its  wrath,  curl  up 
its  body  and  sting  again  and  again.  It  was  dangerous  business 
to  disturb  a  yellow  jacket's  nest.  But  the  troublesome  insects 
often  made  their  nests  in  the  pastures  and  the  cattle  were  some- 
times made  crazy  by  their  stings.     It  was  often  an  interesting 


m'lean  county.  693 

problem  how  to  destroy  these  nests  of  yellow  jackets ;  but  Mil- 
ton Smith  was  a  bright  boy  and  his  ingenuity  never  failed  him. 
He  would  shell  a  few  quarts  of  corn,  come  up  slyly  to  the  nest, 
and  pour  the  corn  into  it  and  around  it.  Then  he  would  call  the 
pigs  !  The  swine  would  come  running  up,  giving  satisfactory 
grunts,  and  would  at  once  begin  eating  the  corn  and  tear- 
ing up  the  nest  to  get  more.  The  yellow  jackets  would  come 
out,  of  course,  and  sting  the  pigs,  and  the  latter  would  flap  their 
ears,  shake  their  tails  and  squeal ;  but  they  were  pretty  sure  to 
eat  up  the  corn  and  tear  up  the  nest  until  they  found  the  last 
kernel. 

In  the  fall  of  1835  Milton  Smith  came  to  where  Pleasant  Hill 
now  stands,  in  the  township  of  Lexington,  McLean  County,  Illi- 
nois, and  he  has  lived  there  ever  since.  He  helped  to  build  the 
first  house  in  Lexington,  which  was  put  up  by  Gridley  &  Covel. 
Thomas  Fell  had  the  building  contract.  Mr.  Smith  succeeded 
well  in  the  new  country,  as  his  motto  was  "keep  striking."  He 
bought  land,  exercised  good  judgment,  and  has  become  very 
well  to  do  in  life.  He  bought  some  land  after  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad  was  built,  when  the  last  unentered  land  was  taken 
up.  He  would  have  bought  more,  but  he  had  a  lively  recollec- 
tion of  the  unfortunate  speculations  of  men  who  entered  land, 
and  after  holding  it  for  many  years,  sold  it  for  less  than  the  gov 
ernment  price. 

Mr.  Smith  married,  November  23,  1837,  Lydia  Ann  Goddard. 
She  is  a  woman  of  ready  wit,  and  is  a  good  judge  of  character. 
They  have  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  nine  are  living.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Smith  both  appreciate  practical  jokes,  and  their  chil- 
dren are  not  far  behind  them  in  this  respect,  and  occasionally 
put  their  love  of  fun  into  practice.  It  is  said  that  during  one 
morning,  when  Mr.  Smith  called  his  children  to  the  house  to  at- 
tend devotional  exercises,  they  all  came  except  Fletcher.  This 
young  man  had  an  idea  which  he  wished  to  develop.  He  waited 
until  the  exercises  commenced,  when  he  took  his  father's  dog  by 
the  neck  and  pitched  the  unfortunate  animal  between  two  bee 
hives,  which  were  standing  close  together.  The  bees  were  en- 
raged and  swarmed  out  everywhere,  and  the  poor  dog  ran  off 
howling.  Fletcher  took  good  care  to  keep  out  of  the  way.  The 
devotional  exercises  were  carried  on  under  difficulties,  and  it  is 
said  were  suspended  for  the  time  being. 


694  OLD    SETTLERS    OP 

Mr.  Smith's  living  children  are  : 

Ann  Mary,  wife  of  George  B.  Ogeson,  lives  in  Lexington. 

Sarah  Francis,  widow  of  Marinus  W.  Straver,  lives  in  Lex- 
ington. 

William  A.  Smith  lives  in  Lexington  township,  south  of  the 
Mackinaw. 

Fletcher  M.  Smith  is  married  and  lives  in  Lexinerton. 

Carrie,  Kate,  Louis,  George  and  Estelle  (the  pet)  live  at 
home. 

Mr.  Smith  is  about  five  feet  and  eight  inches  in  height,  is 
strongly  and  squarely  built.  His  hair  and  whiskers  are  white 
and  his  eyes  are  gray.  His  mouth  has  a  firm  expression,  and  his 
eyes  twinkle  when  he  sees  anything  funny.  He  is  a  very  religious 
man  and  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  is  very  con- 
scientious in  his  dealings,  and  is  widely  known  and  respected. 
He  is  always  anxious  to  speak  well  of  his  neighbors,  and  char- 
itably conceals  their  faults. 

Thomas  McMackin. 

Thomas  McMackin  was  born  March  15, 1823,  in  Green  Coun- 
ty, Tennessee.  His  father,  Thomas  McMackin,  was  a  native 
American,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Rachel 
Monteith,  was  partly  Irish  and  partly  American. 

In  the  fall  of  1838,  Thomas  McMackin  and  his  widowed 
mother  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois.  They  came  with  an- 
other family  and  two  young  men;  and  during  a  part  of  the  jour- 
ney they  had  with  them  an  old  Quaker  as  a  guide.  This  old 
gentleman  was  exceedingly  honest,  and  was  pained  at  sight  of 
any  immoral  act.  When  the  young  men  stole  a  couple  of 
gourds,  the  old  gentleman  was  so  shocked  and  so  angry  that  he 
broke  the  gourds  over  the  young  men's  heads.  The  journey 
was,  on  the  whole,  a  pleasant  one,  but  a  few  incidents  occurred 
which  are  perhaps  worth  relating.  Mr.  McMackin  says  that  just 
before  the  party  came  to  the  Kentucky  shore  he  saw  the  meanest 
man  he  ever  knew.  He  was  a  Baptist  preacher,  named  Rush. 
This  man  compelled  his  slaves  to  work  until  ten  o'clock  at  night 
and  made  them  go  four  miles  after  dark  for  potatoes,  and  sent 
them  off  to  work  the  next  morning  by  sunrise.  This  preacher 
had  two  large  orchards,  but  forbade  any  of  the  party  to  go  near 


m'lean  county.  695 

them.  Nevertheless,  this  order  was  not  obeyed,  and  the  party 
went  through  the  orchards,  but  found  no  apples  tit  for  eating. 
Mr.  McMackin  does  not  wish  it  thought  that  he  has  any  feeling 
of  disrespect  for  preachers  as  a  general  thing,  but  he  certainly 
did  have  a  lively  sense  of  the  meanness  of  this  Baptist  preacher, 
Mr.  Rush. 

During  the  latter  part  of  November,  the  party  arrived  at 
Cheney's  Grove.  There  the  McMackin  family  lived  for  two 
years  on  the  place  belonging  to  the  heirs  of  Benjamin  Thomas. 
In  1843,  Thomas  McMackin  was  a  boatman  on  the  Illinois  and 
Wabash  Rivers.  He  also  flatboated  for  awhile  on  the  Vermilion 
River.  He  had  evil  fortune,  as  people  sometimes  do,  and  lost  his 
health  and  used  up  all  his  earnings  in  regaining  it. 

Mr.  McMackin  married,  February  13,  1848,  Elizabeth  Dow- 
ney, eldest  daughter  of  Benjamin  Downey.  He  has  lived  since 
that  time  in  Lexington  township,  with  the  exception  of  one  year. 

He  made  the  usual  trips  to  Chicago,  when  prices  seemed 
little  or  nothing  compared  with  the  present,  and.  went  long  dis- 
tances to  mill.  For  some  unexplained  reason  he  seemed  to  live 
easier  and  better  then  than  at  the  present  time,  and  took  more 
pleasure  in  life.  He  has  carried  his  axe  fifteen  miles  to  help  a 
neighbor  raise  a  log  cabin,  going  one  day  and  returning  the 
next. 

Mr.  McMackin  thought  the  land  in  the  West  would  never  be 
settled,  and  neglected  to  buy  land  until  it  was  all  taken  up  and 
could  not  be  had,  except  at  high  prices.  lie  now  lives  on 
twenty-five  acres  of  land,  which  he  has  bought  with  hard  earned 
money.  He  was  offered  a  square  of  land  in  Bloomington,  near 
the  Wesleyan  University,  for  eight}*  dollars,  and  it  is  now  worth 
twenty  thousand. 

Mr.  McMackin  has  three  children,  James,  Eliza  and  Joseph 
Grant  McMackin,  all  of  whom  live  at  home. 

Mr.  McMackin  is  five  feet  and  eight  inches  high,  has  brown 
hair  and  whiskers  and  gray  eyes.  He  is  a  good  man  and  has  a 
kind  expression  in  his  face.  His  nose  is  good  natured  and 
Roman.  He  is  very  peaceable  and  quiet,  but  sensible  in  conver- 
sation. He  seems  very  conscientious  and  honorable  in  his  deal- 
ings. He  has  been  pathmaster  for  some  time,  but  insists  that  he 
shall  not  be  compelled  to    serve  again.     Notwithstanding  the 


696  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

quietness  of  his  manner,  Mr.  McMackin  is  bold  when  boldness  is 
required,  and  has  great  presence  of  mind  during  an  exciting 
moment.  He  once  rescued  a  lady,  who  had  fallen  into  the  San- 
gamon river,  after  she  had  sunk  for  the  third  time.  He  was  on 
horseback  at  the  time,  and  when  apprised  of  her  danger  rode 
into  the  water,  jumped  from  his  horse  and  succeeded  in  bringing 
her  out.  She  was  insensible,  but  was  revived  after  some 
exertion. 


MARTIN. 

William  Wiley. 

William  Wiley  was  born  August  24,  1813,  in  Garrett  County, 
Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  John  Wiley,  and  his  mother's 
name  before  her  marriage  was  Hannah  Sampson.  Both  were  of 
English  descent.  When  William  was  three  or  four  years  of  age 
his  father's  family  moved  to  Switzerland  County,  Indiana.  When 
Mr.  Wiley  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  went  with  his  father 
during  the  winter  season  on  a  ilatboat  down  the  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sissippi. In  the  Ohio  River  their  boat  grounded  on  a  sand  bar, 
and  by  the  falling  of  the  water  was  left  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in 
the  air  ;  but  the  water  rose  and  they  floated  on  their  way.  They 
often  made  landings  on  the  shore  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the 
negroes  would  come  on  board  to  trade  sugar  for  meat.  They  said 
that  all  the  meat  they  could  get  was  obtained  in  that  way.  Their 
only  allowance  (he  thinks)  was  a  peck  of  meal  per  week.  They 
were  poor,  and  lacked  the  energy  of  the  negroes  of  Kentucky. 
The  latter  were  latter,  sleeker  and  greasier. 

In  the  fall  of  1835  the  Wiley  family  came  to  Mackinaw  tim- 
ber,  in  the  present  township  of  Lawndale.  The  weather  during 
the  journey  was  cold  and  rainy,  and  the  Wileys  were  often  mired 
down  in  the  sloughs.  They  reached  the  Sangamon  in  November. 
Their  sheep  refused  to  cross  until  William  Wiley  took  one  by 
force  and  dragged  it  over. 

At  MackinaAv  timber,  William  Wiley  helped  his  father  make 
a  farm,  and  then  made  one  for  himself,  where  he  now  lives. 

Mr.  Wiley  speaks  most  eloquently  of  the   sudden  change  of 


m'lean  county.  697 

December,  1836,  and  of  the  great  difficulty  in  driving  his  cattle 
from  the  creek  bottom  to  prevent  them  from  freezing  fast  in  the 
water. 

The  deer,  in  an  early  day,  were  very  thick  in  the  Upper 
Mackinaw  timber,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  year  would  make  bad 
work  in  the  cornfields.  Mr.  Wiley  has  counted  eighty  deer  in  a 
line  coming  from  the  prairie  into  his  cornfield  at  the  edge  of  the 
timber,  during  the  evening  of  a  cold  day. 

John  Messer,  the  great  hunter  on  the  Mackinaw,  frequently 
came  to  Mr.  Wiley's,  and  they  went  out  hunting  together.  The 
two  men  once  went  to  Burr  Oak  Grove,  where  they  killed  several 
coons,  and  became  much  excited  in  the  sport.  Mr.  Messer  put 
his  hand  into  a  hole  to  feel  for  coons,  and  unexpectedly  got  a 
bite,  for  a  vicious  coon  grabbed  his  thumb.  He  said  nothing, 
but  kept  his  hand  perfectly  still  until  the  coon  let  loose.  He  told 
Wiley  that  the  coon  was  very  strong,  and  induced  that  gentleman 
to  try  his  skill ;  but  Wiley  first  put  on  his  buckskin  mittens,  and 
when  he  heard  the  coon  snarl,  withdrew  his  hand.  That  little 
joke  could  not  be  passed  around. 

Mr.  Wiley  speaks  of  old  Milton  Smith,  and  says,  that  when 
he  came  to  the  country,  he  brought  with  him  from  Kentucky  an 
old  negro  woman,  whom  he  had  hired  in  order  to  hold  her  in  a 
free  State.  But  she  was  a  high-tempered  woman,  and  when  she 
learned  to  use  the  ox- whip,  she  occasionally  mistook  old  Milton 
for  the  steers  she  drove. 

The  old  settlers  particularly  enjoyed  practical  jokes.  Mr. 
Wiley  speaks  of  a  yellow  jacket's  nest,  with  an  advertisement  or 
notice  posted  over  it  to  draw  people  there.  Those  who  were 
victimized  appreciated  the  joke  so  highly  that  they  allowed  the 
notice  to  stand,  and  called  the  attention  of  others  to  it. 

On  the  80th  of  September,  1841,  William  Wiley  married 
Nancy  Hopkins.  They  have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom 
are  living.     They  are  : 

John  Wiley,  who  lives  just  east  of  his  father's.  He  enlisted 
in  the  Eighth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  in  the  battles  of  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh,  siege  of  Yicksburg,  and  many  others. 

Robert  Wiley,  who  enlisted  in  the  regiment  some  time  after 
its  organization,  died  of  the  measles  about  six  months  after  his 
enlistment. 


698  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Joseph  Wiley  served  in  the  same  regiment  during  the  last 
eighteen  months  of  the  war.     He  lives  at  home  with  his  father. 

William  R.,  James,  Amelia  and  Nancy  E.  Wiley,  live  at 
home. 

Mr.  Wiley  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height.  His 
eyes  are  dark,  his  hair  is  black,  but  his  whiskers  are  white  with 
age.  He  is  a  good  man,  and  is  blessed  with  a  family  of  intelli- 
gent and  happy  children. 

Lytle  Royston  Wiley. 

Lytle  R.  Wiley  was  born  November  7,  1815,  in  Garrard 
County,  Kentucky.  When  he  was  about  two  years  old  his  parents 
left  Kentucky  and  came  to  Switzerland  County,  Indiana,  and 
there  lived  until  Xovember,  1835,  when  they  came  to  Illinois. 
Here  he  found  matters  very  unhandily  arranged,  for  there  was  no 
village  near  by,  where  even  the  necessaries  of  life  could  be  pur- 
chased. The  mill  was  fifty  or  sixty  miles  distant,  and  wheat  was 
hauled  to  Chicago  for  fifty  or  seventy  cents  per  bushel.  The  pork 
was  so  cheap  that  it  was  almost  given  away.  Mr.  Wiley  was 
never  a  hunter,  but  occasionally  took  amusement  by  chasing 
wolves.  He  attended  carefully  to  his  farm,  and  found  always 
plenty  to  do.  Although  he  has  been  an  active,  hardworking 
pioneer,  his  life  has  had  in  it  very  little  of  adventure.  The  only 
"  lively  time,"  which  he  particularly  calls  to  mind,  was  his  chase 
after  his  cattle  on  the  creek  bottom  of  the  Mackinaw,  to  prevent 
them  from  freezing  into  the  slush  during  the  sudden  change  in 
December,  1836. 

On  the  13th  of  June,  1843,  Mr.  Wiley  married  his  relative, 
Miss  Sarah  Wile}-.  They  have  had  nine  children,  of  whom  eight 
are  living.     They  are  : 

Thomas,  who  intends  to  be  a  physician ;  Rhoda  Margaret, 
John  James,  Hannah  Elizabeth,  William  Sampson,  Sarah  Lucin- 
da,  Lytle  Richard  and  Mary  Cassandra  Wiley,  all  live  at  home 
with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Wiley  is  five  feet  and  eleven  and  one-half  inches  in  height, 
is  rather  slim  in  build,  has  brown  hair,  and  whiskers  partly  gray. 
He  has  attended  closely  to  his  business  and  succeeded  well.  He 
has  hunted  very  little,  but  has  employed  all  of  his  time  in  farm- 
ing and  caring  for  his  stock,  and  by  this  means  has  accumulated 


m'lean  county.  609 

a  fair  amount  of  property.  He  seems  to  have  looked  after  his 
affairs  carefully,  and  has  not  allowed  anything  to  go  to  waste  for 
want  of  attention.  He  is  a  thrifty  farmer  and  a  good  American 
citizen. 

Curtis  Batterton. 

Curtis  Batterton,  brother  of  Martin  Batterton,  of  Lawndale 
township,  was  born  January  11,  1810,  in  Madison  County,  Ken- 
tucky. He  lived  in  his  native  State  until  he  grew  to  manhood. 
No  very  important  or  remarkable  event  occurred  during  his  early 
life.  He  received  the  education  which  could  be  obtained  at  that 
early  day. 

In  the  fall  of  1831,  Curtis  Batterton  went  with  two  men, 
Martin  and  Linsey,  to  South  Carolina,  with  a  drove  of  swine. 
They  stopped  at  certain  places,  where  notices  had  been  posted 
that  on  certain  days  swine  would  be  sold,  and  in  this  manner  dis- 
posed  of  the  drove.  The  negroes  there  had  very  queer  ideas. 
Their  thoughts  seemed  to  be  confined  to  their  bodily  wants.  They 
nearly  all  wished  to  go  to  Kentucky,  for  they  knew  that  swine 
were  driven  from  there,  and  they  supposed  that  negroes  in  Ken- 
tucky could  have  all  the  pork  they  wished  to  eat.  The  negroes 
hated  the  cotton-fields,  and  were  willing  to  do  almost  anything 
rather  than  pick  cotton.  They  were  well  clothed,  indeed  he  saw 
only  one  ragged  negro. 

In  the  fall  of  1836,  Mr.  Batterton  came  through  Illinois  to 
Missouri.  He  took  a  careful  observation,  and  decided  that  it  was 
hardly  worth  while  to  settle  there  as  long  as  he  could  enter  land' 
in  McLean  County,  Illinois.  During  the  fall  of  1836,  on  his 
way  back  to  Kentucky,  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Macki- 
naw timber,  and  came  to  it  in  the  spring  of  1837,  and  made  a 
farm  and  broke  prairie.  The  wolves  were  exceedingly  trouble- 
some. He  had  a  flock  of  twenty-five  sheep,  and  made  every  ex- 
ertion to  protect  them;  but  they  went  one  by  one,  and  during  a 
single  night  five  of  them  became  missing.  At  one  time  he  awoke 
at  night  and  found  a  sheep  running  around  the  house,  a  wolf 
after  the  sheep,  and  his  dog  after  the  wolf.  He  only  saved  one 
sheep  out  of  the  twenty-five. 

Mr.  Batterton  was  never  much  of  a  hunter.  He  pursued  the 
wolves  and  caught  a  great  many  of  them  to  protect  his  stock,  but 


700  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

he  never  hunted  as  a  business.  His  time  was  spent  in  raising 
stock  and  cultivating  his  farm.  He  tells  of  a  lively  hunter,  who 
killed  two  deer,  skinned  one  of  them,  and  as  it  was  cold,  threw 
the  skin  over  his  shoulders,  and  began  skinning  the  other.  A 
youthful  hunter  mistook  the  man  for  a  deer  and  fired  at  him. 
But  the  young  man  missed  his  mark,  as  youthful  hunters  some- 
times will,  and  no  damage  resulted. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  the  settlers  went  to  Chicago,  and  great 
strings  of  wagons,  indeed  almost  caravans,  were  seen  on  the  road. 
Xo  one  mourned  for  want  of  company. 

Going  to  mill  in  the  early  days  was  a  task,  and  usually  re- 
quired sometime.  Mr.  Batterton  tells  a  joke  on  an  early  settler, 
who  required  twenty-seven  years  to  go  to  mill.  A  few  of  the 
settlers  became  seriously  indebted  to  various  merchants,  and  the 
laws  for  collections  were  then  very  stringent,  and  parties  could 
oftentimes  be  taken  on  a  capias.  One  person,  who  was  about  to 
make  a  settlement  elsewhere,  and  had  a  few  little  dues  outstand- 
ing, loaded  up  his  slight  worldly  possessions  as  if  going  to  mill, 
and  left.  Twent}r-seven  years  afterwards  he  returned,  and  was 
asked  if  his  grist  was  yet  ground ! 

On  the  10th  of  August,  1837,  Mr.  Batterton  married  Melinda 
Henline.  He  has  had  seven  children,  of  whom  four  are  living. 
They  are : 

Tilitha,  who  is  a  milliner,  and  lives  at  Lexington. 

John  Batterton  enlisted  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  in  the 
Eighth  Illinois  Infantry.  He  died  of.  sickness  at  Jackson,  Tenn. 
He  was  a  brave  boy  and  did  his  duty. 

Franklin,  William  and  Albert,  all  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Batterton  is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  is  straight 
and  rather  spare.  He  is  careful,  thrifty  and  honest,  has  worked 
well,  and  has  seen  the  fruits  of  his  labor  in  the  plenty  which  sur- 
rounds him,  and  makes  his  life  pleasant.  He  is  a  kind,  good 
man,  and  likes  a  chat  with  his  neighbors  and  friends. 


m'lean  county.  701 


MONEY  CREEK. 


Jesse  Trimmer. 

Jesse  Trimmer  was  born  March  14,  1818,  in  Huntington 
County,  New  Jersey.  His  father's  name  was  John  Trimmer, 
and  his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Elizabeth  Lan- 
terman.  John  Trimmer  was  an  active  business  man,  and  his 
worldly  circumstances  were  very  fair.  In  August,  1826,  the 
Trimmer  family  came1  to  Smith's  Grove,  McLean  County,  Illi- 
nois. After  they  crossed  the  Wabash,  on  their  road  to  the  West, 
they  saw  no  white  person  until  they  reached  Smith's  Grove. 
They  traveled  on  an  Indian  trail  and  found  no  wagon  track  this 
side  of  the  Wabash.  No  white  person  was  to  be  found  at  that 
time  in  Mackinaw  timber.  Jonathan  Cheney  was  at  Cheney's 
Grove,  John  Dawson  lived  at  Old  Town  timber,  and  about  fif- 
teen families  lived  in  Blooming  Grove. 

In  October  of  that  year,  before  the  family  had  built  a  house 
and  while  they  were  yet  living  in  a  camp,  John  Trimmer  died, 
leaving  Mrs.  Trimmer  with  a  family  of  eight  children  to  oversee 
and  provide  for.  Mr.  Trimmer  was  buried  in  a  coffin  made  of 
walnut  lumber,  which  had  been  made  by  splitting  thin  pieces 
from  a  log  and  dressing  them  down  with  an  axe  and  a  jack 
plane.  Jacob  Spawr,  W.  H.  Hodge,  William  Orendorff  and 
John  Hendryx  helped  to  make  the  coffin  and  assisted  at  the 
funeral. 

The  family  settled  first  on  Money  Creek,  about  one  mile 
north  of  where  Towanda  now  stands,  and  lived  there  about  ten 
years. 

When  Mr.  Trimmer  came  to  the  country  he  was  a  child,  and 
his  playmates  were  the  Indian  boys,  with  whom  he  often  ran 
races.  The  clothing  of  the  pioneer  children  consisted  of  a  shirt, 
but  nothing  else  to  speak  of.  Mr.  Trimmer  once  witnessed  a 
race  between  George  Harness  and  an  Indian  boy,  in  which  the 
latter  came  out  ahead.  George  was  beaten  but  not  discouraged, 
and  declared  that  if  he  could  pull  off  his  shirt  he  could  beat  the 
little  savage.  He  drew  off  his  shirt,  and  on  a  second  race  came 
out  ahead.  The  Indians  were  very  friendly  and  stole  water- 
melons in  a  sociable  way.     They  sometimes  raised   corn,   and 


702  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

when  they  moved  away  the  white  folks  were  asked  to  take  care 
of  it  in  the  lofts  of  their  cabins.  The  Indians  were  always  glad 
to  get  a  night's  lodging,  and  Mr.  Trimmer  remembers  when  two 
of  them  stayed  at  his  mother's  house  over  night.  She  gave  them 
mush  and  milk  for  supper,  but  they  did  not  know  how  to  eat  it 
until  the  little  Trimmers  commenced. 

During  the  deep  snow  the  Trimmers  had  the  experience  com- 
mon to  all  of  the  old  settlers.  In  the  fore  part  of  the  winter, 
Frederick  Trimmer  and  one  other  went  to  St.  Louis  to  bring 
goods  for  James  Allin.  They  returned  as  far  as  Springfield, 
when  they  were  caught  in  the  deep  snow.  They  left  their  loads 
and  came  home  with  four  horses,  riding  two  and  driving  two 
ahead  in  a  single  file  to  break  the  road.  As  soon  as  the  horse 
on  the  lead  gave  out,  it  was  put  in  the  rear  and  another  took  its 
place.  The  goods  were  not  brought  to  Blooming  Grove  until 
the  April  afterwards. 

Mr.  Trimmer  married,  March  7, 1839,  Amanda  Gilmore,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio.  She  came  to 
Money  Creek  timber  in  1837.  Her  family  was  four  weeks  on 
their  journey  to  the  West,  and  Amanda  walked  all  the  way  aud 
drove  cattle. 

Mr.  Trimmer  has  had  ten  children,  of  whom  seven  grew  up, 
and  six  are  living. 

William  Trimmer  enlisted  in  the  Thirty-third  Illinois  Volun- 
teers in  August,  1861,  was  discharged  from  the  hospital  at  St. 
Louis,  on  account  of  continued  sickness,  and  died  three  months 
afterwards  of  sickness  contracted  in  the  army. 

Eliza  Ann  was  married  to  John  T.  McNott,  and  lives  at 
Normal. 

John  F.  Trimmer  was  a  soldier  in  the  Xinety-fourth  Illinois, 
and  afterwards  in  the  Twenty-seventh,  and  served  nearly  three 
years.     He  lives  in  Money  Creek  timber. 

Sarah  E.  Trimmer  married  Joseph  A.  Scott,  and  lives  in 
Hudson  township. 

Frank,  Mary  and  Enos  Trimmer  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Trimmer  is  rather  less  than  the  medium  height ;  his  hair 
is  dark  and  turning  a  little  gray  and  his  face  is  broad.  He 
seems  in  good  health,  is  in  comfortable  circumstances,  and 
appears   to  be  a  man  of  responsibility  and   standing.     He    is 


m'lean  county.  703 

friendly  in  manner  and  modest  in  appearance.  Very  few  men 
have  too  little  self  assertion,  but  this  certainly  seems  to  be  the 
case  with  Mr.  Trimmer. 

Henry  Moats. 

Henry  Moats  was  born  November  20,  1810,  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio.  His  ancestors  were  of  German  and  Irish  descent. 
In  the  fall  of  1829,  the  Moats  family  came  to  Buckles'  Grove, 
where  they  remained  six  weeks,  then  went  to  where  Hudson 
now  stands  and  remained  a  month  ;  then  came  to  Money  Creek 
timber  and  made  a  permanent  settlement.  They  did  some  farm- 
ing, hunted  "  right  smart,"  pounded  their  corn  during  the 
"  hominy  session,"  which  was  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow,  and 
hauled  fall  wheat  to  Chicago  for  forty  cents  per  bushel. 

Mr.  Moats  married,  November  2,  1837,  Elsie  Van  Buskirk. 
He  has  had  four  children,  of  whom  two  are  living.     They  are  : 

Francis  Marion  Moats,  who  lives  west  near  by  his  father. 

Mary  Jane  Moats,  who  is  married  to  John  Rankin,  and  lives 
a  mile  and  a-quarter  northeast  of  her  father's. 

Mr.  Moats  is  fully  six  feet  in  height,  has  broad  shoulders,  is 
strong,  is  good  natured,  accommodating  and  pleasant.  He 
works  hard,  and  has  done  fairly  well  since  his  arrival  in  the 
West.  He  has  a  full  head  of  rather  bushy  hair,  which  is  turn- 
ing gray,  and  his  whiskers  are  grayish  black.  He  always  enjoys 
himself  in  the  society  of  the  frank  spoken  old  settlers,  and  thinks 
they  are  much  more  social  than  at  the  present  time. 

William  Stretch. 

William  Stretch  was  born  March  24,  1817,  in  Fayette  Coun- 
ty, Ohio.  He  is  of  English,  Scotch  and  Dutch  descent.  His 
father  was  Jesse  Stretch,  and  his  mother  was  Elizabeth  Vando- 
lah.  The  Stretch  family  came  to  McLean  County  in  the  fall  of 
1830.  They  had  a  very  pleasant  journey,  were  nineteen  days  on 
the  road  ;  but  William  shook  with  the  ague  during  the  most  of 
the  time  and  was  not  in  a  situation  to  appreciate  the  grandeur  of 
the  West.  The  famity  settled  on  the  east  side  of  Money  Creek 
timber,  where  William  Stretch  now  lives,  and  there  built  a  cabin 
and  began  farming.  During  the  first  winter  of  their  residence 
in  this  country  they  pounded  their  meal,  and  the  Stretch  boys 
had  great  sport  in  chasing  the  deer* 


704  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

During  the  summer  of  1832  the  Stretch  family  lived  in  their 
own  cabin,  and  did  not  run  for  protection  on  account  of  the  wars 
and  rumors  of  wars,  which  were  flying  around. 

"William  Stretch  has  led  a  quiet  life,  and  has  not  had  it  di- 
versified by  many  adventures.  At  one  time,  when  he  killed  a 
deer  in  Mackinaw  timber,  he  became  lost.  The  day  was  cloudy 
and  it  was  impossible  to  see  the  sun.  He  dragged  his  deer  du- 
ring the  greater  part  of  the  day  over  the  snow,  and  at  nearly 
nightfall  discovered  the  house  of  Samuel  Bigger,  and  then  un- 
derstood his  position. 

Mr.  Stretch  married  in  1850,  Elizabeth  Ann  White,  who  died 
in  1854.     He  has  had  two  children  : 

Almeda  Josephine,  who  is  married  to  Samuel  Nichols,  and 
lives  with  her  father. 

Samantha  Jane,  who  is  married  to  William  Stretch,  her 
cousin,  and  lives  on  a  part  of  the  homestead  place. 

Mr.  Stretch  is  five  feet  and  ten  and  one-half  inches  in  height; 
his  hair  is  dark,  and  his  eyes  are  a  light  hazel.  His  form  is 
large,  and  he  weighs  from  one  hundred  and  ninety  to  two  hun- 
dred pounds.  He  has  great  muscle,  and  his  features  are  massive 
and  heavy.  He  seems  to  be  a  man  very  independent  in  manner 
and  feeling,  though  quiet  and  modest.  He  is  a  good  neighbor 
and  a  kind  father,  and  a  man  whose  word  can  always  be  relied 
upon. 

Albert  Ogden. 

Albert  Ogden  was  born  in  1798  in  New  York,  and  was  of 
English  descent.  He  came  to  Ohio  at  an  early  day  and  there 
worked  at  his  trade  as  a  cooper.  He  married  Margaret  Riddle, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Her  descent  was  rather  mixed, 
as  her  ancestors  were  Scotch,  Irish,  Welch  and  Dutch. 

Albert  Ogden  lived  in  Madison  County,  Ohio,  for  a  long 
while,  and  was  a  famous  hunter  there.  He  often  hunted  deer  bv 
torchlight  on  Deer  Creek.  This  creek  in  some  places  spread 
out  into  ponds,  and  here  the  deer  came  in  the  night  time  to  feed 
on  moss.  Mr.  Ogden  hunted  with  a  canoe  at  night.  He  placed 
a  torch  in  the  canoe,  and  in  front  of  the  torch  was  a  board  with 
a  hole  in  it,  giving  the  torch  the  appearance  of  a  dark  lantern. 
Behind  the  board  was  the  hunter.     He  could  come  up  within  a 


m'lean  county.  705 

few  rods  of  the  deer,  as  they  were  feeding  on  the  moss,  for  they 
would  gaze  at  the  light  with  astonishment.  Mr.  Ogden  under- 
stood the  nature  of  deer,  and  hunted  them  accordingly.  In 
Madison  County  were  many  barrens,  and  on  these  were  knolls 
of  ground.  When  the  deer  were  scared  they  were  sure  to  run 
up  on  a  knoll  and  look  around.  Mr.  Ogden,  understanding  this, 
would  take  his  position  near  a  knoll,  and  send  his  boy  around 
to  scare  up  the  deer,  which  would  run  to  the  knoll,  and  there 
Mr.  Ogden's  unerring  rifle  would  bring  them  down. 

Albert  Ogden  came  to  Money  Creek  timber,  McLean  Coun- 
ty, Illinois,  in  the  fall  of  1831,  and  there  helped  his  son  Benja- 
min to  make  his  farm.  He  did  very  little  hunting  after  his 
arrival  in  the  "West,  but  worked  hard  and  faithfully.  He  died 
August  13,  1845.  He  had  ten  children,  of  whom  eight  grew  up. 
They  are  : 

Mrs.  Polly  Dawson,  wife  of  James  K.  Dawson,  lives  in  Money 
Creek  township. 

Abner  Ogden  died  in  Ohio,  never  came  "West- 
Jonathan  Ogden  lives  in  Money  Creek  township. 
Benjamin  Ogden  died  in  September,  1873,  at  his  home  in 
Money  Creek  timber. 

Deborah  Ogden  was  first  married  to  Hiram  Tipton,  and  after 
his  death  she  was  married  to  Elder  Henry  Stump. 
John  Ogden  lives  in  Money  Creek  township. 
Susannah  Ogden  was  married  to  William  Orendorfi\     She 
and  her  husband  are  both  dead. 

Samuel  Ogden  lives  on  Buck  Creek  in  Money  Creek  town- 
ship. 

William  Wilcox. 

William  Wilcox  was  born  December  26,  1813,  in  Fayette 
County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  Edward  Wilcox,  and  his 
mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Sarah  Richardson.  Ed- 
ward Wilcox  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  moved  to  Kentucky 
at  an  early  day.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was 
one  of  the  party  sent  down  to  bury  the  dead  at  Fort  Stephenson 
on  the  Lower  Sandusky,  after  the  attack  made  upon  it  by  the 
British  and  Indians.  The  fort  was  defended  by  Major  Croghan, 
who  commanded  a  little  band  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  young 
45 


706  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

men,  and  Edward  Wilcox  says  that  this  little  garrison  was  die- 
proportioned  to  the  number  of  men,  that  lay  dead  in  the  ditch 
in  front  of  the  fort.  Many  of  those  in  the  ditch  lay  dead  with- 
out a  scar  of  any  kind,  and  seemed  smothered  in  dead  bodies 
and  blood.  After  this  battle  General  Harrison  censured  Major 
Croghan,as  the  former  had  sent  the  latter  orders  to  retreat;  but 
it  afterwards  appeared  that  the  orders  were  never  received. 
The  ladies  of  Chillicothe  presented  to  Major  Croghan  a  fine 
sword  as  a  reward  for  his  bravery,  and  a  red  petticoat  as  a  sar- 
casm upon  Genera]  Harrison. 

William  Wilcox  lived  in  Fayette  County,  from  the  time  he 
was  born  until  he  came  to  Illinois,  which  was  in  the  spring  of 
1832.  On  the  fourth  of  May  of  that  year  the  Wilcox  family 
started.  They  came  through  heavy  timbered  country  in  Ohio, 
where  scarcely  any  grass  could  be  had  to  feed  their  horses,  and 
were  obliged  to  pay  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  bushel  for  corn. 
When  they  arrived  at  the  Wabash,  they  found  many  peaceable 
Indians  with  their  squaws,  who  had  come  there  to  be  as  far  as 
possible  away  from  the  scenes  of  the  Black  Hawk  war.  When 
the  party  arrived  on  the  open  prairie,  they  were  much  troubled 
by  wolves,  which  hung  around  them  every  night.  These  animals 
were  always  on  the  watch,  and  during  one  night  attacked  a  colt 
belonging  to  Mr.  Wilcox,  and  injured  it  so  severely  that  it  after- 
wards died.  On  the  30th  of  June,  the  family  arrived  at  Macki- 
naw timber  and  settled  where  William  Wilcox  now  lives.  Their 
first  care  was  to  obtain  provisions,  and  Mr.  Wilcox,  jr.,  was  sent 
one  hundred  and  ten  miles  to  Perrysville,  on  the  Wabash,  for 
flour.  But  this  was  simply  a  prelude  to  the  travels,  which  he 
afterwards  made  to  mill.  He  once  went  to  Green's  mill,  at  Ot- 
tawa, and  broke  down  his  wagon  with  sixty  bushels  of  wheat  in 
the  Illinois  River.  Three  other  teams  were  in  company  with  him 
and  the  teamsters  waded  into  the  water  and  carried  the  sixty 
bushels  of  wheat  ashore,  sack  by  sack.  This  was  in  1836.  During 
the  following  year,  he  went  to  the  Kankakee  River  to  mill,  in 
company  with  a  friend,  who  also  had  a  wagon  load  of  wheat  and 
a  team.  They  mired  down  very  often  and  were  obliged  to  double 
teams  and  pull  out.  At  last  the  friend  mired  down  completely 
to  the  wagon  bed,  and  even  the  double  team  would  not  pull  the 
wagon  out.     The  teamsters  then  took  off  the  load  and  carried 


m'lean  county.  707 

out  the  wheat  sack  by  sack,  but  even  the  double  team  could  not 
stir  the  wagon,  and  the  only  result  of  pulling  was  to  break  oft' 
the  tongue.  The  teamsters  then  lifted  off  the  wagon  bed  and 
pried  up  the  wheels,  two  at  a  time,  and  brought  them  out.  The 
wagon  was  put  together,  the  load  replaced,  the  two  wagous  fas- 
tened together  and  the  teams  doubled,  and  in  this  way  they  pro- 
ceeded on  their  journey.  They  were  a  complete  mass  of  black 
mud  from  head  to  foot,  but  took  a  good  wash  at  the  Kankakee. 
While  the  miller  was  grinding  their  wheat,  they  made  a  tongue 
to  replace  the  one  which  had  been  broken,  and  returned  safely 
home. 

Mr.  Wilcox  often  went  hunting  after  bees.  In  1835,  he  went 
with  a  friend  to  Indiana  after  honey.  On  the  road  their  horses 
ran  away  and  broke  the  spokes  out  of  a  wheel ;  but  they  mended 
this  little  breakage  and  went  on.  When  they  came  to  timber, 
they  hunted  bees  and  found  a  very  old  swarm,  and  among  the 
comb  they  found  a  black  snake  dead  and  carefully  sealed  up  with 
wax.     Its  skin  was  finely  preserved. 

Mr.  Wilcox  has  done  his  share  of  wolf  hunting,  and  has 
caught  these  cunuing  and  treacherous  animals  in  pens,  with  dogs 
and  horses,  and  in  every  way  that  ingenuity  could  suggest.  He 
once  went  with  a  party  after  some  gray  wolves,  and  killed  the 
mother  of  the  pack  and  twelve  wolves  two-thirds  grown.  This 
was  an  unusual  litter;  the  greater  number  of  them  were  killed 
as  they  came  out  of  a  hollow  log,  from  which  they  were  driven 
by  fire.  One  of  these  wolves  was  caught  by  Mr.  Wilcox  on 
foot. 

He  chased  wolves  on  horseback,  and  once  caught  one  after  a 
run  of  nine  miles ;  but  it  was  so  stiff,  when  killed,  that  he  placed 
it  on  its  feet  upright  and  left  it.  Mrs.  Wilcox  has  had  her  expe- 
rience with  these  animals  and  one  fine  morning  saw  two  of  them 
near  the  barn.  They  did  not  appear  at  all  afraid,  but  seemed  to 
know  that  women  are  not  usually  dangerous.  The  dogs  attacked 
them,  but  they  escaped.  The  wolves  still  trouble  the  settlers  on 
the  Mackinaw.  Mr.  Wilcox  has  often  hunted  deer  and  had 
many  interesting  adventures.  His  wrists  at  the  present  time 
show  the  scars  made  by  the  prongs  of  a  wounded  deer,  with 
which  he  had  a  severe  struggle.  He  once  had  a  struggle  with  a 
deer  on  the  smooth  ice  of  the  Mackinaw.     The  deer  kicked  his 


708  OLD   SETTLERS   OF 

knife  out  of  his  hand  and  sent  it  skipping  over  the  ice;  but  he 
clung  to  the  deer  by  one  antler  and  one  hind  leg,  and  struggled 
up  and  down,  on  top  and  under,  over  and  around,  until  another 
hunter  came  to  his  assistance.  Mr.  Wilcox  went  hunting  deer 
shortly  after  the  sudden  change  of  December,  1836.  The  coun- 
try was  an  absolute  glare  of  ice,  and  he  hunted  on  foot  with  his 
dog.  He  started  a  drove  of  deer,  which  increased  to  more  than 
a  hundred,  and  they  went  slipping  over  the  ice,  with  his  dog 
slipping  and  scratching  after  them.  They  went  down  hill  very 
fast,  as  they  would  spring  and  slide,  but  while  going  up  hill  they 
would  spring  and  slip  and  slide  back.  The  dog  would  frequently 
get  hold  of  a  deer,  but  as  the  former  could  not  keep  its  foothold 
it  would  be  kicked  loose.  Sometimes,  while  going  up  a  hill,  the 
deer  in  front  would  fall  and  slide  back,  throwing  down  those 
behind,  until  the  whole  drove  would  become  a  mass  of  sliding, 
kicking  and  springing  animals.  Mr.  Wilcox  became  very  much 
excited  and  fired  at  the  mass  without  taking  aim  at  a  single  one. 
But  this  was  not  a  very  effective  way,  for  after  a  long  day's  hunt 
he  only  killed  one  deer. 

Mr.  Wilcox  has  often  hunted  turkeys  and  killed  as  many  as 
twelve  in  a  day.  He  once  chased  a  turkey  to  the  bank  of  the 
Mackinaw  and  struck  at  it  with  his  whip,  as  it  was  about  to  fiy 
across,  and  the  lash  coiled  around  its  neck  and  held  it  fast. 

Mr.  Wilcox  has  led  the  life  of  a  farmer,  and  has  been  very 
successful  in  his  calling.  In  common  with  many  farmers,  he  is 
no  great  lover  of  railroads,  particularly  of  high  freights.  In 
1867,  he  made  a  visit  to  Iowa,  and  as  he  had  no  baggage  he  took 
a  box  with  seven  bushels  of  apples  and  enjoyed  himself  by  lis- 
tening to  the  railroad  officials  as  they  used  improper  expressions 
while  lifting  it.  It  was  twice  broken  open  by  rough  handling, 
but  taken  through  at  last.  In  Iowa,  he  saw  snow  as  deep  as  that 
spoken  of  by  the  "  deep  snow"  settlers  of  McLean  County.  He 
rode  over  snow  drifts  twenty  feet  in  depth,  and  at  one  time  went 
over  an  orchard  without  knowing  it  until  afterwards,  as  not  a 
tree  was  visible  above  the  snow. 

Mr.  Wilcox  was  married,  June  12,  1845,  to  Mary  Young. 
He  has  had  two  children,  one  of  whom  is  living.  She  is  Mary 
Ellen,  wife  of  Andrew  Steward,  and  lives  in  Gridley  township. 

Mr.  Wilcox  is  about  five  feet  and  eight  inches  in  height  and 


m'lean  county.  709 

is  rather  slim.  His  head  is  bald,  but  well  shaped,  and  shows  a 
good  development  of  brain.  His  eyes  are  gray,  his  whiskers  of 
a  reddish  cast,  intermixed  with  gray.  He  is  a  remarkable  man 
among  the  old  settlers — remarkable  for  his  humor  and  kindness 
of  heart  and  his  boundless  hospitality.  His  friends  are  welcome 
under  his  roof,  and  if  thev  visit  him  he  will  tell  them  the  inci- 
dents  of  his  early  settlement,  the  fun  and  humor  of  other  days, 
when  all  people  were  neighbors. 

John  Ouden. 

John  Ogden  was  born  May  23,  1807,  in  Madison  County, 
Ohio.  He  was,  in  his  youth,  an  active  young  man,  and  accus- 
tomed to  work,  and  had  little  taste  for  hunting.  His  brother 
Samuel,  who  now  lives  north  of  the  Mackinaw,  was  the  hunter  of 
the  family.  John  Ogden  went  to  school  in  Ohio,  but  was  not  a 
very  forward  scholar,  as  it  required  six  months  for  him  to  go  far 
enough  in  the  spelling  book  to  come  to  the  word  "baker." 

He  was  married  in  April,  1826,  when  not  quite  nineteen  years 
of  age,  to  Esther  Stretch.  In  1832,  the  year  of  the  Black  Hawk 
war,  he  moved  to  Illinois,  and  his  journey  was  a  hard  one  through 
the  mud  and  rain.  He  was  often  deep  in  the  mud  and  water,  but 
says  he  always  felt  safe  as  long  as  he  could  see  the  oxen's  horns  ! 
He  was  more  than  a  month  on  the  road,  but  arrived  at  last  at 
Mackinaw  timber,  where  he  bought  out  a  man  named  Carlin, 
and  settled  down  as  a  farmer.  He  worked  hard,  broke  up  a  few 
acres  of  prairie  and  planted  it  in  corn.  A  variety  was  given  to 
frontier  life  in  1832  by  the  panics,  to  which  the  settlers  were  lia- 
ble during  the  Black  Hawk  war.  When  the  soldiers  returned, 
shooting  squirrels  on  their  way  through  the  timber,  the  people 
were  universally  frightened. 

Mr.  Ogden  made  the  usual  trips  to  various  parts  of  the  coun- 
try to  mill,  and  went  often  to  Chicago  to  market.  At  one  time, 
on  his  return  from  Chicago,  he  attempted  to  ride  one  of  his  oxen 
across  the  Illinois  River,  while  the  ice  was  running ;  but  the  ice 
struck  his  ox  and  made  it  plunge,  and  Mr.  Ogden  was  thrown 
into  the  water. 

Mr.  Ogden  had  six  children  by  his  first  marriage.    They  are : 

Benjamin,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  six  months 
and  twenty-six  days. 


710  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Hiram,  who  died  in  California,  when  nearly  twenty-one. 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  Frank  Johnson,  of  Money  Creek,  died 
June  22,  1878. 

Sarah  Adeline,  wife  of  Hugh  Hineman,  died  about  nine  years 
ago. 

Lafayette  lives  in  Mackinaw  timber,  near  his  father's. 

Helen,  wife  of  William  Orendorff,  lives  at  Blooming  Grove. 

Mrs.  Ogden  died  October  14, 1858,  and  on  the  fifth  of  March, 
1861,  Mr.  Ogden  married  Mary  Abbott.  Bv  this  marriage  he 
has  two  children,  Arnettie  and  Hattie  Eleanor,  who  both  live  at 
home. 

Mr.  Ogden  is  about  five  feet  and  a  half  in  height.  His  hair 
is  curly  and  black,  and  is  becoming  slightly  gray.  He  weighs 
about  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  pounds,  and  is  healthy,  with 
the  exception  of  poor  eyesight,  which  prevents  him  from  work- 
ing much. 

James  McAferty. 

James  McAferty  was  born  November  24th,  1779,  in  Ken- 
tuckv,  but  settled  in  Favette  Countv,  Ohio,  at  a  verv  earlv  day. 
He  was  there  during  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  then  a  soldier,  but 
did  not  participate  in  any  engagement. 

He  married,  Elizabeth  Kichardson  on  the  26th  of  January, 
1804.  In  December,  1832,  he  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois. 
and  settled  on  the  east  side  of  Money  Creek  timber.  He  lived 
during  the  first  winter  at  the  house  of  William  Wilcox,  but  his 
sons,  Ethan  and  Jonathan,  lived  in  a  small  shanty  about  a  mile 
distant  in  the  woods,  and  there  took  care  of  the  horses,  cattle 
and  sheep. 

James  McAferty  died  November  30th,  1853.  He  had  six 
children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  be  grown.     They  are  : 

John,  James  and  William  McAferty  died  many  years  ago,  the 
first  named  in  California. 

Sarah  McAferty,  who  was  never  married,  lives  at  Xormal. 

Dr.  Ethan  McAfertv  lives  between  Monev  Creek  and  Mack- 
inaw  timber. 

Jonathan  McAferty  died  about  eight  years  ago. 

Mr.  McAfertv  was  about  six  feet  in  height,  and  somewhat 
portly.     He  was    a   very  kind,   accommodating  gentleman,  too 


m'lean  county.  711 

much  so  for  his  own  good.  He  was  always  anxious  to  help  his 
neighbors.  He  had  a  large  orchard  in  Ohio,  but  never  sold  a 
bushel  of  apples.  Whenever  his  neighbors  came  for  apples,  the 
old  gentleman  made  his  boys  stop  work  and  gather  them.  He 
was  a  man  who  meddled  with  nobody's  business  but  his  own,  and 
not  much  with  his  own. 

Dr.  Ethan  McAferty. 

Dr.  Ethan  McAferty,  son  of  James  McAferty,  was  born  De- 
cember 11,  1816,  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio.  There  he  had  a  pleas- 
ant life  on  a  farm,  but  sometimes  had  his  temper  aroused,  when 
his  father  made  him  gather  apples  to  give  away  to  other  folks. 
In  December,  1832,  he  came  with  the  family  to  Money  Creek 
timber.  During  the  first  winter  Ethan  and  his  brother  Jonathan 
attended  to  the  stock. 

Ethan  McAferty  occasionally  did  some  hunting,  and  one  ad- 
venture is  told  of  him  which  was  considered  quite  interesting  at 
the  time.  He  was  out  hunting  with  two  hound  puppies,  and  shot 
a  deer.  But  it  was  only  slightly  injured,  and  wdien  he  took  hold 
of  it,  it  made  a  most  active  struggle.  It  was  an  enormous  buck, 
and  when  he  took  hold  of  its  antlers  it  started  to  run,  and  made 
the  most  astonishing  leaps,  dragging  and  jerking  Mr.  McAferty, 
and  making  his  legs  fly  like  whip-crackers.  But  he  held  on  to 
the  antlers,  and  as  he  was  on  one  side  of  the  deer  he  compelled 
it  to  run  in  a  circle,  and  his  puppies  in  the  meantime  kept  up 
their  attack,  and  at  last  it  was  thrown  from  its  feet  and  killed. 

Ethan  McAferty  married,  February  15,  1844,  Maria  Ogden, 
who  is  still  living.     They  have  never  had  any  children. 

Dr.  McAferty  began  to  study  medicine  in  1850  with  Dr. 
Rogers  in  Bloomington.  The  former  had  read  medicine  before ; 
but  during  this  year  he  made  it  a  special  study.  He  studied  until 
1852,  then  went  to  Iroquois  County,  there  practiced  until  1854 
and  then  came  back  to  Lexington.  Here  he  purchased  a  stock 
of  dry  goods,  in  company  with  Mr.  Claggett,  who  managed  the 
store  while  Dr.  McAferty  attended  medical  lectures  at  Rush  Col- 
lege in  Chicago.  In  1865  Dr.  McAferty  began  the  practice  of 
medicine,  still  continuing  his  attendance  upon  medical  lectures. 

Dr.  McAferty  is  six  feet  in  height,  and  has  light  hazel  eyes. 
He  is  tall  and  slim,  has  a  pleasant  expression  on  his  countenance 


712  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

and  a  peculiar  humor  acquired  by  the  attendance  upon  lectin 
and  the  practice  of  medicine.  He  seems  to  be  a  man  who  would 
cheer  a  patient  by  the  kindness  of  his  manner  and  the  pleasant- 
ness of  his  speech.  He  laughs  at  a  good  joke  on  himself,  and  ap- 
preciates it  better  than  if  it  were  at  the  expense  of  some  one 
else. 

Samuel  Ogden. 

Samuel  Ogden,  son  of  Albert  Ogden,  was  born  August  1, 1809, 
in  Madison  County,  Ohio.  He  was  early  taught  to  work,  for 
when  he  was  only  four  or  five  years  o.ld  his  father  gave  him  and 
his  brother  John  each  a  hoe,  and  set  them  at  work  hoeing  corn. 
Samuel  made  clean  work  of  it,  and  hoed  up  weeds  and  corn  in- 
discriminately. 

He  was  often  taken  to  church  by  his  mother,  while  he  was 
small,  and  she  tried  to  cultivate  in  him  the  love  of  orthodoxy. 
He  never  joined  a  church,  as  he  could  not  decide  which  was  the 
best.  He  very  much  preferred  to  attend  horse-races,  and  went  to 
see  horses  run  before  he  was  old  enough  to  ride  on  a  race-course 
himself.  At  the  first  race  he  ever  saw,  a  number  of  horses  ran 
for  a  corn  purse,  that  is,  every  man,  who  ran  his  horse,  put  up 
some  corn,  and  the  winner  took  the  pile.  The  race-course  be- 
longed to  old  John  Funk,  who  had  cut  up  the  corn  around  his 
field  and  made  a  track.  Two  or  three  years  afterwards  little 
Samuel  became  old  enough  to  ride  races  himself.  He  became  a 
good  judge  of  horses,  and  in  after  years  bought  a  fine  mare  called 
"  Clear  the  Kitchen,"  which  could,  indeed,  clear  the  kitchen  or 
race-track  either.  The  first  time  he  put  her  on  the  track  she  beat 
a  fine  mare  belonging  to  Colonel  Gridlev.  He  traded  Clear  the 
Kitchen  for  his  Juliet  mare,  with  which  he  won  every  race. 

Mr.  Ogden  began  to  hunt  when  he  was  big  enough  to  ride  a 
horse,  and  would  chase  turkeys  and  pheasants,  and  was  sure  to 
catch  them  the  second  time  they  flew  up.  He  would  chase  deer 
across  the  level,  open  ground,  near  Deer  Creek.  He  found  a 
great  difference  in  the  speed  of  deer,  as  much  as  in  the  speed  of 
horses.  The  long-legged  bucks  could  run  very  fast,  while  the 
short-legged  ones  were  easily  caught.  He  hunted  with  dogs  and 
kept  them  well  in  front,  in  order  to  give  them  a  fair  start,  and 
they  always   brought  down   the   game.     Samuel  Ogden  hunted 


m'lean  county.  718 

wolves,  and  on  his  first  wolf  chase  jumped  from  his  horse  and 
caught  a  wolf  by  the  throat  and  killed  it.  He  never  considered 
it  a  sin  to  kill  a  wolf  on  Sunday  or  any  other  day.  These  wolf 
hunts  were  taken  after  Mr.  Ogden  came  to  Illinois. 

In  1830  he  married  Nancy  Vandolah,  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio. 
In  the  fall  of  1833  he  came  to  Money  Creek  timber,  McLean 
County,  Illinois.  He  had  a  muddy  journey,  but  the  oxen  pulled 
the  wagon  through,  and  it  was  not  very  unpleasant.  He  bought 
a  claim  in  Money  Creek  township,  on  the  Mackinaw  side,  and 
commenced  life  as  a  farmer,  but  not  under  the  best  of  circum- 
stances. He  had  a  mare  and  colt,  and  an  Indian  pony.  His  mare 
died,  and  he  was  obliged  to  work  his  farm  by  hitching  up  a 
couple  of  calves  in  front  of  his  Indian  pony.  He  succeeded  well 
and  moved  to  Buck  Creek  north  of  the  Mackinaw,  where  he 
entered  the  most  of  his  land.  He  also  bought  some  land,  and 
for  a  part  he  paid  six  dollars  per  acre.  He  bought  the  Daily 
place  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  for  ten  thousand  dollars. 
In  buying  land  he  was  always  careful  to  see  that  it  was  well 
watered.  In  1845  he  began  to  deal  in  cattle,  and  before  long  had 
two  hundred  head. .  He  is  now  in  comfortable  circumstances,  and 
everything  he  owns  is  paid  for.  His  health  is  very  good,  though 
he  suffers  occasionally  from  a  fall  from  a  horse,  which  he  was 
riding  on  a  race-course  at  Peoria,  some  years  ago.  The  horse 
plunged,  that  is,  jumped  stiff-legged  with  its  head  down.  Mr. 
Ogden  takes  his  brandy  occasionally,  but  does  not  believe  in 
drinking  much.  He  loves  the  good  old  times,  when  men  would 
fight,  not  because  they  were  angry,  but  in  order  to  know  who  was 
the  better  man  ;  and  when  the  contest  would  close  they  would 
"be  friends  and  take  a  drink."  Those  were  the  days  when  mat- 
ters were  conducted  honorably,  and  whoever  was  detected  in  foul 
play  was  sure  to  be  counted  out,  and  was  not  tolerated.  Mr. 
Ogden  takes  the  best  of  care  of  his  stock  and  feeds  his  horses 
well,  for  he  says  that  the  man,  who  neglects  his  horses,  never  be- 
comes rich. 

He  has  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  eight  grew  up  and  five 
are  living.     They  are  : 

Obadiah  Ogden,  who  lives  about  half  a  mile  east  of  his 
father's. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Coon,  wife  of  James  Coon,  is  now  dead. 


714  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Albert  Ogden  lives  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  southwest 
of  his  father's. 

Mrs.  Angela  Pirtle,  wife  of  James  Pirtle,  lives  a  mile  and  a 
half  north  of  her  father's. 

Alexander  Ogden  lives  at  home. 

George  Ogden  (named  after  George  Washington,  with  the 
"Washington  left  out !)  lives  about  five  miles  west  of  his  father's, 
in  the  Coon  settlement. 

Mr.  Ogden  is  about  five  feet  and  four  inches  in  height,  is 
strongly  set  and  muscular,  has  a  broad  face,  black  eyes,  and  short 
black  whiskers.  He  is  very  active,  and  few  are  equal  to  him  in 
a  foot-race.  He  is  fond  of  good  jokes  ami  tells  a  great  many  of 
them.  He  is  exceedingly  tough,  and  will  live  to  be  ninety  or  a 
hundred  years  of  age. 

Jonathan  Ogden. 

Jonathan  Ogden  was  born  February  6,  1801,  in  Pickaway 
County,  Ohio,  on  the  Pickaway  Plains,  on  the  southeastern  bank 
of  the  Ohio  River.  When  he  was  two  years  of  age  the  family 
moved  to  Madison  County.  There  Jonathan  grew  up  as  most 
other  boys  did,  with  a  fair  development  of  fun  and  humor.  The 
Ogden  family  farmed  and  raised  stock  and  raced  horses,  and  the 
latter  was  verv  agreeable  to  Jonathan.  He  did  not  wish  to  make 
a  business  of  horse-racing,  but  wished  to  see  what  good  horses 
could  be  raised.  He  often  tested  the  speed  of  his  horse  by 
chasing  turkeys  and  deer.  He  once  chased  a  deer  into  a  man's 
door-yard,  and  the  latter  killed  it  for  Ogden,  by  the  time  he  came 
up.  Everybody  chased  deer  in  those  days.  Once,  while  gather- 
ing hickory  nuts  with  Ins  brothers  and  sisters,  they  heard  the 
baying  of  hounds,  and  hid  until  a  deer  came  bounding  along. 
Then  they  all  rose  with  yells,  and  the  frightened  deer  stopped 
until  the  hounds  came  up  and  took  it. 

In  1833,  Mr.  Ogden  came  to  Money  Creek  timber,  McLean 
County,  Illinois,  where  he  arrived  September  22nd.  After  living 
here  a  year,  lie  moved  to  the  Little  Vermilion,  where  he  spent 
another  year,  and  then  returned  to  Money  Creek  timber,  where 
he  has  remained  ever  since. 

Mr.  ( >gden  has  had  some  little  experience  with  the  animals  of 
the  West,  and  speaks  particularly  of  that  vicious  little  creature, 


m'lean  county.  715 

the  badger,  which  makes  the  hardest  light' for  its  size  of  any  wild 
animal  in  the  West.  The  back  of  its  neck  is  covered  by  a  skin 
so  thick  and  tough,  that  nothing  can  hurt  it  there.  This  is  the 
very  place  where  a  clog  is  likely  to  take  hold  of  it ;  but  the  bad- 
ger scarcely  minds  it  and  fights  harder  than  ever.  It  can  never 
be  whipped,  until  it  is  seized  by  the  throat, 

Jonathan  Ogden  married,  between  Christmas  and  New  Years, 
in  1824,  Andria  Rutan.  He  has  had  eleven  children,  all  of  whom 
are  grown  up.     They  are  : 

Maria,  wife  of  Isaac  Coon,  lives  in  Gridley  township. 

Margaret  died  in  her  seventeenth  year. 

Mary,  wife  of  Adam  Hinthorn,  lives  in  Money  Creek  timber. 

Delilah,  wife  of  Jacob  Coon,  is  dead. 

Sarah,  wife  of  Xelson  Manning,  lives  at  her  father's  house. 

Deborah,  wife  of  Hiram  Stretch,  lives  on  the  east  side  of 
Money  Creek. 

Susan,  wife  of  Joshua  Busick,  lives  in  Gridley  township. 

Creighton  Ogden  lives  at  the  head  of  the  Mackinaw. 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  Marion  Busick,  lives  near  Towanda, 

James  H.  and  Daniel  R,  Ogden  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Ogden  is  less  than  the  medium  height,  weighs  not  quite 
a  hundred  and  forty  pounds,  has  black  e}Tes  and  hair.  His  beard, 
once  black,  is  now  becoming  gray.  He  feels  the  effects  of  age, 
but  his  temper  is  as  kind  and  pleasant  as  ever. 

Madison  Young. 

Madison  Young  was  born  November  18,  1812,  in  Fayette 
County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  William  Young,  and  his 
mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Mary  Smith.  William 
Young  was  born  in  Virginia  and  came  to  Ohio  at  an  early  day, 
where  Madison  was  born.  In  1832  William  Young  came  to 
Mackinaw  timber,  but  Madison  Young  could  not  make  up  his 
mind  to  leave  Ohio  so  soon.  He  had  hunted  there,  and  liked  the 
country  and  the  game  ;  but  in  the  year  1833  he  followed  up  the 
family  and  came  to  Mackinaw  timber.  He  traveled  on  horse- 
back, and  came  through  without  remarkable  difficulty.  He  im- 
mediately  began  frying  the  quality  of  western  venison,  and  brought 
down  the  deer  in  great  numbers,  indeed  he  almost  made  hunting 
his  business. 


716  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Young  gave  an  eloquent  description  of  the  sudden  freeze 
of  December,  1836,  and  told  how  the  chickens  froze  fast  in  the 
slush.  But  he  laughed  so  hard  and  so  good-naturedly  while  tell- 
ing it,  that  it  was  impossible  to  remember  what  he  said. 

Mr.  Young  married  in  March,  1836,  Sidney  Ann  Messer,  who 
died  in  April,  1850.  He  married  again  in  June,  1852,  Catherine 
Caroline  Young.  Although  she  bore  the  same  family  name  she 
was  not  related  to  him  before  her  marriage. 

Mr.  Young  has  had  six  children,  three  by  his  first  marriage, 
and  three  by  the  second.     They  are  : 

William  Young,  who  lives  in  Gridley  township. 

Isaac  Young,  who  lives  in  Lexington  township. 

Sarah  Almira,  married  to  George  Kemp,  lives  in  Chenoa 
township. 

Mary  Jane,  married  to  George  Glaze,  lives  in  Money  Creek 
township. 

Andrew  and  Thomas  Young  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Young  is  about  five  feet  and  nine  inches  in  height,  has  a 
sanguine  complexion  and  white  hair.  He  is  very  healthy  and 
exceedingly  jolly.  He  loves  to  talk,  when  he  can  stop  laughing- 
long  enough  to  do  so,  and  the  man  who  speaks  to  him  is  made  to 
feel  at  home  immediately.  He  has  many  queer  ideas,  and  when 
he  hears  or  tells  a  good  joke  he  is  not  afraid  to  laugh  at  it  heart- 
ily and  strongly.  He  has  a  queer  philosophy,  and  takes  the 
world  easy.  He  was  once  asked  by  a  neighbor  why  he  did  not 
put  a  new  roof  on  his  house,  "  Oh,"  said  Mr.  Young  in  reply, 
"  when  it  don't  rain  I  don't  need  it,  and  when  it  does  rain  I  can't 
do  it !  haw,  haw,  haw  !" 

James  Eoysten  Wiley. 

James  R.  Wiley  was  born  November  21,  1820,  in  Switzerland 
County,  Indiana.  His  father's  name  was  John  R.  Wiley,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Sampson  ;  both  were  Amer- 
icans, and  born  in  Maryland.  John  E.  Wiley  was  taken  to  Ken- 
tucky  when  very  young,  and  afterwards  moved  to  Switzerland 
County,  Indiana,  where  James  was  born. 

In  the  fall  of  1835  the  Wiley  family  came  to  the  West.  They 
had  a  cold,  wet  journey,  and  did  not  arrive  until  November,  after 
traveling  twenty-two  days.     Young  James  exercised  himself  by 


m'lean  county.  717 

driving  the  cattle  and  sheep.  The  family  was  often  stopped  by 
high  water,  and  the  sheep  gave  great  trouble,  for  they  were  ob- 
liged to  swim  rivers  so  often  that  they  dreaded  the  water,  and  it 
was  frequently  necessary  to  take  them  by  the  horns  and  drag 
them  across.  When  they  arrived  at  the  head  of  the  Mackinaw, 
their  troubles  were,  by  no  means,  ended,,  as  they  could  not  go  to 
mill  and  were  obliged  to  pound  hominy  for  six  weeks.  They 
afterwards  made  the  usual  trips  to  mill  in  all  directions,  sometimes 
to  Ottawa,  sometimes  to  Cheney's  Grove,  and  elsewhere. 

Mr.  Wiley  has  done  some  hunting,  as  the  old  settlers  would, 
but  had  no  very  remarkable  adventure.  He  has  had  the  usual 
experience  with  prairie  fires,  has  had  a  great  deal  of  fencing  and 
many  stacks  burned  up. 

Mr.  Wiley  married,  October  12,  1843,  Sarah  R.  Lineback. 
He  has  sometimes  taken  his  family  back  to  visit  their  friends  in 
Indiana,  and  occasionally  had  some  lively  adventures  by  the  way. 
At  one  time,  while  crossing  Sugar  Creek  with  his  wife  and  child, 
when  it  was  high,  the  wagon  sank  so  low  that  they  went  into  the 
water  to  their  waists,  and  the  horses  could  scarcely  get  footing. 
The  wagon  was  carried  down  stream  by  the  current,  and  things 
appeared  scarey  for  a  moment,  but  at  last  the  horses  scrambled 
out.  Mr.  Wiley  made  up  his  mind  never  to  swim  his  horses 
again,  but  he  did ;  he  crossed  the  Kankakee,  and  swam  the  Des- 
plaines  with  a  four-horse  team.  Eleven  men  out  of  thirteen  had 
been  drowned  in  the  Desplaines  the  day  before  he  crossed. 

Mr.  Wiley  has  had  only  two  children,  one  of  whom  is  living. 
They  are : 

Mrs.  Hannah  Ogden,  wife  of  Obadiah  Ogden,  lives  with  her 
father  at  the  homestead. 

John  R.  Wile}-  was  killed  when  sixteen  years  of  age  by  the 
fall  of  a  horse. 

Mr.  Wiley  is  about  five  feet  and  six  inches  in  height;  he  is 
rather  lightly  built,  is  active  and  industrious,  and  does  not  like  to 
see  weeds  in  his  corn.  He  has  a  kind  expression  on  his  counte- 
nance, but  is  very  determined,  has  a  great  deal  of  courage,  is 
very  active  and  quick-sighted,  and  it  would  be  an  active  deer  or 
wolf  that  would  escape  him.  He  is  a  gentleman  in  manners  and 
feeling.  He  is  a  model  farmer,  looks  after  everything,  and  does 
not  put  in  any  more  corn  than  he  can  attend  to.     He  plows  eight 


718  OLD    SETTLEKS    OF 

acres  of  corn  a  day,  and  attends  to  forty  acres  himself  very  con- 
veniently. He  has  three  hundred  and  sixteen  acres  of  land  in 
his  farm,  and  it  is  all  well  taken  care  of.  It  is  all  under  fence, 
and  what  is  not  under  cultivation  is  in  pasture.  He  keeps  good 
graded  stock,  and  has  from  fifty  to  seventy -five  head  of  cattle. 
The  cattle,  which  he  sent  to  market  last  spring,  averaged  sixteen 
hundred  and  sixty  pounds  ;  they  were  the  best  "hunch"  of  cattle 
that  had  been  to  the  Lexington  yards  for  twelve  months.  The 
farm,  where  he  lives,  is  in  the  edge  of  the  Mackinaw  timber, 
where  he  has  his  pasture  shaded  by  trees,  and  his  land  under 
cultivation  is  the  rich  prairie. 

Wesley  Fletcher  Bishop. 

Wesley  F.  Bishop  was  born  January  15,  1817,  in  Madison 
County,  Alabama.  His  father's  name  was  William  G.  Bishop, 
and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Rebecca  Briggs;  both  were 
of  English  descent.  William  Bishop  was  a  cabinet  maker,  and 
made  cotton  gins  and  household  furniture,  but  during  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  was  a  farmer.  When  Wesley  Bishop  was  five 
years  of  age,  the  family  moved  to  Wayne  Count}*,  Indiana,  near 
Centerville.  Here  he  went  to  school  with  a  young  man,  named 
Fox,  who  afterwards  became  the  great  leader  of  a  band  of  rob- 
bers in  the  northwest.  He  was  the  man  who  murdered  Colonel 
Davenport  at  Rock  Island.  The  father  of  the  Foxes  was  con- 
sidered an  honest,  upright  citizen.  In  1829  or  30,  the  family 
moved  to  the  Wabash,  near  the  present  town  of  Delphi.  It  was 
laborious  work  for  the  Bishops  to  raise  corn,  for  the  wild  animals 
were  numerous  and  troublesome.  When  it  was  planted,  the 
coons  would  come  at  night,  move  along  the  rows,  smell  out  the 
corn  and  eat  up  every  kernel,  unless  they  were  watched  and 
driven  off,  until  the  corn  started  and  the  kernel  was  rotted.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  summer,  and  in  the  fall,  the  black  birds 
came  in  swarms  and  ate  the  corn,  and  the  deer  came  in  great 
numbers  at  night,  so  that  it  seemed  almost  impossible  to  protect 
the  corn  and  gather  it. 

The  great  curiosity  or  object  of  interest  in  Indiana,  was,  for 
many  years,  the  battle  ground  of  Tippecanoe.  In  about  the 
year  1834,  (Mr.  Bishop  thinks,)  the  bones  of  the  soldiers  were 
collected  and  buried  with  great  honor.     The  people  came   from 


m'lean  county.  719 

several  counties  and  States  around  and  collected  them.  A  man, 
named  Tipton,  from  Logansport,  delivered  an  address,  and  the 
people  had  a  great  barbecue.  They  roasted  an  ox  and  made 
indeed  a  grand  celebration. 

In  the  spring  of  1836,  the  Bishop  family  came  to  McLean 
County,  Illinois,  but  Wesley  Bishop  stayed  in  Indiana  for  a 
while  to  attend  to  some  unfinished  business,  and  came  out  in  the 
fall  with  a  drove  of  cattle.  The  family  settled  on  the  Jacob 
Spawr  farm,  on  the  edge  of  Money  Creek  timber,  on  the  main 
State  road  from  Springfield  to  Chicago. 

In  the  winter  of  1836-7,  Wesley  Bishop  taught  school  in 
Money  Creek  township.  In  December  of  that  winter,  occurred 
the  sudden  change  in  the  weather,  so  often  described.  On  that 
day  a  man,  named  Popejoy,  was  on  the  road  to  Bloomington  for 
a  petition  for  a  new  county,  and  passed  Bishop's  school  house. 
Not  long  afterwards  the  sudden  change  came  on  and  Bishop  dis- 
missed his  school.  Pretty  soon  Popejoy  came  riding  back,  but 
was  frozen  to  his  saddle  and  required  assistance  to  dismount. 
Mr.  Bishop  received  as  his  wages,  while  teacher,  twenty  dollars 
per  month  and  boarded  himself.  He  was  the  first  school  treasu- 
rer for  Money  Creek  township,  and  the  first  money  he  drew  for 
school  purposes  from  the  county  was  twenty-five  dollars  and 
eighteen  cents.  When  the  people  wanted  a  school  house  they 
were  obliged  to  build  it  out  of  their  own  pockets. 

Mr.  Bishop  is  a  universal  genius.  He  needed  some  brick, 
and  straightway  he  started  a  brickyard  and  made  them.  The 
rats  troubled  him  very  much  around  his  barn,  and  he  immedi- 
ately exercised  his  genius  and  made  a  barn  which  was  rat-proof. 
These  are  only  a  few  of  the  forms  in  which  his  genius  continu- 
ally sprouts.  In  the  spring  of  1864,  Mr.  Bishop  enlisted  in 
Company  E,  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-third  Illinois 
Volunteers,  as  a  hundred  day  man.  He  was  too  old  to  be 
drafted,  but  he  wanted  to  render  some  assistance  to  the  govern- 
ment in  the  great  struggle.  He  left  his  brick  yard  and  his  busi- 
ness in  other  hands  and  started.  He  sought  for  no  office,  but 
served  as  a  private.  The  regiment  was  stationed  at  Rock  Island 
and  they  had  a  very  pleasant  time  indeed. 

Mr.  Bishop  married,  August  10,  1837,  Prudence  Barrack- 
man,  whose  family  lived  on  the  A^ermilion  River.     He  has  had 


720  OLD    SETTLERS    OP 

three  children,  who  are  living  and  settled   around  him.     They 
are  : 

Francis  Bishop,  who  lives  about  a  mile  northeast  of  his 
father's. 

Mary  Ann  Bishop  is  married  to  Samuel  Carey  and  lives  at 
the  homestead. 

Daniel  J.  Bishop,  lives  just  east  of  his  father's.  He  enlisted 
in  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois  Volunteers  and  served  three  years 
to  a  day.  He  saw  some  hard  campaigning,  was  at  Prairie  Grove, 
Vicksburg  and  Fort  Morgan. 

Mr.  Bishop  is  about  five  feet  and  eight  inches  in  height,  is 
muscular  and  tough,  has  rather  a  broad  face  and  is  good  natured 
and  honest.  He  lives  up  to  his  agreements,  is  very  industrious 
and  quick  to  see  a  chance  to  make  a  short  turn.  He  is  a  man 
who  thinks  a  great  deal  of  principle.  He  believes  in  developing 
the  resources  of  the  country,  and  thinks  that  America  ha3  mines 
of  every  kind,  which  should  be  developed  to  their  utmost  capa- 
city. He  is  an  ardent  protectionist  and  believes  that  if  the  policy 
of  Henry  Clay  had  been  pursued,  the  country  would  have  been 
far  better  developed,  and  in  a  much  more  flourishing  condition. 
He  is  very  decided  in  his  opinions,  and  thinks  the  children  of 
to-day  should  receive  a  practical  education,  which  they  do  not 
receive  in  schools. 

William  Crose. 

William  Crose  was  born  September  12,  1814,  in  Pickaway 
County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  Philip  Crose,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Priscilla  Becks.  Philip  Crose  was  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  being  old  enough  to  go  into  the 
army  during  the  last  six  months  of  the  struggle.  He  drew  a 
pension  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  about  the  year  1837. 
When  William  Crose  was  about  three  years  old,  the  family  came 
to  Shawneetown,  Illinois,  but  after  a  few  years  moved  to  Eel 
River,  Indiana,  then  after  a  few  years  went  to  where  Crawfords- 
ville,  Ind.,  now  stands.  When  William  Crose  was  thirteen  years 
of  age,  he  was  bound  out  to  Elijah  Funk,  a  farmer,  in  Warren 
County,  Indiana,  but  at  the  age  of  twenty,  became  his  own  man. 
He  went  to  Pickaway  County,  where  he  was  a  farm  laborer  and 
drover.     He  drove  one  hundred  and  forty  cattle  five  hundred  and 


M'LEAN    COUNTY.  721 

thirty-three  miles,  to  Philadelphia.  He  was  forty-seven  days  on 
the  road,  and  when  lie  had  disposed  of  his  cattle  he  returned  in 
eleven  days  and  a  half. 

He  married,  November  13,  1833,  Eliza  Ann  Busick.  He  lived 
there  nearly  a  year,  then  in  Indiana  three  years,  and  in  1837  came 
to  Randolph  Grove,  McLean  County,  Illinois.  After  working 
hard  for  eight  or  nine  years  he  accumulated  some  little  property, 
began  to  think  himself  rich,  and  wished  to  take  the  world  easy. 
He  took  a  great  interest  in  sporting,  and  kept  the  finest  and 
fleetest  hounds  for  running  wolves  and  deer.  Mr.  Crose  says 
that  deer,  when  chased  by  dogs,  will  actually  run  themselves  to 
death.  He  knows  this  by  actual  experiment;  he  once  chased  a 
buck  until  it  laid  down  and  died  before  being  touched.  He  has 
had  great  sport  with  wolves,  and  once  tried  to  tame  one  of  these 
vicious  animals,  but  could  not  even  break  it  to  be  led.  He  tied 
a  chain  to  its  neck  and  fastened  the  other  end  of  the  chain  to  his 
wagon,  but  the  wolf  would  allow  itself  to  be  dragged  for  miles 
without  walking.  He  has  hunted  the  otter,  and  found  it  an  ex- 
ceedingly cunning  animal,  which  goes  into  its  hole  under  water 
and  works  up  under  the  bank  above  the  water's  mark.  He  once 
broke  into  an  otter's  hole  when  twenty  feet  from  the  pond,  where 
it  lived.  The  routine  of  the  year  then  was — in  the  winter  time 
hunting  wolves  and  deer,  in  the  spring  ploughing  and  planting, 
and  in  the  fall  going  to  Chicago  and  selling  oats  for  twelve  and 
a  half  cents  per  bushel.  After  hunting  for  a  few  years,  Mr. 
Crose  saw  that  he  must  let  his  gun  and  dogs  alone,  and  pay  more 
attention  to  business. 

Eighteen  years  ago  he  sold  out  and  went  to  Iowa,  but  there 
his  health  failed  him,  and  he  returned  to  Illinois,  and  bought  the 
land  where  he  now  lives,  midway  between  Lexington  and  To- 
wanda,  and  has  since  succeeded  pretty  well.  He  has  had  eleven 
children  altogether,  of  whom  ten  are  living.     They  are : 

Harriet,  wife  of  John  Padgett,  lives  in  the  Upper  Mackinaw 
timber. 

Lowisa,  wife  of  Peter  Janes,  lives  in  Money  Creek  township. 

Elijah  Crose  lives  in  Towanda. 

Termin  Crose  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  in  Money  Creek. 

Eliza  Ann,  wife  of  George  Janes,  lives  in  Lexington  town- 
ship. 

46 


722  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

William  Crose  lives  at  home  with  liis  father. 

Emma,  wife  of  David  Turnipseed,  lives  in  the  Upper  Macki- 
naw timber. 

George  Crose  lives  in  Towanda. 

Sarah  Jane,  wife  of  David  Wisner,  lives  in  Indiana. 

Philip  Crose  lives  at  home  with  his  father. 

Mr.  Crose  is  about  rive  feet  and  nine  inches  in  height,  has 
reddish-brown  hair  and  whiskers,  a  slightlv  Roman  nose,  and 
rather  small  eyes.  He  seems -pretty  muscular,  and  is  a  man  of 
good  temper.  If  he  has  difficulty  with  anyone,  it  is  pretty  cer- 
tain that  he  has  good  cause  for  it,  for  his  disposition  is  peaceable 
and  he  wishes  to  be  on  good  terms  with  his  neighbors.  He  is  a 
very  fair-minded  man,  is  open  to  argument,  and  has  none  of  that 
obstinacy  of  opinion,  which  induces  men  to  shut  their  ears  to 
new  ideas. 


MOUXT  HOPE. 

George  Maley  Stubblefield. 

(  reorge  M.  Stubblefield,  son  of  Robert  Stubblefield,  was  named 
after  a  noted  Methodist  preacher  in  Ohio,  named  George  Maley. 
George  was  born  August  29,  1823,  in  Favette  Count v,  Ohio.  In 
December,  1824,  the  Stubblefield  family  came  to  Illinois,  and 
George  was  carried  in  the  arms  of  his  mother,  who  rode  on  horse- 
back. Thev  settled  in  Funk's  Grove,  in  what  is  now  McLean 
County. 

George  Stubblefield  remembers  many  things  concerning  the 
early  settlement  of  the  country,  notwithstanding  his  extreme 
youth,  when  the  family  came  to  Illinois.  He  remembers  the 
building  of  the  first  school-house  in  Funk's  Grove,  which  was 
done  by  Robert  Guthrie.  Young  George  carried  water  for  the 
men,  while  tfyey  were  at  work.  ,  The  school-house  was  eighteen 
bv  twentv  feet  long,  was  made  of  logs  hewed  on  one  side,  had  a 
clapboard  roof  and  a  puncheon  floor.  On  the  north  and  west 
sides  were  windows  which  extended  the  whole  length  and  width 
of  the  room.  Thev  were  made  bv  hewing;  off  one-half  of  two 
log-,  which  joined  each  other.  The  lights  were  formed  by  placing 
sticks   upright   and  putting  over  them  paper  greased  with  lard. 


m'lean  county.  723 

On  the  east  side  of  the  building  was  a  fire-place,  which  was  large 
enough  to  receive  a  log  eight  feet  long.  It  was  in  this  house,  that 
George  Stubblefield  received  what  education  he  obtained.  During 
the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  the  teacher  in  this  school-house, 
Andrew  Biggs,  was  obliged  to  move  up  to  it  and  live  there.  The 
Stubblefields  lived  about  a  mile  from  the  school-house,  and  Mr. 
Stubblefield  was  obliged  to  go  back  and  forth  once  a  day  until  it 
stopped  snowing,  in  order  to  keep  the  road  broken.  This  old 
school-house  has  long  since  been  torn  down,  and  has  gone  with 
the  old  settlers,  who  built  it.  A  fine  church  has  been  erected  oh 
the  spot,  and  Funk's  Grove  Cemetery  is  near  by. 

When  George  Stubblefield  became  old  enough  to  be  "  of  some 
account,"  it  was  his  business  to  go  to  mill.  He  was  accustomed 
to  go  to  Knapp's  mill,  near  Waynesville.  In  1836  he  went  with 
his  father  to  Chicago  with  a  load  of  sweet  potatoes  and  a  barrel 
of  eggs.  There  he  saw  his  uncle,  Absalom  Funk,  who  was  so 
well  known  to  the  early  settlers.  Chicago  then  had  no  houses 
north  of  the  river.  The  latter  was  simply  a  large  muddy  slough 
full  of  flags  and  bullrushes.  The  United  States  still  kept  a  gar- 
rison at  Fort  Dearborn.  The  Indians  were  plenty,  as  during  that 
fall  a  payment  was  to  be  made  to  them  by  the  government.  On 
the  road  to  Chicago,  George  Stubblefield  passed  through  Joliet, 
which  then  contained  only  two  houses. 

The  sudden  change  in  the  weather  in  December,  1836,  is  often 
described.  Mr.  Stubblefield  remembers  another  change,  which 
seemed  nearly  as  severe.  In  about  the  year  1848,  as  he  and  his 
brother  Absalom  and  three  others  were  going  to  Pekin  with  a 
drove  of  swine,  the  weather  turned  cold  at  about  nine  o'clock  at 
night,  after  a  rain  or  heavy  mist.  The  next  morning  the}'  crossed 
Mosquito  Creek  on  the  ice,  which  had  frozen  during  the  night. 
The  prairie  was  a  sheet  of  ice,  and  though  they  traveled  with 
their  swine  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  their  entire  day's  journey  was 
only  three  miles. 

Mr.  Stubblefield  has  seen  prairie  fires,  of  course,  but  they 
were  protected  by  Sugar  Creek,  which  the  fires  never  jumped 
but  once. 

At  the  early  age  of  fifteen,  George  Stubblefield  was  quite  a 
lady's  man,  and  often  went  to  see  the  girlish  friend,  who  after- 
wards became  Mrs.  Stubblefield.     The  first  deer  he  killed  was 


724  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

within  a  few  rods  of  her  father's  door.  It  will  be  noticed,  that 
the  young  men  in  those  days  won  the  favor  of  women  by  manly 
exercises.  He  chased  this  deer  with  hounds,  which  brought  it 
down  near  the  door  of  the  house  of  Samuel  Murphy,  and  George 
killed  it  with  his  pocket-knife.  George  Stubblefield  was  a  gal- 
lant young  man,  and  was  always  moved  by  beauty  in  distress. 
He  was  once  delighted  at  the  opportunity  of  rescuing  a  lady,  who 
had  fallen  from  a  log  into  Sugar  Creek,  into  eisrht  feet  of  water. 
This,  however,  cannot  be  made  the  subject  of  a  romance,  for  he 
never  married  her,  and  never  will. 

The  western  country  was  never  too  new  for  peddlers,  and  Mr. 
Stubblefield  remembers  when  they  came  round  with  their  tin- 
ware, teapots  and  pewter  spoons,  which  they  traded  for  deer 
skins,  wolf  skins,  and  ginseng.  He  has  spent  many  a  day  in 
digging  ginseng,  in  order  to  purchase  some  little  trinket. 

The  settlers  from  Funk's  Grove  often  did  their  trading  in 
Springfield,  and  it  was  customary  for  them  to  do  trading  for  their 
neighbors,  and  take  their  neighbors'  produce  to  market.  Mr. 
Stubblefield  remembers  a  certain  Mr.  Alloway,  who  took  some 
butter,  which  belonged  to  a  neighbor,  to  Springfield  to  sell.  The 
butter  was  rather  old,  and  when  the  merchant,  who  was  to  buy 
it,  tried  it  with  his  knife,  the  butter  crumbled  to  pieces.  Allo- 
way looked  on  with  astonishment,  and  exclaimed  with  his  lisping 
tongue  :  "My  God,  Mither,  that's  not  my  butter  !" 

The  old  settlers  were  usually  full  of  energy  and  nearly  all 
things  related  of  them  show  their  industry  and  activity  ;  but  Mr. 
Stubblefield  relates  an  incident  of  David  Stout,  which  shows 
quite  a  contrary  disposition.  The  latter  was  once  returning  home 
from  Springfield  with  a  blanket  wrapped  around  him  and  tied  to 
his  neck  with  a  string.  Bv  some  accident  it  fell  to  the  ground. 
gHe  did  not  stop  to  pick  it  up,  but  went  home  and  sent  back  his 
son  for  it,  a  distance  of  several  miles. 

Mr.  Stubblefield  remembers  a  great  many  interesting  inci- 
dents  concerning  the  old  settlers,  and  particularly  those  which 
were  humorous.  He  tells  one  of  his  uncle,  Isaac  Funk,  which 
shows  the  disposition  of  that  energetic  man  quite  plainly.  AVhen 
Mr.  Isaac  Funk  went  to  call  on  Miss  Cassandra  Sharp,  of  Peoria, 
who  afterwards  became  his  wife,  he  was  obliged  to  cross  the  Illi- 
nois River  in  a  boat.     Several  others  were  with  him,  and  they 


m'lean  county.  725 

determined  to  upset  the  boat  and  make  him  call  on  his  lady  in 
wet  clothes.  They  knew  he  could  not  swim,  but  supposed  he 
would  cling  to  the  boat.  Near  the  middle  of  the  river  the  boat 
was  capsized,  but  floated  out  of  Isaac's  reach.  But  he  fortunate- 
ly grasped  a  paddle,  and  whenever  he  went  down,  he  struck  the 
paddle  on  the  bottom  of  the  river  and  pressed  himself  near  shore 
and  at  last  came  out  in  safety. 

George  Stubbletield  tells  an  incident,  which  shows  something 
of  the  disposition  of  his  father,  old  Robert  Stubblefield.  Two 
young  men  once  came  to  Robert  Stubbletield's  house  and  re- 
mained over  night.  They  were  not  at  all  respectful,  and  in  the 
morning  Mrs.  Stubblefield  gave  them  some  good  advice,  and  a 
motherly  lecture  on  the  subject  of  good  breeding.  One  of  the 
young  men,  as  he  was  leaving  the  house,  disputed  her  word — told 
her  she  lied  !  Mr.  Stubblefield,  who  was  coming  in,  heard  the 
remark.  He  stepped  into  a  shed  near  by,  picked  up  his  horse- 
whip and  caught  the  young  men,  as  they  mounted  their  horses  in 
a  lane,  where  they  could  not  get  out.  He  was  left-handed,  but 
he  dusted  their  jackets  fearfully,  and  almost  split  their  coats  from 
their  backs.  This  whipping  made  up  for  what  the  young  men 
failed  to  receive  in  their  younger  days.  Several  persons  wit- 
nessed the  performance,  and  a  man,  named  Mulky,  laughed  so 
hard  that  he  was  obliged  to  hold  himself  up  by  the  fence. 

Among  the  funny  stories  told  by  Mr.  Stubblefield  is  one  re- 
lating to  a  widow,  who  lived  at  Funk's  Grove.  A  doctor  in 
Bloomington  occasionally  paid  his  respects  to  this  charming 
widow,  and  called  twice  to  see  her  on  the  important  subject  of 
matrimony.  Shortly  afterwards,  one  of  her  family  was  sick,  and 
she  sent  for  the  doctor  on  professional  services,  and  when  he  had 
given  her  child  some  medicine,  she  inquired  his  bill,  and  he  said, 
"two  dollars/'  "Well,"  said  the  widow,  "Dr.  Wheeler,  you 
have  called  on  me  twice  and  stayed  two  evenings,  and  your  bill 
is  two  dollars;  I  guess  we  will  call  it  settled  !"  Dr.  Wheeler 
went  back  to  Bloomington  with  a  number  of  large  fleas  hopping 
around  his  ears. 

The  young  men  in  the  early  days  were  "sometimes  up  to  their 
capers."  Mr.  Stubblefield  tells  of  two  young  men  from  near 
Waynesville,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  coming  to  Funk's  Grove 
to  steal  apples  from  Robert  Funk.     These  young  men  wished 


726  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

James  Biggs  and  John  Vesev  to  assist  them,  and  the  assistance 
was  promised.  But  the  latter  gentlemen  made  arrangements 
with  other  parties  to  be  in  the  orchard  and  fire  when  the  apple 
thieves  should  come.  In  the  night  the  party  came  and  filled  a 
couple  of  sacks  with  apples,  and  Biggs  proposed  to  whistle  up 
"Old  Bobby,"  as  thev  called  Mr.  Funk.  Wnen  lie  whistled  a 
gun  was  fired,  and  Biggs  fell,  saying  :  "  Run  for  your  lives !" 
The  parties  ran,  leaving  sacks  and  apples,  and  as  they  mounted 
their  horses  a  second  shot  was  fired,  and  Vesev  fell,  savins:: 
"Run,  boys,  run  !"  The  apple  thieves  obeyed  the  injunction. 
They  stopped  at  the  widow  Brock's,  about  four  miles  distant,  and 
reported  Biggs  and  Vesey  killed,  but  the  latter  appeared  in  good 
spirits  the  next  morning-  The  young  men  from  Waynesville 
neglected  to  call  at  "Old  Bobby's"  to  get  their  sacks. 

Mr.  Stubblefield  tells  a  good  story  on  his  brother  Absalom. 
Absalom,  John  and  George  once  went  to  bathe  in  the  east  fork 
of  Sugar  Creek.  Absalom  went  in  and  was  carried  down. by  the 
current,  to  where  the  water  was  deep  ;  and  as  he  could  not  swim 
he  floundered  and  plashed,  until  he  reached  the  opposite  shore. 
He  came  out  puffing,  and  soon  the  troublesome  question  arose, 
how  to  return.  He  dared  not  go  into  the  creek  again,  and  it  was 
a  mile  or  more  to  the  nearest  crossing.  In  the  meantime  the 
flies  and  mosquitoes  swarmed  around  and  almost  covered  him. 
He  slapped  them  right  and  left,  and  in  his  anguish  exclaimed  : 
"I  never  will  o-o  into  the  water  again  until  I  learn  to  swim  !"  He 
was  obliged  to  walk  a  mile  or  more  up  the  creek  to  the  crossing, 
and  then  back  to  the  place  of  bathing. 

George  Stubblefield  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height, 
and  weighs  about  two  hundred  and  forty  pounds.  He  is  a  great 
lover  of  fun,  as  this  sketch  clearly  shows.  He  is  very  muscular, 
and  has  the  magnanimity  which  such  men  frequently  possess. 
He  dislikes  to  see  any  one  imposed  upon  or  oppressed  by  persons 
of  superior  muscle.  He  has  beenwery  successful  in  life,  and  so 
far  as  property  is  concerned  is  very  comfortably  situated.  He 
married,  March  15,  1850,  Eliza  Jane  Murphy,  the  daughter  of 
Samuel  Murphy.  She  was  born  in  July,  1832,  the  year  of  the 
Black  Hawk  war.  She  is  a  lady  of  quick  perception  and  a  good 
deal  of  tact,  and  appreciates  wit  and  humor  quite  as  well  as  Mr. 
Stubblefield.  They  have  six  children,  five  boys  and  one  girl. 
They  are : 


m'lean  county.  727 

Charles  Wesley  Stubblefield,  who  is  a  student  at  the  "Wesleyan 
University. 

Mary  Elizabeth,  Samuel  W.,  Joseph  W.,  Isaac  and  Taddy, 
live  at  home.     The  latter  is  the  pet,  of  course. 

« 

Jesse  Stubblefield. 

Jesse  Stubblefield,  fourth  son  of  Robert  Stubblefield,  was 
born  July  30, 1825,  at  Funk's  Grove.  He  received  such  an  edu- 
cation as  could  be  obtained  by  the  son  of  a  pioneer.  His  youth 
was  not  at  all  extraordinary,  but  was  spent  in  life  on  a  farm.  In 
1851,  he  began  farming  and  stock  raising  on  his  own  account  on 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides  in  the  township  of  Mount  Hope. 
His  land,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  was  entered  by  him  in 
1851.  In  1852,  he  received  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
from  Thomas  Cuppy,  his  father-in-law.  The  last  named  gentle- 
man had  entered  the  land  and  paid  for  it  with  a  warrant,  obtained 
originally  from  a  soldier  who  had  served  in  the  Mexican  war. 
Mr.  Stubblefield  has  continually  added  to  his  land,  and  now  has 
about  one  thousand  acres. 

Mr.  Stubblefield  has  a  lively  recollection  of  the  incidents  of 
the  early  settlement  of  the  country,  and  remembers  particularly 
the  sudden  change  of  December,  1836,  and  how  his  father's  pigs 
were  frozen  by  the  intense  cold. 

Mr.  Stubblefield's  first  sight  of  Chicago  was  in  1845,  when 
he  and  his  father  and  Absalom  and  George,  made  a  trip  to  the 
place.  They  camped  out  along  the  way  in  the  primitive  style, 
and  their  slumbers  were  soothed  by  the  howling  of  wolves.  They 
sold  their  wheat  for  thirty-seven  and  one-half  cents  per  bushel 
and  returned. 

Mr.  Stubblefield  tells  a  few  lively  hunting  stories,  for  he  fre- 
quently indulged  in  the  sport  of  catching  wolves  and  deer.  At 
one  time,  while  hunting,  a  deer  was  brought  to  bay  by  the 
hounds,  and  Lamon  Hougham,  who  came  up  with  a  party  of 
others,  attempted  to  kill  the  deer  with  a  spear.  But  his  horse 
became  restive  and  threw  him  on  the  horns  of  the  buck.  He 
held  fast  to  the  antlers,  and  James  Funk  attempted  to  shoot  it, 
but  stopped  for  fear  of  killing  men  or  dogs.  At  last,  George 
Stubblefield  ended  the  exciting  contest  by  killing  the  deer  with 
his  pocket  knife. 


728  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

George  and  Adam  Stubblefield  ouce  had  an  exciting  wolf 
chase  on  the  ice  of  the  creek,  and  Adam  succeeded  in  catching 
the  wolf  by  the  hind  legs,  but  let  it  loose  to  see  it  tight  the  dogs. 
The  result  was  another  chase  of  half  a  mile,  to  get  possession  of 
the  wolf. 

Mr.  Jesse  Stubblefield  did  not  begin  to  pay  his  addresses  to 
the  ladies  as  early  as  his  brother  George.  Mr.  Jesse  Stubblefield 
married  Miss  Rebecca  Cuppy,  August  14,  1851.  By  this  mar- 
riage he  had  five  children,  of  whom  four  are  living.     They  are  : 

Thomas,  Robert,  John  C.  and  Sarah  Rebecca,  and  all  live  at 
home.  Mrs.  Stubblefield  died  March  25,  1862.  She  was  a  most 
excellent  wife  and  mother. 

On  the  seventh  of  September,  1863,  Mr.  Stubblefield  married 
Mary  C.  Showdy,  daughter  of  George  W.  Showdy,  deceased,  of 
Logan  County.  She  is  a  most  amiable  and  accomplished  lady, 
very  kind  in  her  manner  and  entertaining  in  her  conversation. 
By  this  marriage  Mr.  Stubblefield  has  had  six  children,  of  whom 
five  are  living.     They  are  : 

Ida  May,  James  W.,  Dorothy,  George  Showdy  and  William 
Martin.     They  all  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Stubblefield  is  six  feet  and  two  and  a-half  inches  in 
height  and  weighs  two  hundred  and  twenty  pounds.  His  hair 
was  formerly  brown,  but  now  is  becoming  gray.  His  eyes  are 
gray  and  have  a  pleasant,  humorous  expression.  He  is  a  first 
class  business  man,  which  appears  to  be  a  characteristic  of  the 
Stubblefield  family.  He  is  a  man  of  public  spirit  and  was  twice 
commissioner  of  highways  of  Mt.  Hope  township.  He  takes  an 
interest  in  education,  and  for  twelve  years  has  been  a  school 
director.     He  has  met  with  great  success  as  a  stock  raiser. 

William   Hieronymus. 

William  Hieronymus  was  born  February  13, 1788,  at  the  foot 
of  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains  in  Virginia.  His  parents  were  of 
English  and  Dutch  descent.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  led  a 
farmer's  life.  When  he  was  a  young  man,  he  and  his  father 
went  to  Madison  County,  Kentucky,  to  look  at  the  country,  and 
were  so  well  pleased  with  it,  that  William  remained  to  raise  a 
crop,  while  his  father  returned  for  the  family,  which  came  out 
in  the  fall.     William  Hieronymus  married,  August  14,  1811, 


m'lean  county.  729 

Alvira  Darnell,  probably  in  Madison  County.  During  the  war 
of  1812,  he  was  drafted,  but  the  situation  of  his  family  made  it 
impossible  for  him  to  leave,  so  he  hired  a  substitute.  He  fol- 
lowed boat-building  for  a  while,  as  business  of  building  flatboats 
was  one  which  grew  with  the  growth  of  commerce.  He  was  a 
skillful  workman  with  a  broadaxe,  and  could  handle  it  to  per- 
fection. In  the  year  1818,  he  went  to  Boone  County,  Missouri, 
and  settled  on  the  Missouri  River.  The  place  is  now  washed 
away  and  forms  the  channel  of  the  stream.  He  lived  three  years 
in  Missouri,  then  went  back  to  Kentucky  to  his  old  home,  then, 
after  a  few  years,  went  to  the  Big  Bone  Lick.  This  lick  is  a 
deep  lake  of  mud  and  water,  the  water  being  very  shallow.  The 
mud  has  apparently  no  bottom.  The  animals,  which  in  former 
years  went  there  to  drink,  sank  down  and  died.  Their  bones 
are  so  numerous  that  the  place  is  called  the  Big  Bone  Lick.  The 
bones  of  many  curious  animals  have  been  found  there ;  and  par- 
ticularly curious  were  the  bones  of  the  large  mammoth,  which 
was  placed  in  Barnum's  museum.  Enoch  Hieronymus  has 
seen  a  bone  from  this  lake,  large  enough  for  nine  men  to  sit  on. 
The  water  of  the  lake  was  impregnated  with  sulphur,  and  people 
from  the  surrounding  country  came  there  to  drink  it  for  their 
health.  In  the  fall  of  1828,  William  Hieronymus  started  for 
Illinois.  His  family  moved  with  several  other  families,  number- 
ing in  all  forty-two  persons.  The  oldest  man  in  the  company 
was  George  Henline,  whose  sons  John,  George,  Henry,  William 
and  David,  all  had  families.  They  camped  the  last  night  of 
their  journey  in  Blooming  Grove,  at  what. is  now  called  the 
Nathan  Low  farm,  then  owned  by  a  Mr.  Latta,  and  the  next  day 
went  to  Hittle's  Grove  in  Tazewell  County,  where  they  made 
arrangements  for  locations.  Old  George  Henline  and  Henry 
and  David  remained  at  Hittle's  Grove;  but  John,  George,  jr. 
and  William,  settled  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Mackinaw,  where 
they  made  a  permanent  location.  William  Hieronymus  went 
from  Hittle's  Grove  to  Hieronymus  Grove,  in  October,  1828, 
and  there  threw  up  a  half  faced  camp.  During  the  winter,  he 
built  a  small  cabin,  in  which  he  lived  for  some  years.  In  the 
following  spring  he  opened  up  a  small  farm,  which  was  carried 
on  by  his  sons,  while  he  made  looms,  barrels,  stocks  of  ploughs, 
etc.     He  was  very  skillful  in  the  use  of  tools.     He  worked  at 


730  OLD   SETTLERS    OF 

this  business  more  or  less  until  his  death,  which  occurred  March 
12,  1848. 

William  Hieronymus  was  a  tall  man,  standing  six  feet  and 
two  and  one-half  inches.  His  bones  were  large  and  his  features 
prominent.  Hieronymus  Grove  received  its  name  from  him. 
He  had  nine  children,  of  whom  only  three  are  living.    They  are  : 

Enoch  Hieronymus,  who  lives  in  Mt.  Hope  township,  in 
McLean  County,  in  the  edge  of  Hieronymus  Grove. 

Benjamin  Hieronymus,  who  lives  at  the  head  of  Indian 
Grove,  in  Livingston  County,  and 

William  Hieronymous,  jr.,  who  lives  on  the  homestead  place. 

Enoch  Hieronymus. 

Enoch  Hieronymus  was  born  March  7,  1816,  in  Madison 
County,  Kentucky.  He  accompanied  the  family  wherever  it 
went,  as  stated  in  the  preceding  sketch,  of  his  father.  In  his 
younger  days  he  worked  a  great  deal  in  the  tobacco  patch,  but 
acquired  a  distaste  for  tobacco  and  never  used  it.  He  thinks 
young  men  should  all  have  an  opportunity  to  work  in  a  tobacco 
patch. 

In  the  fall  of  1828,  the  family  came  to  Illinois.  Here  Enoch 
worked  hard  ;  nevertheless,  he  was  fond  of  hunting.  He  hunted 
deer  and  turkeys,  and  trapped  mink  and  otter.  He  once  came 
close  to  a  panther  while  hunting,  but  did  not  succeed  in  killing 
it.  He  was  watching  a  deer  lick,  and  heard  a  deer  come  plash- 
ing through  the  water,  and  while  watching  for  it,  a  panther  came 
up  on  its  trail.  The  panther  stopped  within  two  or  three  rods  of 
Enoch  and  sat  down.  He  attempted  to  shoot  it,  but  the  flint- 
lock flashed  in  the  pan,  and  as  he  had  no  more  powder  in  the 
horn,  he  stood  still,  and  man  and  beast  watched  each  other  in- 
tently. The  panther  was  motionless,  except  a  gentle  waving  of 
its  tail.  Enoch  called  for  his  dog,  and  the  moment  the  bull-dog 
came  in  sight,  the  panther  fled.  Enoch  went  home  for  powder, 
and  wished  to  hunt  the  panther,  but  his  bull-dog,  which  never 
had  flinched  before,  could  not  be  induced  to  take  the  lead.  Enoch 
was  then  only  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  of  age. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  the  Hieronymus  family 
pounded  corn,  of  course,  as  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  to  go  to 
mill,  and  when  thev  did  <ro,  thevwere  obliged  to  travel  on  horse- 


m'lean  county.  731 

back.  He  made  snow-shoes  that  winter  out  of  boards  ten  inches 
square,  which  were  lashed  to  his  feet,  and  with  these  he  could 
chase  the  deer.  He  could  travel  over  the  snow  with  them  very 
well,  though  sometimes  they  would  go  down  with  him. 

The  settlers  went  to  Bloomington  for  doctors.  Enoch  Hier- 
onvmus  once  went  to  Blooming-ton  during  the  night,  for  a  doctor, 
and  returned  the  same  night. 

Enoch  was  a  great  rail  splitter,  and  made  six  thousand  four 
hundred  and  twenty  rails  in  one  lot.  He  commenced  between 
Christmas  and  j\Tew  Years,  and  worked  until  the  middle  of  March. 
During  the  winter  and  spring  of  1838-9,  he  made  and  hauled 
rails  enough  to  enclose  fifty  acres  of  land. 

He  married,  August  22,  1839,  Elizabeth  A.  Thompson,  who 
was  born  April  14,  1819,  in  Dixon  County,  Tennessee.  Her 
parents  came  to  Illinois  in  1829,  and  lived  six  months  in  Sanga- 
mon County ;  then  they  moved  to  the  Forks  of  the  Creek  settle- 
ment, in  what  is  now  Logan  County.  There  Elizabeth  lived  until 
her  marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hieronymus  have  never  had  any 
children  of  their  own,  but  raised  the  orphan  children  of  James 
Hieronymus,  who  died  in  1848.  The  wife  of  James  died  a  few 
months  before  her  husband.  Enoch  and  his  wife  took  to  their 
house  one  girl,  two  boys,  and  one  infant  child.  Another  infant 
child,  twin  to  the  first,  was  raised  by  the  sister  of  Mrs.  Hierony- 
mus. The  infant  taken  by  Mrs.  Hieronymus  soon  died.  The 
two  boys  and  the  girl  have  grown  up,  and  are  happily  married 
and  settled  in  life.     They  are  : 

Mrs.  Alvira  McAfee,  wife  of  Benjamin  McAfee,  lives  in  Wasco 
Count}7,  Oregon. 

Benjamin  R.  Hieronymus  now  lives  in  Tazewell  County, 
within  a  half  a  mile  of  the  homestead. 

Thomas  H.  Hieronymus  lives  within  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
of  the  homestead,  in  Tazewell  County. 

Both  Benjamin  and  Thomas  served  about  three  years  in  the 
army.  They  enlisted  under  Captain  Kinsey,  and  served  in  Com- 
pany E,  One  Hundred  and  Seventeenth  Illinois. 

Benjamin  was  elected  a  lieutenant,  and  served  for  a  while  as 
captain. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hieronymus  thought  as  much  of  these  children 
as  their  own  parents  could,  and  now  are  anxious  for  their  welfare 
and  proud  of  their  success. 


1 


732  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Hieronymus  has  done  some  hard  work.  He  and  his  wife, 
after  their  marriage,  determined  "to  buy  first  what  they  needed 
worst,  and  only  what  they  could,  and  afterwards  what  they 
would."  They  lived  seven  years  in  a  log  cabin,  which  Enoch 
Hieronymus  built.  The  material  for  their  present  substantial 
house  was  brought  from  many  quarters.  Mr.  Hieronymus  cut 
some  of  the  timber  and  hauled  it  to  be  sawed.  He  hauled  the 
rest  of  the  lumber  from  Chicago. 

Mr.  Hieronymus  has  done  very  well  in  worldly  matters.  He 
has  had  about  a  thousand  acres  of  land,  and  has  now  about  four 
hundred  and  sixty  acres.  In  1869  he  built  a  Christian  Church  at 
Hieronymus  Grove,  and  it  is  called  the  Hieronymus  Grove 
Church.  He  is  about  five  feet  and  nine  inches  in  height,  and  is 
rather  slim.  The  lines  on  his  face  would  indicate  decision  of 
character  and  kindness  of  heart.  He  is  perfectly  straightforward 
in  his  dealings,  and  is  remarkable  for  his  peculiar  tenderness  of 
feeling.     In  this  respect  his  wife  is  very  much  like  him. 

John  Hougham. 

John  Hougham  was  born  November  19,  1810,  in  Highland 
County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  Eunyon  Hougham,  and 
his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Sarah  Lamon.  His 
father  was  of  English  descent,  and  his  mother  of  Dutch.  John 
Hougham  never  cut  up  many  capers  in  Ohio,  but  was  always  a 
moral  young  man.  He  came  with  the  family  to  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, to  Funk's  Grove,  McLean  County,  in  the  fall  of  1831.  They  ■ 
had  a  hard  time  coming  through  the  sloughs,  and  were  once  two 
days  in  going  ten  miles.  The}*  were  sometimes  water-bound,  and 
were  obliged  to  make  bridges.  When  they  came  to  the  Wabash 
prairie  they  found  the  sloughs  without  bottom.  When  he  arrived 
here,  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm.  He  has  never  traveled 
much,  and  has  had  very  few  adventures.  He  intended  to  see  a 
great  deal  of  the  world,  before  he  settled  down,  but  foiled  to 
carry  out  this  resolution.  He  remembers  the  sudden  change  of 
weather  in  December,  1836,  and  says  it  was  the  "  awfullest, 
quickest  change  he  ever  saw."  He  was  then  out  hunting  turkeys, 
but  came  home  suddenly.  He  never  hunted  much,  except  after 
turkeys,  and  he  "  reckons  he  has  killed  right  smart  of  them.*' 


m'lean  county.  733 

He  used  to  wrestle  a  great  deal,  as  all  the  early  settlers  did,  and 
was  thrown  only  once  in  his  life,  "  best  two  out  of  three." 

Mr.  Hougham  is  not  much  of  a  traveler,  though  he  once 
drove  hogs  to  Galena.  But  he  said  it  hurt  his  feet  terribly,  and 
that  "  if  God  would  forgive  him  for  going  that  time,  he  would 
never  go  again." 

In  the  vear  1840,  Mr.  Hougham  found  the  woman  of  his 
choice.  He  married  Miss  Eliza  Ann  Brock,  on  the  4th  of  April 
of  that  year.  She  is  yet  living.  He  says  he  was  only  married 
once,  that  was  enough  for  him ;  it  was  necessary  to  have  some 
woman  to  take  care  of  him. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Hougham  is  an  old  time  Democrat.  In  answer 
to  the  question  as  to  how  he  came  to  be  a  Democrat,  he  said  that 
his  father  was  a  Democrat  and  all  the  family  likewise,  and  that 
he  came  to  be  a  Democrat  as  a  matter  of  course.  He  voted  first 
for  General  Jackson,  and  continued  to  vote  for  him  three  times, 
and  has  ever  since  voted  for  Jackson's  friends.  He  says  he  never 
pulled  wires  in  his  life,  or  wrote  a  political  document,  or  made  a 
stump  speech.  He  does  not  approve  of  stump  speaking,  and  will 
not  patronize  it,  as  he  thinks  it  does  more  injury  than  good.  His 
opinion  of  Petroleum  V.  Nasby  is,  that  the  latter  has  done  more 
harm  than  good  to  the  Democratic  party.  He  thinks  the  Chicago 
Times  is  the  best  paper  printed,  and  the  only  objection  to  it  is  its 
tine  type.  He  now  takes  the  Bloomington  Democrat,  because  it 
costs  $1.50  per  annum,  and  he  wishes  to  patronize  "home  con- 
sumption." Mr.  Hougham  did  not  vote  for  Horace  Greeley  du- 
ring the  last  campaign,  though  he  considered  Greeley  a  very  smart 
man.  But  his  objection  was,  that  the  latter  brought  on  the  war 
of  the  rebellion.  He  was  the  disturbing  cause  and  responsible 
for  it,  though  the  South  did  not  do  altogether  right.  It  was  Mr. 
Hougham's  opinion,  after  considering  the  matter  carefully,  that 
Greeley  was  nominated  for  the  purpose  of  "  running  in  Grant," 
so  he  determined  to  vote  for  "  nary  a  one  of  'em." 

Mr.  Hougham  has  taken  very  little  interest  in  religious  mat- 
ters, though  he  once  contributed  ten  cents  to  the  Universalists. 

In  personal  appearance  Mr.  Hougham  is  six  feet  and  one  inch 
in  height,  and  weighs  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  pounds.  He  very 
much  resembles  Horace  Greeley,  though  the  latter  did  not  have 
the  winning  smile  which  Mr.  Hougham's  countenance  wears,  and 


734  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

an  acute  observer  might  detect  several  points  of  difference  in 
their  intellectual  development.  Mr.  Hougham  is  a  kind  man, 
and  a  pleasant  neighbor.  He  is  anxious  that  his  name  shall  be 
spelled  correctly,  and  is  annoyed  to  think  that  a  "  heap  of  people 
spell  it  Hutfam." 

The  author  would  have  been  glad  to  have  written  a  sketch  of 
Lamon  Hougham  also,  but  the  latter  refused  to  give  any  items  of 
his  life,  as  he  "  did  not  wish  to  encourage  speculation  in  books." 

Westley  Hougham. 

Westley  Hougham,  the  brother  of  John  Hougham,  was  born 
March  3,  1820,  in  Highland  County,  Ohio.  He  was  always  a 
moral  boy,  and  never  cut  up  capers  or  shines.  He  came  to 
Funk's  Grove  in  November,  1831.  He  had  no  particular  adven- 
ture on  the  way,  except  difficulties  with  the  mud,  which  delayed 
the  family  for  some  time,  as  they  were  obliged  to  make  a  great 
many  bridges.  On  his  arrival  he  immediately  commenced  farm- 
ing and  shaking  with  the  fever  and  ague.  Sometimes  he  farmed 
for  his  mother  and  sometimes  for  himself.  When  he  became  a 
"chunk  of  a  boy"  he  ran  wolves  and  deer  and  turkeys,  and 
sometimes  was  successful  in  catching  them  and  sometimes  they 
won  the  race.  When  the  sudden  change  in  the  weather  in  De- 
cember, 1836,  came,  he  was  chasing  turkeys  about  four  miles 
from  home,  but  made  good  time  back,  as  may  be  supposed.  He 
was  obliged  to  swim  Sugar  Creek. 

He  married,  September  5,  1845,  Miss  Ellen  Smith,  and  by 
this  marriage  has  had  four  children,  of  whom  three  are  living. 
His  wife  died  in  1854.  He  married,  February  18,  1857,  Mar- 
garet Ross,  and  by  this  marriage  has  had  four  children,  of  whom 
three  are  living.  Two  of  Mr.  Hougham's  children  are  married. 
They  are  : 

James  Thomas  Hougham,  who  lives  within  half  a  mile  of  his 
father's  house. 

Mrs.  America  Ann  Boler  lives  within  a  mile  of  her  father's 
house. 

Mr.  Hougham  lacks  half  an  inch  of  being  six  feet  in  height, 
when  measured  in  his  stocking  feet.     That  was  his  measurement 


m'lean  county.  735 

at  Springfield,  when  he  went  to  see  if  he  would  do  for  a  soldier. 
He  weighs  three  or  four  hundred  pounds,  he  does  not  know  pre- 
cisely which.     He  is  stout  and  pretty  active. 

John  Longworth. 

John  Longworth  was  born  September  2,  1809,  in  Marietta, 
Washington  County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  Robert  Long- 
worth,  and  his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Nancy 
Reilly.  Robert  Longworth  was  of  English  descent  and  his  wife 
Nancy  was  of  English  and  Irish.  Her  father  died  a  soldier  in 
the  Continental  army,  when  she  was  only  a  child. 

When  John  Longworth  was  three  years  of  age,  his  parents 
moved  to  Muskingum  County,  Ohio.  He  was  not  old  enough 
to  remember  anything  of  the  war  of  1812.  He  only  recollects 
hearing  of  a  young  woman  who  was  captured  by  Indians.  When 
they  were  about  to  kill  her,  she  called  on  the  Great  Spirit,  by 
the  name  which  the  Indians  knew  it,  and  this  so  astonished  them 
and  so  awakened  their  superstition  that  they  released  her.  Du- 
ring the  war  of  1812,  Robert  Longworth  was  stationed  on  the 
river,  and  it  was  his  duty  to  hail  all  boats  that  passed,  especially 
all  that  came  down.  He  stayed  about  seven  years  in  Muskin- 
gum County,  and  there  worked  very  hard,  and  made  money 
enough  to  enter  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Morgan 
County,  to  which  place  he  moved. 

John  Longworth  grew  to  manhood  in  Ohio,  and  received 
there  the  common  school  education,  which  the  country  afforded. 
When  he  was  old  enough  to  be  of  service,  as  a  workman,  he 
went  to  the  Muskingum  River  and  there  engaged  in  the  salt 
business,  and  sent  the  salt  up  and  down  the  river  in  flatboats. 

He  married,  February  24,  1831,  Prudence  P.  Edwards. 

In  March,  1832,  the  Muskingum  River  was  very  high,  and 
inundated  everything  along  its  banks.  Houses  and  fences  were 
floated  oft'.  At  one  time  during  this  flood,  two  men  found  float- 
ing down  the  Ohio  River,  a  cradle  with  a  baby  in  it.  They  had 
considerable  strife  to  decide  who  should  have  this  little  Moses 
from  the  bullrushes. 

In  the  spring  of  1836  he  came  to  Johnson's  Grove,  McLean 
County,  Illinois.  He  came  by  steamboat  to  Pekin  and  across  by 
team  to  Johnson's  Grove  in  the  present  township  of  Mt.  Hope. 


736  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Robert  Longworth,  the  father  of  John,  had  come  out  the  year 
before,  had  bought  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which 
Johnson  had  entered,  and  the  latter's  claim  on  eighty  acres  of 
timber.  When  John  Longworth  came,  he  made  a  claim  on  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  and  settled  on  eighty  acres 
more. 

In  December,  1836,  a  company  came  on  from  the  east,  and 
entered  eight  thousand  acres  of  land,  very  nearly  in  the  shape  of 
a  square  ;  and  as  the  company  had  twenty-five  shares,  this  left 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  apiece.  They  also  en- 
tered other  land  and  gave  the  earliest  settlers  each  a  premium  of 
forty  acres.  This  land  comprised  the  greater  part  of  the  town- 
ship of  Mt.  Hope.  This  land  was  surveyed  in  the  summer  of 
1837.  Mr.  Longworth  assisted  in  the  survey.  They  tried  to  find 
the  corners,  which  had  been  laid  out  by  the  governmental  sur- 
vey. These  were  marked  by  stakes,  holes  and  pits  of  charcoal. 
On  the  up-land,  these  corners  could  usually  be  found,  but  on  the 
low-land  they  were  sometimes  wanting.  This  Mt.  Hope  com- 
pany entered  the  land  which  Mr.  Longworth  claimed.  It  was 
the  custom  among  the  settlers  never  to  enter  a  piece  of  land  on 
which  one  of  them  had  made  a  settlement,  but  the  company  en- 
tered all  of  its  land  together,  and  knew  nothing  of  Mr.  Long- 
worth's  settlement.  But  he  succeeded  in  making  terms  with 
the  company,  by  paying  about  what  it  cost  to  enter  and  survey 
the  land. 

In  December,  1836,  the  sudden  change  in  the  weather  occur- 
red. Mr.  Longworth  was  then  at  his  father's  house,  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  and  when  the  windstorm  came,  he 
went  home,  and  was  sheltered  by  timber  on  the  way,  but  thought 
he  did  well  to  get  to  his  house.  His  brother  had  been  riding 
that  afternoon  and  was  wet  by  the  rain.  "When  the  sudden 
change  occurred  his  boots  were  frozen  into  his  stirrups,  and  when 
he  arrived  at  his  father-in-law's  house,  the  stirrups  were  knocked 
loose  before  he  could  dismount.  All  of  Mr.  Longworth's 
chickens  were  frozen  to  death,  except  one  tough  old  rooster. 
Much  of  his  stock  was  frozen.  He  saw  one  cow,  which  seemed 
to  have  been  frozen  as  she  stood  in  her  tracks.  This  terrible 
change  seemed  to  frighten  all  animals,  and  take  away  their 
original  natures,  for  they  all  huddled  together,  their  fear  of  each 


m'lean  county.  737 

other  being  overcome  by  their  greater  fear  of  the  elements 
around  them.  A  man  named  Houser  had  just  come  to  the 
country  with  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  other  stock,  and  they  all 
huddled  together  in  a  log  stable,  and  the  next  morning  were 
covered  with  a  white  frost,  which  was  .the  frozen  moisture  of 
their  breath. 

Mr.  Longworth  has  experienced  nearly  all  of  the  hardships 
to  which  the  early  settlers  were  subjected.  He  broke  prairie 
and  raised  sod  corn  for  the  first  crop.  The  corn  was  dropped 
just  ahead  of  the  plough  as  the  sod  was  turned  over.  The 
dropper  rode  on  the  plough.  The  corn  was  planted  in  every 
third  furrow. 

Mr.  Longworth  has  raised  a  family  of  intelligent,  happy  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  three  daughters.  They  are  full  of  humor 
and  pleasant,  practical  jokes.     They  are  : 

Mrs.  Sarah  Ann  Farnsworth,  wife  of  E.  H.  Farnsworth,  lives 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  McLean. 

Mrs.  Belinda  McCormick,  wife  of  Marion  McCormick,  lives 
two  miles  and  a  quarter  west  of  McLean. 

Augustus  Longworth  lives  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  McLean. 

David  Newton  Longworth  (called  Newt !)  and  Albert  Long- 
worth,  live  at  home,  though  both  have  farms.  Newton  is  con- 
nected with  the  drug  store  in  McLean,  which  is  carried  on  by 
Longworth  &  Palmer. 

Mattie  J.  Longworth  lives  at  home.  Her  name  is  not  changed 
yet. 

Mr.  Longworth  lacks  one  inch  of  being  six  feet  in  height. 
He  is  a  man  of  very  good  humor,  appears  to  be  very  fair-minded, 
and  has  the  perfect  confidence  of  the  community  where  he  re- 
sides. He  has  been  school  treasurer,  and  has  assessed  the 
township  more  than  all  of  the  other  assessors  put  together.  He 
has  been  elected  constable,  and  re-elected  against  his  will,  and'at 
last  refused  to  qualify. 


47 


738  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

OLD  TOWK 

Lewis  Case. 

Lewis  Case  was  born,  February  27,  1809,  in  Ontario  County, 
New  York.  His  father's  name  was  Abner  Case,  and  his  mother's 
name  before  her  marriage  was  Olive  Holland.  Both  were  full 
blooded  Connecticut  Yankees.  Abner  Case  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1812.  He  was  a  private  and  served  under  Generals  Scott 
and  Harrison.  He  saw  the  burning  of  Buffalo,  the  blowing  up 
of  Fort  Erie,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Luudy's  Lane.  During 
the  latter  fight  he  was  stationed  in  an  orchard.  During  his  ser- 
vice under  General  Harrison  he  was  slightly  wounded,  having 
three  fingers  of  his  left  hand  shot  off.  Mr.  Case  drew  a  pension 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  January  6, 1854.  His  wife  died 
on  the  day  following,  and  both  were  buried  in  the  same  grave  in 
"Wisconsin,  near  Madison. 

Lewis  Case  lived  in  Ontario  County  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age.  There  he  received  his  education,  which  was  that 
of  the  common  school.  The  scholars  in  that  section  of  country 
complied  with  the  custom  of  those  days,  which  was  to  bar  out 
the  schoolmaster  on  Christmas  day.  At  one  time  they  barred 
out  the  master  and  the  contest  lasted  three  days.  They  fortified 
themselves  in  the  schoolhouse  and  stood  the  siege.  The  people 
near  by  gave  the  scholars  plenty  to  eat,  lots  of  cake  and  cider 
and  fuel  to  burn  in  the  fireplace.  The  schoolmaster  tried  to 
smoke  them  out  by  covering  the  chimney,  and  for  a  while  it 
seemed  that  he  would  succeed  ;  but  the  scholars  put  out  the  fire 
by  pouring  on  cider,  and  stopped  the  smoke.  After  three  days 
the  contest  ended  in  breaking  up  the  school 

In  the  year  1824,  the  family  moved  to  Huron  County,  Ohio. 
They  lived  in  the  woods  among  the  large  timber  wolves,  which 
were  very  plenty.  At  one  time  a  timber  wolf  was  caught  by  the 
fore  leg  in  a  trap,  and  the  dogs  were  collected  from  all  over  the 
country  to  fight  it,  but  it  whipped  them  all. 

In  July,  1833,  Lewis  Case  came  with  his  wife  and  child  to 
McLean  County,  Illinois,  and  settled  on  Kickapoo  Creek,  on  the 
north  side  of  Old  Town  timber.  "When  they  first  came,  they 
went  to  Bloomington,  and  the  first  man  to  welcome  them  and 


m'lean  county.  739 

give  them  their  dinner  was  General  Gridley,  who  then  boarded 
at  James  Allin's.  During  the  following  winter,  the  families  of 
Lewis  Case,  Abner  Case,  Charles  Lewis  and  Thaddeus  Case, 
fifteen  persons  in  all,  wintered  in  a  little  house  fourteen  feet 
square.  Their  household  goods  were  put  up  around  the  sides  of 
the  room  on  pins.  They  had  two  bedsteads  and  two  trundle 
beds.  A  part  of  the  folks  were  obliged  to  retire  at  night  before' 
the  remainder  could  make  their  beds  on  the  floor.  During  that 
winter  Mr.  Case  cut,  split  and  hauled  logs  for  a  house.  In  the 
spring  the  house  was  built,  and  in  April  they  moved  into  it.  It 
was  a  small  cabin,  but  Mrs.  Case  had  room  in  it  for  a  spinning- 
wheel  and  a  loom.  She  spun  and  wove  the  clothing  for  the 
family,  and  when  her  girls  were  large  enough  they  also  were 
taught  to  spin  and  weave.  She  made  linsey,  jeans  and  linen, 
and  the  family  lived  happily  in  the  rude  cabin  with  their  home- 
spun attire.  For  three  years  they  remained  in  the  little  cabin 
and  then  moved  to  where  they  now  live. 

For  thirteen  years,  the  house  of  Mr.  Case  was  used  as  a 
preaching  place  by  the  Methodists.  This  was  the  first  denomi- 
nation here.  After  a  while  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians  came 
in  and  joined  with  the  Methodists  and  built  the  Union  Church. 
But  the  old  church  having  served  its  time,  the  Methodists  built 
a  new  one  called  the  Hopewell  Church.  The  old  building  was 
sold  for  eighty  dollars  in  money,  which  was  divided  between  the 
two  denominations  that  built  it.  George  Gar  now  uses  the  old 
church  for  a  barn.  The  people  seemed  to  enjoy  themselves  very 
well  at  the  meetings  held  at  private  houses.  The  congregation 
often  filled  the  house,  and  sometimes  the  bedding  and  furniture 
were  carried  out  to  make  room. 

The  early  settlers  were  always  anxious  to  have  their  children 
educated,  and  were  willing  to  make  all  sacrifices.  School  was 
kept  during  one  summer  in  Mr.  Case's  barn.  Mrs.  Case  was 
careful  to  see  that  her  children  attended  punctually  and  regu- 
larly, and  says  that  one  of  her  children  missed  only  two  or  three 
days  in  the  year. 

Mrs.  Case  was  an  industrious  woman.  She  made  clothes  tor 
people  and  took  her  pay  in  work.  She  made  coats  for  the  men, 
and  they  in  return  made  hay  or  ploughed  for  Mr.  Case.  She 
made  a  coat  for  Senator  John  Cusey,  and  he  made  hay  for  a 


740  OLD   SETTLERS    OF 

week  to  pay  for  it,  and  worked  well.     Mr.  Case  was  also  indus- 
trious and  made  shoes  and  cobbled  for  the  neighborhood. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1831,  Mr.  Case  married  Sarah  Hen- 
dryx,  in  Huron  County,  Ohio.  He  has  had  five  children,  ol 
whom  four  are  living.     They  are : 

Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Peter  B.  Price,  lives  at  Downs  Station. 

Olive,  wife  of  J.  W.  Savage,  lives  near  Downs. 

Sarah  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Wesley  Savage,  lives  in  Downs 
township,  near  the  eastern  boundary. 

Hannah  Emeline,  wife  of  Sylvanus  Michael,  lives  in  Old 
Town,  near  the  western  boundary. 

Mr.  Case  is  five  feet  and  nine  or  ten  inches  in  height.  His 
head  is  partially  bald,  and  his  nose  is  Roman.  He  is  a  worthy 
man  and  thinks  much  of  his  family  and  friends.  He  is  hospita- 
ble and  kind  to  all.  He  has  succeeded  well  and  has  accumulated 
enough  property  to  make  him  comfortable;  but  his  industrious 
habits  cling  to  him,  and  he  continues  to  carry  on  his  farm  as  in 
t,he  days  of  the  early  settlement. 

Harvey  Bishop. 

Harvey  Bishop,  eldest  son  of  William  Bishop,  was  born  Au- 
gust 2,  1821,  in  Virginia.  In  the  year  1833  the  Bishop  family 
came  to  Illinois.  William  Bishop  wished  to  obtain  land  for  his 
children,  and  it  cost  too  much  in  Ohio. 

Mr.  Bishop  obtained  his  education  in  a  log  school  house  du- 
ring the  winters,  as  all  the  pioneer  children  did.  The  school 
teachers  in  those  days  were  severe ;  and  Mr.  Bishop  remembers 
an  instance  where  the  courts  interfered,  and  a  teacher  was  fined 
for  the  severity  and  brutality  of  his  punishment.  He  went  to 
school  for  one  winter  to  John  Magoun  in  Old  Town  and  found 
him  a  most  excellent  teacher.  He  never  punished  his  scholars, 
and  they  all  liked  him,  aud  he  had  great  success.  It  was  then 
very  evident  that  Mr.  Magoun  would  remain  an  old  bachelor, 
as  he  did  not  pay  his  addresses  to  the  ladies  of  Old  Town.  He 
was  a  very  conscientious  teacher,  and  his  scholars  had  confidence 
in  him. 

Mr.  Bishop  was  never  a  hunter,  and  only  killed  one  deer  in 
his  life.  This  was  when  he  was  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  of 
age.     A  light  snow  had  fallen  on  the  ground,  and  he  asked  his 


m'lean  county.  741 

father  for  his  gun  to  go  hunting.  The  old  gentleman  allowed 
Harvey  Bishop  to  take  the  gun,  and  promised  him  a  dollar  for 
every  deer  he  killed.  Harvey  Bishop  succeeded  in  killing  one, 
and  received  his  money.  He  frequently  hunted  wolves,  and  ran 
them  down  or  caught  them  in  traps.  Mr.  Bishop  entered  a  part 
of  the  land  where  he  now  lives  in  Old  Town,  and  a  part  was 
given  him  by  his  father.  He  entered  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  of  prairie  and  forty  acres  of  timber,  and  he  has  been  very 
successful  in  its  management. 

On  the  25th  of  February,  1850,  he  married  Mrs.  Mary  Ann 
Depew,  a  widow,  who  died  November  26,  1856.  One  child,  born 
of  this  marriage,  is  now  dead.  On  the  first  of  January,  1861, 
Mr.  Bishop  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Hart,  of  Old  Town.  Their 
only  child,  William  Henry  Bishop,  lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Bishop  is  five  feet  and  eight  inches  in  height,  is  rather 
spare  in  build,  has  blue  eyes,  uses  spectacles  occasionally,  has 
hair  light  colored  and  rather  thin.  He  is  good-natured  and  very 
kind  in  his  manner.  He  has  served  in  various  positions  in  the 
township.  He  has  always  been  very  independent  in  his  political 
affiliations  and  has  usually  voted  for  the  best  men,  regardless  of 
party.  He  does  not  belong  to  any  church,  but  is  a  man  of  in- 
tegrity and  correct  principle.  Mrs.  Bishop  takes  a  great  deal 
of  pride  in  her  husband,  and  she  is  in  every  respect  worthy  of 
him. 

Frederick  Rives  Cowden. 

Frederick  R.  Cowden  was  born  November  30,  1811,  in  Allen 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  James  Cowden,  and 
his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was  Lucy  Rives.  He  is 
partly  of  Irish  descent.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  worked  in 
a  tobacco  field,  but  had  no  particular  adventure.  When  he  be- 
came twenty  years  of  age  he  went  to  Warren  County,  Kentucky. 
There  he  became  acquainted  with  Mr.  John  Price,  whose  sketch 
appears  in  this  volume.  They  often  hunted  together,  and  killed 
a  great  deal  of  game.  They  frequently  shot  at  game,  both  at 
once,  and  tramped  on  each  other's  toes  to  know  when  to  pull  the 
trigger.  If  only  one  shot  took  effect  it  was  supposed  that  Price 
had  missed  ! 


742  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

In  the  fall  of  1833  Mr.  Cowden  came  to  Greene  County,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  lived  until  1834,  when  he  came  to  McLean  County. 
He  started  with  Elias  Wall  and  James  B.  Price,  but  left  them  at 
Ranellville,  Kentucky.  After  traveling  two  days,  he  met  two  of 
his  cousins  going  to  Illinois,  and  he  went  in  company  with  them. 
When  he  arrived  in  McLean  County,  he  went  to  work  sawing 
lumber  with  a  whip  saw.  This  lumber,  sawed  by  hand,  was  sold 
to  John  Rhodes  for  two  dollars  per  hundred,  and  is  now  a  part 
of  his  barn.  Mr.  Cowden  sawed  finishing  lumber  of  white  wal- 
nut for  parties  in  Bloomington,  and  also  for  the  first  hotel  at  Mt. 
Pleasant  (Farmer  City).  He  hunted  occasionally  with  John 
Price,  and  killed  a  great  many  deer  and  turkeys.  Mr.  Cowden 
tells  some  jokes  on  John  Price,  which  caused  great  amusement. 
Price  was  a  good  hunter,  but  for  some  unexplained  reason  he,  at 
times,  could  scarcely  kill  anything.  Mr.  Cowden  says  that  Price 
once  shot  some  thirty  times  in  one  day  at  deer  without  hitting  a 
single  one.  The  latter  complained  of  a  flaw  in  the  gun,  but  Mr. 
Cowden  killed  three  deer  in  one  day  with  it,  and  said  that  the 
flaw  was  now  gone.  Mr.  Price  could  kill  game  afterwards.  Mr. 
Cowden  says  that  Price  was  very  cautious  about  approaching  a 
wounded  deer,  and  once  killed  a  buck,  which  ran  into  a  clump  of 
brush  and  died ;  but  as  Mr.  Price  had  some  suspicion  as  to 
whether  the  buck  was  really  dead,  he  rode  around  the  thicket  and 
fired  at  it  seven  or  eight  times  !  Mr.  Cowden  once  wounded  a 
deer,  but  would  not  shoot  again,  for  fear  of  being  laughed  at,  and 
grappled  it.  The  struggle  which  followed  was  so  severe  that 
Cowden  wished  he  had  given  the  deer  another  shot. 

He  has  had  great  difficulty  with  the  fires  on  the  prairie,  which 
came  so  swiftly  and  were  so  hot  that  the  danger  from  them  was 
very  great. 

Mr.  Cowden  has  a  lively  recollection  of  the  sudden  change  in 
the  weather  in  December,  1836,  and  says  that  at  the  time  when 
the  ice  suddenly  formed  on  the  Ivickapoo,  three  travelers  came 
along  and  attempted  to  cross,  but  one  of  them  lost  his  horse 
under  the  ice,  as  the  creek  was  very  high  and  the  water  flowed 
rapidly.  Mr.  Cowden  broke  the  ice  during  the  following  day  and 
assisted  the  travelers  over. 

Mr.  Cowden  married,  August  17,  1842,  Miss  Polly  G.  Price. 
He  has  seven  children,  all  of  whom  have  grown  to  years  of  dis- 
cretion.    They  are  : 


m'lean  county.  743 

John  James  Cowden  lives  half  a  mile  south  of  his  father's. 

Mrs.  Amanda  Jane  Dooley,  wife  of  Obadiah  G.  Dooley,  lives 
two  miles  northeast  of  her  parents. 

"William  liives  Cowden  lives  about  four  miles  southeast  of  his 
father's,  in  Downs  township. 

Mrs.  Eliza  Ann  Downs,  wife  of  John  D.  Downs,  live  two  miles 
and  a  half  southwest  of  her  father's. 

Matilda  Burrell  Cowden,  Frank  Cowden  and  Elizabeth  Gil- 
lem  Cowden,  live  at  home  with  their  father. 

Mr.  Cowden  is  about  six  feet  in  height,  is  rather  solidly  built, 
has  blue  eyes,  and  hair  and  whiskers  perfectly  white.  His  head 
is  becoming  a  little  bald.  In  his  younger  days  he  was  very  strong, 
and  a  good  hunter.  He  is  a  man  of  good  business  qualifications. 
He  is  rather  humorous,  and  particularly  enjoys  a  good  joke  on 
his  respected  father-in-law,  John  Price.  Mr.  Cowden  was  for 
two  years  supervisor.  He  has  been  in  poor  health  for  some  time, 
and  thinks  this  is  due  to  the  exposure  and  fatigue  which  he  en- 
dured in  his  younger  days.  While  hunting  he  seldom  stopped 
for  any  obstacle,  but  waded  or  swam  creeks  and  bore  every  form 
of  hardship,  and  now  he  thinks  he  is  paying  the  penalty. 


PADUA. 

William  Evans,  Jr. 

William  Evans,  jr.,  son  of  William  Evans,  sen.,  whose  sketch 
appears  in  this  volume,  was  born  June  3,  1815,  in  Huron  County, 
Ohio.  In  the  year  1825,  the  family  started  for  Illinois,  intending 
to  make  a  settlement  on  the  Illinois  River.  But  when  they  ar- 
rived at  Keg  Grove  (now  Blooming  Grove)  they  thought  the 
country  so  fine  that  they  settled  there.  They  made  their  settle- 
ment about  four  miles  south  of  Bloomington,  where  the  Oren- 
dorfls  had  built  their  cabins.  Nothing  of  unusual  importance 
occurred  until  1827,  when  a  storm  came  through  Blooming  Grove, 
tearing  down  the  timber  and  scattering  the  trunks  and  limbs  in 
every  direction.  Just  after  this  storm  Cheney  Thomas  wished 
to  sell  a  claim  to  Mr.  Evans,  sen.,  where  Bloomington  now 
stands,  for  a  hundred  bushels  of  corn.  But  it  so  happened  that 
the  corn  which  Mr.  Evans,  sen.,  had  planted,  was  covered  up  by 


744  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 

broken  limbs  of  trees,  and  was  thought  to  be  ruined.  He  there- 
fore hesitated  about  making  the  bargain.  But  William  Orendorff, 
who  was  standing  near,  said:  "Take  it,  Evans,  if  you  haven't 
enough  corn,  I  have."  Mr.  Evans  made  the  bargain,  and  in  order 
to  help  him  fulfill  it,  Mr.  Orendorff1  gave  Evans  five  acres  of 
growing  corn.  The  claim  now  forms  a  part  of  Bloomington,  and 
is  worth  a  large  amount  of  money.  Mr.  Evans,  jr.,  says  :  "Wil- 
liam Orendorff*  was  one  of  the  best  men  that  ever  lived  on  the 
green  earth."  About  nineteen  days  after  the  storm,  William 
Evans,  jr.,  James  Orendorff,  and  others,  found  a  hog  which  had 
been  pinned  to  the  ground  by  limbs  of  trees.  They  cut  it  loose 
and  drew  the  exhausted  animal  home  on  a  sledge.  It  recovered, 
and  showed  its  gratitude  to  its  deliverers  by  making  a  fine 
porker. 

The  Evans  family  were  obliged  to  go  for  many  years  to  mill 
to  Attica,  on  the  Wabash,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  distant. 
Afterwards  they  went  to  Fox  River,  eighty  miles  distant.  They 
frequently  went  to  mill  at  Peoria  and  Pekin.  Ollendorff's  mill 
was  put  up  some  time  afterwards,  on  Sugar  Creek,  about  twenty- 
five  miles  distant.  The}'  could  get  a  little  corn  cracked  nearer 
home,  but  not  well  done.  During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow 
the}'  ground  corn  in  a  coffee-mill,  and  sometimes  pounded  it. 
Before  the  snow  became  packed,  they  went  four  miles  to  Bailey 
Harbert's  mill,  breaking  the  road  both  going  and  returning,  for 
the  drifting  snow  soon  filled  up  their  tracks. 

William  Evans,  jr.,  and  his  brother,  took  great  pleasure  in 
catching  wolves.  During  one  winter  they  trapped  forty-five  of 
these  troublesome  pests. 

The  education  of  William  Evans,  jr.,  was  attended  to  as  well 
as  possible  in  the  West.  He  went  to  school  to  old  Billy  Hodge, 
and  says  that  this  gentleman  was  a  very  good  teacher,  though  a 
little  severe  with  the  scholars. 

On  the  8th  of  April,  1886,  Mr.  Evans  married  Mary  Jane 
Murphy,  daughter  of  Thomas  Murphy.  He  has  had  ten  children, 
of  whom  seven  are  living.     They  are  : 

Oliver  Perry  Evans  lives  on  his  father's  place. 

William  Evans,  jr.,  also  lives  on  his  father's  place. 

James  Evans  lives  on  the  edge  of  his  lather's  land. 


m'lean  county.  745 

Jane,  wife  of  Ezra  Dodson,  lives  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
east  of  her  father's. 

David  and  John  live  at  home. 

Morris  lives  one  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  his  father's. 

William  Evans  stands  six  feet  hio-h  in  his  stocking's,  has  erray 
hair  and  whiskers,  and  clear  gray  eyes,  with  an  honest  expression 
in  them.  His  voice  is  firm  and  clear,  with  an  honest  ring  to  it. 
He  is  very  accommodating,  and  left  his  business,  which  was  some- 
what urgent,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  information  for  this  work- 
He  is  one  of  the  most  reliable  of  men,  and  loves  humor,  of  course, 
as  the  genuine  old  settlers  do. 

Daniel  Jacksox. 

Daniel  Jackson  was  born  in  Fauquier  County,  Virginia,  Janu- 
ary 16,  1808.  His  parents  were  not  in  good  circumstances,  and 
his  opportunities  for  obtaining  an  education  were  limited.  His 
time  was  required  for  work  to  assist  in  supporting  the  family. 
AVhen  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  he  came  to  Champaign  Coun- 
ty, Ohio.  There  he  worked  for  two  years,  for  eight  dollars  per 
month.  He  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois,  in  October,  1830. 
He  made  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  the 
present  township  of  Empire,  in  the  present  county  of  McLean. 
During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  he  lived  with  John  W. 
Dawson.  They  pounded  their  corn  as  the  settlers  all  did,  and 
sometimes  parched  it,  by  way  of  a  change,  until  the  snow  was 
gone  and  the  roads  were  clear.  Mr.  Jackson  built  a  cabin  on  his 
claim,  and  soon  broke  ground.  AVith  a  little  help  he  attended  to 
fifty  acres  of  corn.  His  grinding  was  done  at  Baker's  horse-mill, 
at  Blooming  Grove,  and  at  Cunningham's  mill,  at  Cheney's 
Grove.  He  volunteered,  during  the  Black  Hawk  war,  but  was 
sent  back  to  his  home,  as  he  wTas  not  needed. 

On  the  12th  of  February,  1832,  he  married  Margaret  "Walden, 
of  Springfield.  They  worked  carefully  and  well,  and  succeeded 
in  their  labor.  Mr.  Jackson  hauled  all  his  grain  to  Chicago,  re- 
turning with  groceries  and  lumber.  He  dealt  a  good  deal  in 
cattle,  always  keeping  a  drove  on  hand.  Chicago  was  his  market 
for  cattle  until  the  railroads  were  built,  bringing  the  market  to 
his  door.  He  acquired,  by  his  care  and  industry,  five  hundred 
acres  of  land.     He  did  not  take   much  interest  in  political  mat- 


746  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

ters,  but  was,  for  some  years,  supervisor  of  highways.  He  was 
a  good  citizen,  and  was  one  of  those  who  worked  hard  for  the 
development  of  the  county  of  McLean.  He  died  March  20, 
1861. 

The  items  given  above,  were  furnished  by  his  widow,  Mrs. 
Jackson,  who  still  lives  on  the  homestead  place  in  Empire  town- 
ship. 

Jeremiah  Greenman. 

Jeremiah  Greenman  was  born  August  8,  1794,  in  Providence, 
Rhode  Island.  He  was  of  Welch  descent.  His  father,  Jeremiah 
Greenman,  sr.,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  for  eight  years, 
and  during  that  time  kept  a  journal  of  bis  life,  and  his  sufferings 
and  adventures.  The  mother  of  Jeremiah  Greenman  was  Mary 
Eddy,  Ml  a  was  born  and  raised  in  Providence.  When  Jeremiah 
Greenmu  -  >as  twelve  years  of  age,  the  family  moved  to  "Wash- 
ington Cou&cv,  Diio.  This  course  was  taken  at  the  earnest 
solicitation  of  Mrs.  Greenman,  •  who  did  not  wish  her  children 
brought  up  to  a  seafaring  life,  as  their  father  had  been.  The 
parents  of  Jeremiah  Greenman  were  not  members  of  any  church, 
but  were  remarkable  for  their  integrity  and  correct  principle. 
His  father  drew  a  pension  for  his  services  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  until  the  day  of  his  death.  The  son,  Jeremiah,  of  whom 
this  sketch  is  written,  received  a  fair  education.  He  married 
Letitia  McCoy,  November  26,  1818.  She  was  born  in  Washing- 
toil  Countv,  Ohio. 

On  the  first  of  June,  1830,  the  Greenman  family  started  for 
the  West.  They  floated  down  the  Ohio  River  in  a  family  boat, 
until  they  came  to  its  mouth.  From  there  they  came  to  Pekin, 
by  steamboat.  From  there  they  came  by  ox-team  to  where 
Waynesville  now  is.  There  they  spent  the  winter  of  the  great 
deep  snow,  but  were  not  subjected  to  as  many  privations  as  many 
others,  for  they  lived  near  a  mill  where  their  corn  could  be  easily 
ground.  In  the  fall  of  1831,  they  came  to  Old  Town  timber,  to 
John  W.  Dawson's  place,  and  in  the  following  spring  came  to  the 
place  where  they  now  live,  in  the  present  township  of  Padua.  He 
entered  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising,  and  was  quite  successful.     His  health  was 


M  LEAN   COUNTY.  747 

quite  delicate.  He  died  October  17,  1843,  and  was  buried  at 
Dawson's  graveyard,  in  Old  Town. 

Mr.  Greenman  had  nine  children,  of  whom  eight  lived  to  be 
grown.  Thomas  McCoy  Greenman  and  Sarah  Ada,  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Moran,  are  dead;  Emaline,  wife  of  Alvah  B.  Dimon,  lives 
at  Thompsonville,  Marion  County,  Iowa;  Henry  Clay  Greenman 
served  in  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Prairie  Grove ;  George  Washington  Greenman  lives 
in  Dixon,  Kansas ;  Sarah  Jane,  wife  of  Solomon  Gregg,  lives  in 
the  southern  part  of  Old  Town;  Jeremiah  Greenman,  jr.,  lives 
at  the  homestead  with  his  mother.  He  served  in  the  army  during 
the  rebellion,  beint>;  fourteen  months  in  the  Eighth  Illinois  and 
twelve  months  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Illinois.  He 
was  at  the  battles  of  Fort  Henry,  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloli.  He 
was  wounded  at  Fort  Donelson.  Mary  L.,  wife  nrr  Mr.  Van 
Gundy,  is  now  dead.     One  child  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Greenman  was  about  five  feet  and  te  v  inclicj  ;  n  heigiit. 
His  son  Jerry  appears  much  as  his  father  did,  though  the  latter 
had  rather  darker  hair.  Mr.  Greenman  was  a  kind  husband  and 
a  good  father.  He  paid  great  attention  to  the  education  of  his 
children.  He  was  not  a  member  of  anv  church,  but  was  a  man 
of  strict  integrity,  and  his  word  was  sufficient  without  any  bond. 
His  widow,  Mrs.  Greenman,  still  lives  on  the  homestead.  She  is 
a  very  kind  lady,  and  thinks  much  of  the  "  good  old  times."  She 
possesses  much  natural  shrewdness. 

John  Bishop. 

John  Bishop  was  born  February  9,  1799,  in  Fleming  County, 
Kentucky.  His  father's  name  was  James  Bishop,  and  his  mother's 
name,  before  her  marriage,  was  Chloe  Lake.  Both  were  of  Eng- 
lish and  Welch  descent.  In  1804  the  Bishop  family  moved  to 
Ohio,  to  what  is  now  Clark  County,  but  was  then  Green  County, 
and  had  formerly  been  included  in  the  county  of  Champaign. 
During  the  war  of  1812,  James  Bishop  entered  the  army,  and 
had  charge  of  some  teams  belonging  to  the  wagon  train  of  Hull's 
army.  When  the  war  opened,  General  Hull  was  governor  of 
Michigan.  He  went  to  Urbana,  Ohio,  and  took  command  of  the 
army,  which  was  passed  over  to  him  by  Governor  Meigs.  John 
Bishop,  then  a  lad  of  thirteen,  was  present  at  the  time,  and  re- 


748  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

members  General  Hull  as  a  gray  haired,  heavy  set  man.  James 
Bishop  served  under  General  Hull,  and  was  at  the  surrender  of 
Detroit.  Tbe  captured  soldiers  were  carried  on  shiphoardto 
Cleveland,  and  there  paroled  and  sent  home.  James  Bishop 
afterwards  served  as  quartermaster  under  General  Tupper,  in 
General  Harrison's  command. 

John  Bishop  lived  in  Ohio  until  the  fall  of  1830,  and  then 
went  to  Fancy  Creek,  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  where  he  ar- 
rived October  22.  Tbe  first  winter  after  his  arrival  was  the  one 
of  the  deep  snow.  It  fell  there  as  deep  as  in  McLean  County. 
Mr.  Bishop  had  then  a  wife,  tbree  children,  three  cows  and  four 
horses,  which  all  needed  care  and  attention  :  nevertheless,  he  looks 
back  to  those  days  as  the  happiest  of  his  life.  During  the  winter 
of  the  deep  snow  the  wheat  and  corn  was  carried  to  mill  from 
four  to  eight  miles  on  horseback.  Before  the  snow  was  packed, 
Mr.  Bishop  and  three  others  went  three  miles  to  mill  across  a 
neck  of  prairie.  They  took  two  horses  to  carry  tbe  corn,  and 
eight  horses  to  break  the  way.  The  horses  walked  in  single  file, 
and  when  the  foremost  was  tired,  it  was  placed  in  the  rear  and 
another  took  the  lead.  It  required  all  day  to  go  tbree  miles  and 
return.  After  the  snow  became  packed  men  could  walk  over  it 
anywhere,  and  even  horses  were  borne  on  the  drifts. 

In  March,  1832,  Mr.  Bishop  came  to  Old  Town  timber,  Mc- 
Lean County.  In  May  of  the  same  year  be  entered  his  land  at 
th(  office  at  Danville,  and  commenced  an  improvement  on  the 
northwest  point  of  Old  Town  timber.  But  as  he  did  not  learn 
precisely  the  boundaries,  he  unfortunately  built  bis  bouse  and 
barn  on  unentered  government  land,  which  was  next  adjoining. 
Tliis  land  was  afterwards  entered  by  another  party,  and  be  lost 
the  bouse  and  barn,  He  built  another  bouse  on  bis  own  land, 
lived  on  it  fifteen  years,  and  then  moved  to  the  south  side  of  the 
timber. 

On  tbe  olst  of  March,  1825,  Mr.  Bishop  married  Sally  Viney, 
in  Ohio.  He  has  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  seven  are  living. 
They  are  : 

Aquilla  Bishop  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  at  Farmer  City. 

-lames  Bishop  is  a  carriage  trimmer  in  Hay's  carriage  shop, 
in  Bloomington.  During  the  rebellion,  he  was  in  the  Ninety- 
fourth  Illinois  Volunteers,  under  Colonel  McNulta. 


m'lean  county.  749 

Martin  Bishop  was  in  the  same  regiment.  He  now  lives  in 
Washington  County,  Illinois. 

John  Bishop,  jr.,  was  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth 
Illinois.  He  was  discharged  from  the  army  because  of  sickness, 
and  died  eight  days  after  arriving  home. 

Chloe  Ann,  wife  of  Henry  Jacoby,  lives  in  Farmer  City. 

Sarah,  wife  of  George  W.  Thompson,  lives  in  Washington 
County,  Illinois. 

Catherine  Bishop  lives  at  Farmer  City. 

Mr.  Bishop  is  rather  less  than  the  medium  height,  is  rather 
light  in  build,  has  a  sanguine  complexion,  seems  a  very  honest 
man,  and  perfectly  straightforward  in  his  business  transactions. 
He  now  lives  at  Mrs.  Ireland's  place,  near  Stumptown,  in  Old 
Town  timber,  in  the  township  of  Padua.  He  seems  to  lead  a 
very  contented  life  after  so  many  storms  and  changes  of  fortune. 
Mrs.  Bishop  died  in  the  fall  of  1865. 

Adolphus  Dimmtck. 

Adolptms  Dimmick  was  born  in  Tolland  County,  Connecti- 
cut, January  13,  1791.  In  the  year  1810,  he  came  to  kipley 
County,  Indiana.  There  he  set  out  a  nursery,  the  first  in  that 
part  of  the  country,  and  raised  a  great  many  apple  and  peach 
trees.  On  the  9th  of  October,  1832,  he  married  Esther  Living- 
ston. On  the  first  of  November  following,  he  started  for  Illinois, 
traveling  in  a  wagon  drawn  by  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  horse.  On 
the  25th  of  that  month  he  arrived  at  Old  Town  timber,  made  a 
claim  and  commenced  farming.  He  bought  a  cow  and  calf,  and 
from  this  beginning  raised  a  herd  of  forty  or  more  cattle,  besides 
selling  a  great  many.  The  cabin  was  one  of  the  little  log  huts 
of  the  early  days,  with  a  pounded  clay  fireplace,  a  stick  chimney 
and  a  floor  of  linn  puncheons.  These  puncheons  were  made  of 
rails  split  thin  and  shaved  with  a  drawing  knife.  The  windo 
were  of  greased  paper,  and  the  table  was  made  of  a  large  pun- 
cheon. The  land,  where  they  lived,  did  not  come  into  market 
until  1836.  They  had  very  little  company.  The  wild  animals 
came  around  them  and  kept  them  company.  The  raccoons  came 
up  under  the  window  at  night;  the  wolves  ate  the  bones  thrown 
from  the  house,  and  the  wild  turkeys  picked  up  the  crumbs  near 
the  door.  The  deer  often  came  around  them,  and  their  society 
was  principally  that  of  the  wild  animals. 


750  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Dimmick  died  on  Christmas  day,  1845.  He  had  three  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  now  dead.  His  stature  was  somewhat  less 
than  medium.  He  was  stoutly  built,  had  a  light  complexion,  was 
careful  and  attentive  to  business  and  succeeded  well.  He  had  a 
common  school  education,  and  taught  school  in  Ohio  and  Illinois. 
He  was  always  hospitable  to  strangers  and  willing  and  ready  to 
entertain  them.  He  had  always  good  fortune  in  life  and  pros- 
pered well.  His  lady  afterwards  married  Mr.  Stephen  Ireland, 
but  has  been  a  widow  for  the  last  sixteen  years.  She  is  a  pleas- 
ant old  lady,  and  her  house  is  a  stopping  place  for  a  number  of 
elderly  people  and  seems  almost  an  old  folks  asylum. 

Josiah  Horr. 

Josiah  Horr  was  born  October  9, 1807,  in  Lewis  County,  New 
York.  His  father's  name  was  Jacob  Horr,  and  his  mother's 
name,  before  her  marriage,  was  Hannah  Pierce.  Jacob  Horr 
was  descended  from  the  Puritans  who  landed  on  Plymouth  Rock. 
He  was  a  farmer,  and  died  in  Ohio  in  about  the  year  1850  or  51. 
His  wife  Hannah  was  born  in  America,  but  was  of  English- Irish 
descent.  She  died  in  1889,  while  on  a  visit  to  Cheney's  Grove. 
Jacob  Horr  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  ten  lived  to  be  grown, 
but  only  three  are  now  alive.  They  are,  William  Horr,  of 
Mechanicsburg,  Champaign  County,  Ohio;  Elijah  Horr,  of  Car- 
thage, Jefferson  County,  N".  Y.,  and  Josiah  Horr,  the  subject  of 
the  present  sketch.     William  Horr  was  the  youngest  son. 

Josiah  Horr  received  his  education  in  Lewis  County,  N".  Y., 
where  he  attended  a  common  school  during  the  winter  months 
until  the  age  of  twenty.  In  the  summer  time  he  worked  on  his 
father's  farm.  While  only  a  boy,  he  resolved  to  come  to  the 
West.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  moved  to  Champaign  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  remained  nearly  eight  years.  He  worked  on  a 
farm  and  in  a  woolen  factory.  In  183(3,  he  came  to  the  West, 
arriving  at  John  W.  Dawson's  place  in  Old  Town  timber  on  the 
first  of  October.  He  had  made  three  previous  trips  to  visit  the 
country,  enter  land  and  make  a  few  improvements.  The  family 
passed  through  Cheney's  Grove,  visiting  a  few  days  with  Jona- 
than Cheney,  an  uncle  of  Mrs.  Horr.  They  lived  two  months 
in  a  house  belonging  to  John  Dawson,  by  which  time  they  made 
a  cabin  on  the  place  where  they  now  live,  in  the  present  town- 


m'lean  county.  751 

ship  of  Padua.  The  first  experience  which  the  Horrs  had  of  an 
Illinois  winter,  was  with  the  sudden  change  of  December,  1836. 
This  was  indeed  a  frightful  experience  and  they  were  much  ter- 
rified, but  it  never  came  again. 

Mr.  Ilorr  was  chosen  justice  of  the  peace  and  held  this  office 
with  some  interval  for  about  fifteen  years.  He  married  William 
Harrison  and  Nancy  Jane  Dawson,  and  many  years  afterwards 
he  married  their  daughter  to  C.  H.  Hobart.  Mr.  Horr  always 
tried  to  settle  amicably  the  cases  which  were  brought  before  him, 
and  often  guaranteed  the  constable's  costs  in  order  to  do  so.  He 
has  been  township  trustee  and  school  director,  and  for  ten  or 
twelve  years  he  was  supervisor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church.  Mr.  Horr  employed  Abraham  Lincoln  to  manage 
the  first  and  only  case  the  former  ever  had  in  McLean  County 
Circuit  Court,  and  Lincoln  carried  it  through  successfully.  Mr. 
Horr  belonged  first  to  the  Whig  party,  and  afterwards  to  the 
Republican.  He  voted  against  Jackson,  and  after  the  latter 
retired  from  political  life  voted  against  Jackson's  friends. 

On  the  28th  of  October,  1830,  Josiah  Horr  married  Temper- 
ance Cheney,  who  was  born  in  Virginia,  but  left  that  State  while 
she  was  very  young.  They  have  had  eight  children,  four  of  whom 
were  born  in  Illinois.     Six  lived  to  be  grown.     They  are : 

William  Horr,  mail  agent  on  the  L.,  B.  &  M.  Railroad. 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  David  M.  Bunn,  lives  at  Williamsburg, 
Franklin  County,  Kansas. 

Martin  Horr,  lives  about  half  a  mile  west  of  his  father. 

Abner  Horr,  lives  near  Galesburg,  Neosho  County,  Kansas. 

Sarah  Horr,  lives  at  home. 

Martha,  wife  of  James  E.  Wood,  lives  in  Upper  Mackinaw, 
McLean  County. 

Mr.  Horr  is  six  feet  in  height  in  his  stocking  feet.  His  hair 
is  thick  on  his  head  and  perfectly  white.  He  has  a  Roman  nose 
and  blue  eyes.  He  is  very  straight  and  is  stil)  very  active.  His 
appearance  is  impressive,  and  he  possesses  great  energy  and 
power  of  endurance.  He  had  a  postoffice  for  some  years  in  his 
house,  but  it  was  discontinued  a  year  ago  last  April. 


752  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

RANDOLPH'S  GROVE. 

Alfred  Moore  Stringfield. 

Mr.  Stringfield  says  that  his  life  has  three  separate  sides  to 
it — the  adventurous  side,  the  religious  side,  and  the  political  side, 
and  he  wishes  the  distinction  preserved  in  writing  this  sketch. 
The  adventurous  part  of  his  life  he  calls  his  "rough  and  ready," 
and  this  part  is  given  first.     This  sketch  then  begins  with 

The  Rough  and  Ready  of  A.  M.  Stringfield. 

Alfred  Moore  Stringfield  was  born  October  14,  1809,  on  a 
farm  near  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee.  This  is  the  village  which 
gave  the  name  of  the  celebrated  battle  fought  there  during  the 
rebellion.  He  is  of  English  descent,  his  ancestors  having  come 
to  America  from  England  at  an  early  day,  "When  he  was  very 
young  his  parents  moved  to  Huntsville,  Alabama,  and  from  there 
to  the  Tennessee  River,  after  the  war  of  1812.  There  his  father 
kept  a  farm  and  a  ferryboat,  and  Alfred,  being  an  active  lad, 
helped  to  manage  it.  His  father  kept  two  boats,  one  was  large 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  wagons,  and  one  was  small  for  carry- 
ing men  and  horses.  The  small  ferryboat  was  once  crowded 
with  horses  and  passengers,  and  some  of  the  latter  were  careless 
and  would  not  pay  attention  to  Alfred,  and  the  boat  upset  in  ten 
feet  of  water.  All  were  fortunately  saved  after  their  involun- 
tary baptism  ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  were  made  wiser 
for  the  future. 

In  1819  Mr.  Stringfield,  sr.,  moved  his  family  to  White 
County,  Illinois.  In  the  spring  of  1820  he  made  a  visit  to  San- 
gamon County,  and  moved  his  family  there  in  the  fall  to  a  farm 
within  a  few  miles  of  Springfield.  There  he  died  shortly  after 
his  settlement. 

In  the  spring  of  1823  Alfred  Stringfield  came  with  his  brother, 
Severe  Stringfield,  and  his  brother-in-law,  Gardner  Randolph, to 
what  is  now  called  Blooming  Grove.  But  they  located  at  Ran- 
dolph's Grove,  and  there  the  brothers  Stringfield  claimed  land 
for  their  mother.  They  were  the  first  to  break  sod  at  Randolph's 
Grove.  They  put  up  what  is  called  a  half-faced  camp,  that  is,  a 
camp  made  of  poles  slanting  upwards  and  covered  with  clap- 
boards, which  had  been   split  or  rived  out.     They  were   often 


m'lean  county.  753 

visited  by  the  Indians  and  wolves,  but  never  suffered  much  dam- 
age from  either.  During  the  next  year  their  mother,  Mrs. 
Stringfield,  came  to  the  grove.  From  that  time  until  1827  they 
worked  during  summers  and  rested  winters. 

In  the  spring  of  1827  Mr.  Stringfield  went  to  Galena  with 
teams  to  draw  mineral.  In  some  places  the  roads  were  very  bad. 
In  crossing  the  Inlet  Swamps,  which  extended  for  some  miles, 
they  were  obliged  to  carry  their  goods  and  draw  their  wagons 
over  with  ropes.  By  the  time  they  arrived  at  Rock  River  the 
company  had  increased  to  seventeen  teams  and  fifty  or  sixty 
persons.  There  they  saw  many  Indians,  and  Mr.  Stringfield  be- 
ing very  fleet  of  foot  was  induced  to  try  some  of  the  fleetest 
redskins  in  a  race,  He  beat  them-  without  difficulty,  and  was  the 
hero  of  an  hour  with  the  squaws.  They  clustered  around  him 
and  talked  in  their  strange  dialect  and  pointed  their  fingers  at 
him,  called  him  captain,  and  considered  him  the  most  wonderful 
of  the  Long  Knives  (white  men).  He  was  so  popular  with  them 
that  he  made  the  bargain  for  the  transportation  of  the  wagons 
across  the  river  for  seventy-five  cents  apiece.  When  it  is  con- 
sidered that  the  wagons  were  taken  across  by  placing  the  wheels 
in  canoes,  this  will  be  seen  to  have  been  a  very  advantageous 
bargain. 

They  followed  the  Indian  trail  to  Galena,  and  there  Mr. 
Stringfield  was  engaged  in  teaming,  wood-chopping,  and  what- 
ever his  hands  could  find  to  do.  In  April,  1828,  he  returned  on 
horseback,  and  in  May  he  moved  five  families  to  Galena,  and 
worked  there  as  before.  During  the  following  fall  his  mother 
died,  and  he  came  back  to  Randolph's  Grove. 

In  1829  Mr.  Stringfield  made  two  trips  to  Chicago  with 
droves  of  hogs.  During  their  second  trip  the  weather  was  mild 
and  the  rivers  were  cleared  of  ice.  They  forded  the  Illinois 
River  at  the  rapids,  three  miles  above  Ottawa,  but  on  their  re- 
turn from  Chicago  with  a  load  of  salt,  they  found  it  frozen  over 
by  a  cold  snap,  and  crossed  it  on  the  ice  just  above  the  mouth 
of  Fox  River.  They  took  across  the  unloaded  wagon  and  un- 
yoked oxen  separately,  and  then  rolled  over  the  barrels  of  salt. 
The  ice  was  so  thin  that  it  cracked  under  their  weight,  and  in 
some  places  the  water  spurted  up.  Mr.  Stringfield  carried  the 
next  to  the  last  barrel  of  salt  across  on  his  back,  as  he  declared 
48 


754  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

he  could  do,  but  was  very  tired,  and  would  have  been  very  glad 
to  have  laid  down  his  load ;  but  the  ice  cracked  under  him,  and 
he  saw  clearly  that  if  he  dropped  the  barrel  the  ice  would  break 
and  Mr.  Stringfield  and  his  salt  would  both  go  under.  So  he 
plucked  up  his  resolution  and  carried  over  the  salt.  He  made 
another  trip  to  Chicago  in  January,  1830,  to  move  a  family 
there.  During  his  trip  he  camped  out,  even  in  the  severest 
weather,  and  slept  on  his  shoes  to  prevent  them  from  freezing 
too  stiff  to  wear  in  the  morning. 

During  the  fall  before  the  deep  snow,  Mr.  Stringfield  went 
on  a  trip  to  Chicago,  and  lost  two  yoke  of  oxen  in  a  prairie  fire. 
He  hunted  for  them  on  horseback,  but  did  not  find  them  during 
that  fall.  The  only  result  of  his  exertions  was  the  loss  of  his 
palmetto  hat,  which  his  horse  tore  to  pieces  during  one  night 
when  Air.  Stringfield  was  asleep.  He  did  not  find  his  oxen  until 
the  March  following  the  deep  snow,  when  he  came  across  them 
near  the  head  of  the  Iroquois  River,  where  they  had  been  driven 
by  the  fire.  They  had  lived  during  the  winter  on  brushwood 
and  the  stems  of  trees  where  some  woodmen  had  been  cutting. 
During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow,  Mr.  Stringfield  did  very 
little  except  attend  to  his  stock.  He  hunted  occasionally  and 
caught  a  few  wolves  and  a  great  many  deer.  He  caught  four 
deer  in  one  day  out  of  a  single  pack,  within  a  circuit  of  five 
miles,  and  killed  them  without  shooting.  During  this  winter, 
Mr.  Stringfield,  Dr.  Wheeler  and  Jesse  Funk,  started  a  deer 
about  one  and  a-half  miles  southwest  of  Dr.  Stewart's.  It  ran 
into  a  deep  hollow,  where  Mr.  Stringfield  followed  it  and  cut  its 
throat  with  a  pocket  knife.  But  it  was  seen  to  be  a  difficult 
matter  to  get  the  deer  out  of  the  hollow  on  to  the  bank.  Mr. 
Stringfield  settled  the  matter  by  taking  hold  of  the  deer  with 
one  hand  and  twisting  the  other  hand  in  the  horse's  tail.  The 
horse  then  went  up  the  side  of  the  hollow,  dragging  out  with  its 
tail  both  the  hunter  and  the  game.  He  caught  a  few  wolves, 
but  the  crust  of  snow  soon  became  so  hard  that  they  could  run 
around  on  it  and,  as  Mr.  Stringfield  says,  "  make  fun  of  you  to 
your  face." 

The  season  following  the  deep  snow  was  a  short  one,  and  the 
frost  came  so  early  in  the  fall  that  the  corn  crop  was  ruined. 
During  that  fall  he  went  with  Jesse  Funk  to  Galena  with  a  drove 


m'lean  county.  755 

of  beef  cattle,  and  returned  during  the  latter  part  of  October^ 
when  it  was  bitterly  cold.  The  road  had  then  been  marked  out 
by  stakes  or  poles  placed  in  the  ground  upright,  and  as  far  apart 
as  they  could  be  easily  seen  from  one  to  the  other.  During  the 
same  fall  he  collected  a  drove  of  hogs,  and  went  to  Galena  with 
Absalom  and  Robert  Funk,  and  Robert  Stubbletield  and  a  hired 
hand.  The  cold  was  intense  and  the  snow  deep.  It  fell  on  them 
at  Hennepin  and  increased  until  they  arrived  at  Apple  River. 
All  of  the  party  returned  home  except  Mr.  Stringlield,  who  re- 
mained until  February.  He  was  at  that  time  a  very  muscular 
man,  and  could  shoulder  a  sack  of  wheat  holding  live  bushels 
and  five  pounds. 

Mr.  Stringlield  does  not  claim  to  have  been  a  great  hunter, 
but  he  was  sometimes  pretty  lively  in  chasing  wolves.  He 
caught  four  wolves  by  jumping  from  his  horse  and  running  after 
them  on  foot,  lor  he  could  beat  both  the  Indians  and  the  wolves 
in  foot  races.  The  first  wolf  was  caught  in  the  year  1826.  He 
chased  the  wolf  a  mile  and  a-half  on  horseback,  then  jumped  oil* 
quickly,  let  his  horse  go  and  took  after  the  wolf  on  foot.  After 
chasing  it  a  hundred  yards  he  made  a  grab  for  it,  but  it  turned 
short  around  and  they  ran  the  same  hundred  yards  back,  and 
just  as  the  animal  was  going  out  of  a  snow  drift  Mr.  Stringlield 
grabbed  it.  But  it  settled  its  teeth  in  his  arm  and  he  carries  the 
scars  to-day.  He  choked  the  wolf  loose,  and  the  brute  grabbed 
his  thumb.  He  loosened  his  thumb,  tied  the  wolf,  brought  it 
home,  and  a  week  afterwards  it  was  killed  by  dogs  at  his  mother's 
quilting  bee.  He  afterwards  caught  wolves  with  his  hands,  but 
always  grabbed  them  by  their  hindquarters  and  quickly  threshed 
them  on  the  ground  and  avoided  their  teeth.  The  settlers  usually 
killed  them  by  striking  them  with  a  stirrup,  or  a  pole.  The 
wolves  were  pretty  saucy  and  came  prowling  around  the  house 
at  all  hours  of  the  night.  Mr.  Stringlield  threw  his  shoe  ham- 
mer through  the  window  at  one  particularly  impudent  wolf  that 
followed  a  sheep  to  the  house  during  a  moonlight  evening.  He 
never  hunted  deer  much  although  they  were  very  plenty.  He 
has  seen  gangs  of  seventy  or  eighty  deer  going  out  from  the 
timber  to  the  prairie. 

Mr.  Stringlield  was  appointed  Captain  in  the  Thirty-ninth 
regiment  of  State  militia  by  Governor  Reynolds  in  1832,  and  of 


756  OLD    SETTLERS    OP 

course  bore  his  military  honors  as  well  as  he  has  ever  since  borne 
the  military  title. 

In  December,  1834,  Mr.  Stringfield,  Jesse  and  Absalom  and 
Isaac  Funk,  collected  a  drove  of  pigs,  and  Mr.  Stringfield  and 
James  Funk  drove  them  to  Chicago.  The  snow  was  six  or  eight 
inches  deep,  and  in  order  to  make  a  track  in  which  the  pigs  could 
travel,  they  dragged  a  forked  tree  ahead  of  the  drove  for  fifty  or 
sixty  miles,  from  Money  Creek  to  the  Mazon  river  beyond  Pon- 
tiac,  and  there  they  came  to  a  beaten  track. 

Mr.  Stringfield  was  always  on  friendly  terms  with  the  Indians. 
They  often  came  to  his  house,  and  if  they  wanted  lodging  he 
took  them  in  and  treated  them  well.  He  never  considered  them 
any  more  dangerous  than  white  men,  and  thinks  that  so  far  as 
honesty  is  concerned  there  is  very  little  choice  between  them. 
He  frequently  trusted  them  and  always  got  his  pay.  He  once 
lent  an  Indian  a  meal  sack,  which  was  returned  after  being  kept 
two  months.  He  had  a  high  opinion  of  the  honesty  of  the  Kick- 
apoos  and  Delawares,  but  thought  the  Pottawotomies  not  so 
trusty. 

The  early  settlers  went  first  to  Sangamon  County  to  do  their 
milling  and  blacksmithing,  and  to  Springfield  for  their  trading. 
But  after  1830,  the  course  of  trade  turned  to  Pekin,  Peoria  and 
Chicago.  Wheat  was  drawn  to  Chicago  by  oxen  until  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  was  built.  The  loads  of  wheat  taken  there 
were  sometimes  enormous.  Mr.  Stringfield  has  known  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  bushels  to  be  carried  there  in  two  loads,  and  one 
enormous  load  of  a  hundred  bushels  was  taken  through  to  Chi- 
cago  by  oxen, 

RELIGIOUS    LIFE. 

Mr.  Stringfield's  father  was  an  Episcopalian,  and  his  mother 
was  a  Baptist;  but  the  old  gentleman  once  listened  to  a  Metho- 
dist preacher,  and  was  so  pleased  with  the  doctrine  and  spirit  of 
the  Methodist  Church  that  he  joined  it.  He  became  a  strong 
and  earnest  member  and  brought  up  his  family  strictly.  Mr.  A. 
M.  Stringfield  followed  the  example  of  his  father  and  in  his 
eleventh  year  became  associated  with  the  church,  and  has  re* 
mained  an  active,  working  member  ever  since.  He  has  taken  a 
great  interest  in  the  events  connected  with  the  church  and  re- 


m'lean  county.  757 

members  them  very  correctly ;  so  much  is  this  the  case  that  he 
has  the  reputation  of  never  forgetting  anything.  The  West 
seemed  to  be  the  ground  most  congenial  to  Methodism.  It  came 
with  an  irresistible  force  and  gained  a  foothold  which  it  has 
never  since  relinquished.  The  largest  camp-meeting  which  Mr. 
Stringfield  ever  attended  was  held  at  Huntsville,  Alabama. 
Bishop  Paine,  Elder  Porter  and  many  other  great  lights  of  the 
church  were  there.  Thomas  Stringfield,  the  brother  of  A.  M. 
Stringfield,  was  there  and  preached  to  the  negroes.  The  excite- 
ment among  the  people  rose  to  a  wonderful  pitch,  and  the  entire 
multitude  became  so  moved  by  the  spirit  that  it  was  thrown  pros- 
trate as  if  a  hurricane  had  passed  over  it.  The  people  jumped 
about  and  jerked  as  if  they  would  throw  themselves  to  pieces, 
and  Mr.  Stringfield  thinks  that  this  can  only  be  explained  by  the 
fact  that  they  were  moved  by  the  spirit  of  the  Most  High.  When 
he  came  to  White  County,  Illinois,  he  attended  camp-meetings 
which  were  conducted  by  the  Methodists  and  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterians, and  there  also  he  saw  great  manifestations  of  feeling, 
but  in  a  less  degree  than  iu  Alabama.  He  also  saw  some  indi- 
cations of  this  feeling  in  camp-meetings  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try, but  they  were  not  to  be  compared  to  the  tremendous  mani- 
festations which  he  witnessed  in  Alabama  and  in  White  County, 
Illinois. 

POLITICAL    LIFE. 

Mr.  Stringfield,  sr.,  the  father  of  Alfred,  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier,  who  participated  in  some  contests  which  have  become 
historic.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain,  and  assisted 
in  the  capture  of  Ferguson.  In  politics  the  old  gentleman  called 
himself  a  Washingtonian  Whig  and  a  Jeffersonian  Democrat, 
and  Mr.  Stringfield,  jr.,  learned  his  politics  from  the  school  of 
Jefferson.  He  formed  his  opinions  after  careful  thought  and 
patient  study,  and  tried  to  hold  himself  independent  of  all  special 
influences.  He  believes  in  a  tariff  for  revenue  and  not  a  tariff 
for  protection.  In  the  great  contest  between  Adams  and  Jeffer- 
son, Mr.  Stringfield  believed  in  the  doctrine  of  an  ad  valorem 
tariff,  and  that  a  duty  should  be  paid  on  everything  upon  which 
a  duty  was  laid  according  to  the  market  value  of  the  article.  So 
far  as  the  doctrine  of  protection  is  concerned,  he  thinks  that  the 


758  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

great  purchasing  interest  of  the  country  demands  its  abolition. 
He  has  remained  a  Democrat  ever  since  he  could  vote,  but  in 
forming  his  opinions,  he  has  not  been  bound  very  closely  by  the 
ties  of  party.  So  far  as  any  distinction  between  men  is  concerned, 
he  is  in  favor  of  considerino;  men  according  to  their  ability,  in- 
telli^ence  and  virtue,  regardless  of  race  or  color.  This  is  his 
doctrine,  and  always  has  been. 

Mr.  Stringfield,  when  he  grew  to  manhood,  became  married, 
of  course,  as  a  good  American  citizen  should.  In  1832  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Emily  Hand,  and  his  later  years  has  been  blessed  with 
a  fine  family  of  eight  children.  He  has  had  ten  children,  but 
only  eisrht  are  living.     These  are  : 

Rev.  Thomas  Clark  Stringfield.  who  lives  in  Jackson,  Pulaski 
County,  Arkansas,  twelve  miles  from  Little  Rock. 

Jesse  Funk  Stringfield  lives  with  his  father. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Lucinda  Crose,  wife  of  Alfred  F.  Crose,  lives  at 
Moberlv,  Missouri. 

George  Hand  Stringfield  lives  in  Hicksville,  California. 

John  Heber  Stringfield  lives  near  his  father. 

Miss  Barbara  U.  Stringfield  lives  at  her  father's  house. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Virginia  Crews,  wife  of  A.  L.  Crews,  lives 
about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  her  father's  house. 

Miss  Mary  Ellen  Stringfield  lives  at  home. 

Alfred  M.  Stringfield  is  a  man  of  fine  presence.  Although 
advanced  in  years,  he  is  the  picture  of  health  and  strength,  and 
seems  still  possessed  of  youthful  activity  and  courage.  His  voice 
is  clear  and  distinct,  and  impresses  one  with  his  deeision  and 
firmness.  He  usually  takes  the  name  of  Squire,  as  he  has  several 
times  been  elected  justice  of  the  peace.  His  powers  of  conversa- 
tion are  remarkable,  and  command  the  attention  and  respect  of 
the  listener.  He  is  of  medium  stature,  and  has  fine,  regular 
features.  He  has  in  him  the  spirit  of  the  genuine  old  settlers, 
and  thinks  that  none  of  the  pleasures  of  cultivated  society  can  be 
compared  to  the  manly  sports  of  the  pioneers.  He  thinks  that 
human  ingenuity  cannot  devise  a  sport  equal  to  that  of  the  early 
settlers,  when  they  put  up  a  pole  in  some  central  locality,  and 
hunted  towards  it  from  all  sides,  and  cornered  the  wolves  and 
deer.  He  thinks  that  people  who  live  in  a  town  or  city  know 
nothing  about  real  life  and   enjoyment.      "  The  way  to  obtain 


m'lean  county.  759 

healthy  exercise  is  to  get  up  in  the  morning  and  catch  a  deer  or 
a  wolf— not  shoot  it,  hut  catch  it.  That  is  real  natural  life,  and 
gives  a  healthy  appetite  for  breakfast." 

Thomas  Officer  Rutledge. 

Thomas  O.  Rutledge  was  horn  September  17,  1806,  near 
Charleston,  a  little  town  not  far  from  Augusta,  Georgia.  His 
father  was  Robert  Rutledge,  and  his  mother's  name  before  her 
marriage  was  Margaret  Officer.  In  about  the  year  1811,  the  Rut- 
ledge family  came  to  Henderson  County,  Kentucky,  where  they 
remained  until  the  year  1820.  His  father  and  his  uncle,  William 
Rutledge,  were  both  soldiers  in  the  war  of  1812.  Robert  Rut- 
ledge died  in  1819,  and  during  the  following  year  his  brother 
William  moved  the  family  to  White  County,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Rut- 
ledge had  then  a  great  responsibility,  for  she  was  obliged  to  care 
for  a  family  of  eight  children.  In  the  fall  of  1823,  Thomas  0. 
Rutledge  made  a  wagon  of  wood,  without  a  nail  or  any  piece  of 
iron  in  it,  and  obtained  a  yoke  of  two-year  old  steers.  With  this 
team  he  moved  the  household  goods  of  the  family  to  Sangamon 
County.  There  they  planted  and  gathered  one  crop,  and  with 
the  little  steers  and  wooden  wagon  came  to  Randolph's  Grove,  in 
what  is  now  McLean  County.  Here  he  cultivated  two  crops  of 
corn  with  the  steers,  using  them  singly  for  ploughing  it.  Mr. 
Rutledge  celebrated  the  first  day  of  January,  1829,  by  his  mar- 
riage to  Cynthia  Rutledge.  He  obtained  his  license  from  Macki- 
nawtown.  Everybody  in  the  grove  attended  the  wedding  ;  even 
a  lot  of  Indians  came  to  see  how  the  white  men  managed  these 
interesting  matters.  Mrs.  Rutledge  has  been  his  good  wife  ever 
since.  She  can  make  the  best  bread  of  any  woman  in  McLean 
County. 

Thomas  O.  Rutledge  was  a  hard  worker,  and  this  was  the 
reason  of  his  success.  In  1830  he  went  to  Waynesville,  and 
made  rails  for  Timothy  Hoblitt,  and  his  wages  for  one  week's 
work  were  three  chairs,  which  he  carried  home  on  horseback. 
The  next  week  he  made  rails  for  the  same  man,  and  his  wages 
for  that  and  axiart  of  the  week  following  were  a  spinning-wheel, 
which  lie  alsi'-  arried  home  on  his  horse.  He  worked  occasion- 
ally for  Jesse     (ink  for  fifty  cents  per  day,  from  1827  to  1832,  and 


760  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

earned  about  five  hundred  dollars.  The  wooden  wagon,  which 
lie  made  in  White  County,  did  him  good  service  in  his  work,  and 
lasted  for  fifteen  years. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow,  Mr.  Rutledge  had  great 
difficulty  in  getting  wood,  and  trees  were  cut  by  persons  who 
stood  on  a  crust  of  snow  four  feet  from  the  ground.  When  the 
snow  melted  away,  the  stumps  appeared  six  feet  high.  During 
that  winter  the  starving  deer  came  up  to  the  stacks  of  the  settlers 
and  were  mixed  with  the  cattle.  They  frequently  came  up  to  the 
house,  driven  almost  crazy  with  hunger.  At  one  time  Mrs. 
Rutledge  picked  up  a  maul  and  knocked  a  deer  in  the  head,  and 
killed  it  right  before  her  door,  and  she  could  easily  have  killed 
others,  but  she  said  they  appeared  so  pitiful  that  she  had  not  the 
heart  to  do  it.  The  deer  could  be  caught  anywhere,  and  they 
were  often  found  frozen  to  death  while  standing.  The  wild  tur- 
keys, too,  suffered  severely,  and  some  of  them  came  into  Mr. 
Rutledge 's  yard,  and  ate  with  his  chickens. 

In  1832  the  Black  Hawk  war  broke  out,  and  Mr.  Rutledge 
enlisted  in  the  company  commanded  first  by  Merritt  Covel.  They 
went  first  to  Pekin,  where  they  were  organized,  and  then  marched 
to  Fort  Clark,  (Peoria,)  where  they  drew  two  days  rations,  and 
marched  to  Dixon.  There  they  were  mustered  into  the  regular 
service,  and  spent  five  or  six  days  in  training.  Then  they  drew 
five  days  rations,  and  were  sent  out  as  a  scouting  party  under  the 
command  of  Major  Stillman,  (afterwards  General,)  who  com- 
manded a  battalion  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  men.  They 
started  up  Rock  River  to  find  the  Indians,  and  probably  not  one 
in  the  party  thought  of  the  possibility  of  a  fight.  They  wished 
to  find  the  Indians,  and  in  this  they  certainly  succeeded.  During 
the  second  day  in  the  afternoon  they  came  to  a  halt,  and  knocked 
in  the  head  of  the  barrel  of  whisky  which  they  had  brought  with 
them,  and  all  filled  their  canteens  with  the  precious  fluid.  Then 
they  moved  forward,  from  three  to  five  miles,  and  crossed  Old 
Man's  Creek.  Since  the  fight  which  occurred  that  day,  the  creek 
has  usually  been  called  Stillman's  Run.  It  was  about  thirty-five 
miles  from  Dixon,  and  at  the  point  where  the  volunteers  crossed 
it,  was  a  bend,  concave  towards  the  north.  '  In  that  bend  the}- 
stacked  their  baggage  and  expected  to  go  into  camp.  The  guards 
had  been  posted,  and  the  men  had,  most  of  them,  unsaddled  their 


m'lean  county.  761 

horses,  when  orders  caine  to  fall  into  line.  The  guards  in  front 
had  eauffht  sisrht  of  some  Indians  who  were  on  the  look  out,  and 
gave  them  chase.  They  killed  one,  captured  two  or  three,  and  chased 
the  remainder  into  Black  Hawk's  camp  on  the  Kishwaukee  River, 
(called  by  some  Sycamore  Creek,)  about  five  miles  from  Stillman's 
Run.  When  the  guards  returned,  the  men  fell  into  line,  but  even 
then  they  hardly  expected  a  fight.  They  moved  forward  to  the 
top  of  a  hill  on  the  prairie,  where  they  halted  and  raised  a  white 
fiag.  Immediately  an  Indian  appeared  about  three-quarters  of  a 
distant  bearing  an  enormous  red  flag.  Then  the  whites  advanced 
a  short  distance  and  faced  to  the  right,  which  made  them  four 
men  deep,  and  dismounted  to  see  that  their  guns  were  in  good 
condition.  Here  a  parley  occurred  between  the  Indians  and  whites, 
each  party  sending  out  a  man  to  hold  a  consultation,  and  in  the 
meanwhile  the  Indians  took  down  their  red  flag.  But  the  parley 
soon  ceased  and  Mr.  Rutledge  never  knew  what  took  place  or 
what  was  said  between  the  two  parties  who  talked  the  matter  over. 
But  when  it  ended  the  volunteers  were  told  to  be  ready  for  fight. 
They  then  awaited  the  attack  and  before  long  the  Indians  began 
to  fire  and  yell  at  them  directly  in  front.  It  seems  that  while  the 
whites  had  been  halting  and  holding  a  parley  and  losing  time  the 
Indians  had  been  preparing  for  an  attack,  and  this  was  the  cause 
of  the  willingness  of  the  savages  to  talk  and  display  their  red 
fiag  and  attract  their  attention.  When  the  Indians  began  firing 
and  whooping  in  front,  the  first  line  of  volunteers  fired  and 
wheeled  to  reload.  Then  the  Indians  appeared  on  each  side  almost 
in  the  rear  on  their  ponies  and  came  down  on  the  volunteers, 
whooping  and  firing  their  guns.  Major  Stillman  ordered  the  vol- 
unteers to  mount  and  retreat,  and  as  soon  as  they  were  mounted 
he  ordered  them  to  break  the  line  of  the  Indians  On  the  left. 
"Then,"  said  Mr.  Rutledge,  "right  there  was  a  confusion."  The 
two  Indian  prisoners  began  to  whoop  in  answer  to  those  making 
the  attack,  and  the  guards  shot  them  down.  The  volunteers  paid 
no  attention  to  the  order  to  break  the  line  of  the  Indians  on  the 
left,  but  went,  as  Mr.  Rutledge  says,  "right  square  for  home." 
Joe  Draper,  a  private,  was  shot,  and  Mr.  Rutledge  saw  him  fall. 
It  was  there,  too,  Mr.  Rutledge  says,  that  William  McCullough 
caught  the  gun  of  an  Indian  who  was  pointing  it  at  him  and 
dropped  his  own.     The  whites  rushed  on  to  Stillman's  Run  with 


762  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

the  Indians  after  them,  but  as  the  former  were  better  mounted 
they  distanced  their  pursuers.  The  creek  was  crossed  in  confu- 
sion ;  some  jumped  their  horses  while  some  were  obliged  to  dis- 
mount and  climb  the  bank.  Mr.  Rntledge  was  not  obliged  to 
dismount  as  his  horse  jumped  the  creek  in  fine  style.  A  few  of 
the  Indians  followed  the  volunteers  across  the  creek,  but  the  most 
of  them  stopped  to  plunder  the  baggage  which  had  been  piled  up 
convenient  for  them.  The  whites  ran  every  man  for  himself  to 
Dixon's  Ferry.  They  lost  but  few  men  in  the  affair.  Joe  Draper 
was  shot  in  the  retreat,  but  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening  he  crawled 
away  and  lived  some  days  afterward,  and  when  his  body  was 
found  he  had  marked  his  adventures  and  wanderings  on  his  can- 
teen.  Andrew  Dickey  was  shot  at  the  creek  through  the  thigh, 
but  crawled  under  the  bank  and  escaped.  Mr.  Hackelton,  who 
was  also  wounded,  crawled  under  the  bank.  Captain  Adams  had 
his  horse  shot  from  under  him  before  the  retreat  commenced,  but 
he  ran  back,  crossed  the  creek,  and  went  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
from  it  towards  Dixon's  Ferry  when  he  was  overtaken  by  Indians 
and  killed  ;  but  he  sold  his  life  for  something,  and  killed  one  or 
two  of  the  Indians  who  followed  him.  Major  Perkins  was  over- 
taken and  killed  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  creek  ;  he  was 
probably  delayed  in  crossing  it.  Seven  or  eight  of  the  Indians 
were  killed  and  buried ;  this  Mr.  Rntledge  knows  positively.  It 
was  in  the  twilight  of  the  evening  when  the  fight  at  Stillman's 
Run  took  place.  That  night  the  volunteers  made  quick  time  for 
Dixon's  Ferry,  thirty-five  miles  distant,  but  became  badly  scat- 
tered. When  Mr.  Rutledo-e  was  within  eight  or  ten  miles  of 
Dixon  he  found  himself  with  a  little  squad  of  five  men.  They 
halted  until  daylight ;  then  calculated  their  course  and  came  into 
Dixon's  Ferry  at  about  ten  o'clock.  There  they  found  something 
to  eat  and  by  eleven  o'clock  (Mr.  Rntledge  thinks,)  started  back 
to  the  battle-field  with  the  remainder  of  the  army  and  the  rein- 
forcements, which  had  been  coming  in  while  they  were  gone. 
They  buried  the  dead.  While  on  the  field  of  Stillman's  Run  they 
received  the  news  of  the  massacre  of  three  families  on  Indian 
Greek ;  those  of  Davis,  Hall  and  Pettigrew,  he  thinks,  and  the 
capture  of  the  two  young  ladies,  Sylvia  and  Rachel  Hall.  They 
went  to  Indian  Creek  and  buried  those  who  were  massacred,  and 
tried  to  follow  the  trail  of  the  Indians  in  order  to  recapture  the 


m'lean  county.  763 

voune;  ladies.  They  found  where  the  Indians  had  tied  their  hor- 
ses  in  the  woods  and  where  they  had  retreated  to  the  creek,  but 
there  the  trail  was  lost.  The  Indians  had  walked  down  the  creek 
for  a  long  distance  and  their  track  was  lost.  The  evening  after 
they  buried  the  families  at  Indian  Creek  they  marched  to  Ottawa 
and  built  a  block-house  ;  then  went  to  Chicago  and  built  another 
which  required  a  week ;  then  went  to  Milwaukee  where  they 
stayed  three  days  and  then  marched  back  to  Ottawa  and  were 
discharged.  Mr.  Rutledge  re-enlisted  for  sixty  days,  but  remained 
at  Ottawa  until  his  time  was  nearly  expired.  When  the  Black 
Hawk  war  was  nearly  closed  the  company  to  which  he  belonged 
marched  up  to  Prairie  Du  Chien  on  the  Mississippi  River.  They 
arrived  there  shortly  after  the  battle  of  Bad  Axe,  the  closing  fight. 
From  there  his  company  returned  to  Ottawa  where  they  remained 
until  their  discharge.  In  his  discharge  Mr.  Rutledge  was  directed 
to  visit  the  Kickapoos  at  Old  Town  timber  to  see  that  they  kept 
their  arms  stacked  and  manifested  no  hostile  disposition.  He 
found  them  as  quiet  and  peaceable  as  if  they  had  never  heard  of 
wars  or  rumors  of  wars. 

Such  was  Mr.  Rutledge's  experience  in  the  Black  Hawk  war. 
No  very  accurate  account  of  the  famous  right  at  Stillman's  Run 
has  ever  been  published,  because  unfortunately,  the  most  of  the 
gentlemen  who  were  engaged  in  it  had  taken  too  much  spirits 
from  the  barrel  which  was  broken  open  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
last  day  of  the  expedition. 

"When  Mr.  Rutledge  was  discharged  from  the  service  he  re- 
turned to  his  plow.  He  had  all  the  adventures  of  a  pioneer  and 
all  the  sharp  experiences  which  were  common  to  the  early  set- 
tlers. His  experience  with  the  sudden  change  in  the  weather  in 
December,  1836,  was  the  same  which  has  been  so  often  described 
Mrs.  Rutledge  says,  her  chickens  and  geese  were  frozen  to  the 
ground  by  the  sudden  cold. 

Mr.  Rutledge  has  never  been  much  of  a  hunter.  He  has  some- 
times  shot  deer  and  turkey  and  often  hunted  wolves.  He  has  often- 
times pulled  off  the  harness  from  his  horse  while  ploughing  and 
ridden  after  wolves,  when  they  troubled  him  too  much.  This  was 
a  common  occurrence.  The  prairie  fires  sometimes  came  after 
them  and  then  it  seemed  that  the  whole  earth  was  on  fire.  He 
thinks  the  great  conflagration  at  Chicago  is  nothing  compared  to 


764  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

a  prairie  fire,  which  blackens  everything  in  its  track.  It  moves 
slowly  at  first,  but  gathers  speed  as  it  goes  so  that  it  soon  moves 
faster  than  a  horse  can  travel. 

Mr.  Rutledge  is  a  very  humorous  gentleman  and  appreciates 
a  rich  joke  as  well  as  any  of  the  old  settlers.  He  tells  many  hu- 
morous things  of  the  Buckles  family,  particularly.  At  one  time 
while  on  the  way  to  Pekin,  with  a  load  of  wood,  he  saw  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Buckles  at  Gaylord's  tavern  in  Bloomington.  The  landlord 
was  exceedingly  polite  and  wished  to  do  everything  to  please  his 
guests.  As  Mr.  Buckles  was  about  to  retire  for  the  night  the 
landlord  offered  him  a  pair  of  slippers  to  wear  to  his  chamber ; 
but  he  could  not  understand  the  meaning  of  such  a  favor.  At 
last  an  idea  seemed  to  strike  him,  and  he  told  the  landlord  that 
"he'd  be  dog  goned  if  he'd  trade  his  boots  for  them  slippers." 

When  William  Buckles  was  young  he  followed  the  example 
of  other  young  men,  and  occasionally  "  went  sparking."  Atone 
time,  while  he  was  making  a  visit  to  a  young  lady,  the  family 
treated  him  with  great  politeness,  and  at  dinner  offered  him  some 
white  sugar  for  his  coffee.  But  he  had  never  seen  white  sugar 
before,  and  replied  very  promptly,  "  No,  sir,  he  didn't  take  salt 
in  his  coffee." 

Mr.  Peter  Buckles,  a  brother  to  William,  was  a  great  hunter, 
and  sometimes  he  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  go  after  game 
on  the  Sabbath  day.  But  after  a  while,  when  a  revival  was  in 
progress,  he  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  promised  never 
again  to  hunt  on  Sunday,  unless,  he  cautiously  added,  a  wolf 
should  take  some  of  his  pigs,  or  his  sheep,  or  his  chickens,  or 
some  of  his  other  stock.  With  these  exceptions,  he  promised  the 
brethren  and  sisters  faithfully  never  again  to  hunt  on  Sunday. 

Mr.  Abraham  Buckles,  another  member  of  this  celebrated 
family,  now  lives  at  Buckles'  Groye.  In  early  days  he  had  never 
seen  a  railroad  and  never  expected  to ;  but  in  course  of  time  a 
railroad  came  working  its  way  through  to  Bloomington,  and 
although  Mr.  Buckles  lived  out  at  the  grove,  which  bears  his 
family  name,  he  at  last  came  across  it,  and  his  experience  was 
most  interesting.  Shortly  afterwards  he  was  taking  a  young 
lady  some  distance  in  his  buggy ;  but  when  he  came  within  two 
miles  of  the  railroad  he  told  her  she  would  have  to  walk  the 
remainder  of  the  journey,  as  he  would  not,  under  any  circum- 


m'lean  county.  765 

stances,  go  nearer  than  two  miles  of  the  track,  for  he  said  he  had 


3j  & 


been,  but  a  short  time  before,  on  the  track  with  his  horse  and 
buggy,  and  the  engine  came  after  him  like  a  threshing  machine 
and  whooping  like  an  Indian,  and  his  old-  mare  went  faster  and 
faster,  and  when  she  left  the  track,  she  nearly  upset  the  buggy. 

Mr.  Rutledge  has  paid  very  little  attention  to  politics,  and 
never  held  any  office  except  school  director  and  overseer  of  the 
poor.  Since  coming  to  Randolph's  Grove,  he  has  always  lived 
where  he  first  settled,  on  the  land  pre-empted,  about  two  miles 
east  of  the  present  town  of  Heyworth.  He  has  had  twelve  chil- 
dren, nine  of  whom  are  living.     They  are  : 

John  T.  Rutledge,  who  is  now  living  in  Kansas. 
Owen  C.  Rutledge,  who  lives  in  Heyworth,  where  he  is  in 
business  in  a  warehouse. 

Mrs.  Amanda  Elder,  wife  of  William  Elder,  lives  in  Hey- 
worth. 

Mrs.  Mary  Washburn,  wife  of  John  Washburn,  lives  in  Hey- 
worth. 

Andrew  S.  Rutledge  lives  near  his  father. 
James  B.  Rutledge  lives  on  a  farm  about  one  mile  east  of  his 
father. 

Mrs.  Pamelia  Loer,  wife  of  B.  F.  Loer,  lives  in  Normal. 
Charles  L.  Rutledge  and  Oliver  Rutledge,  both  live  at  home 
with  their  father. 

Mr.  Rutledge  is  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height ;  his 
hair  is  gray,  what  there  is  of  it,  and  his  head  is  bald.  His  eyes 
are  bright  and  pleasant,  and  the  lines  on  his  face  ^seem  laid  out 
for  the  purpose  of  making  an  honest,  pleasant  smile.  The  dim- 
ples still  come  in  his  cheeks,  and  he  is  full  of  the  best  of  humor, 
and,  like  all  of  the  old  settlers,  wishes  to  be  a  good  friend  to  all 
of  his  neighbors,  and  indeed  to  the  whole  world.  He  is  in  very 
good  health,  and  seems  inclined  to  work  more  than  he  should  in 
the  later  years  of  his  life.  He  is  always  glad  to  see  his  children 
and  his  friends. 

Robekt  H.  Rutledge. 

Robert  H.  Rutledge  was  born  March  21,  1810,  in  Henderson 
County,  Kentucky,  near  the  Red  Banks.  His  father,  Thomas 
Rutledge,  was  born  October  17,  1768,  in  South  Carolina.     He 


766  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

lived  for  a  while  in  Georgia,  and  there  married  Sallie  Smith.  He 
also  lived  near  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  moved  from  there  to 
Henderson  County,  Kentucky,  where  his  son  Robert  was  born. 
The  Rutledge  family  c.ame  to  Illinois  in  December,  1814.  They 
came  to  Shawneetown,  and  afterwards  moved  out  in  the  country 
about  thirty-five  miles.  The  countv  was  then  called  Gallatin. 
Thomas  Rutledge  was  there  chosen  justice  of  the  peace  in  1813, 
and  held  his  office  for  ten  years.  In  1826  the  family  came  to 
Randolph  Grove.  On  the  twentieth  of  August,  1830,  old  Thomas 
Rutledge  died,  in  the  sixty-second  year  of  his  age.  His  wife, 
Sallie  Rutledge,  was  born  August  20,  1778,  and  died  December 
12,  1843. 

Robert  Rutledge  says  that  when  he  came  to  Randolph  Grove 
in  1826,  the  country  was  an  uninhabited  wilderness  from  Pekin 
to  the  eastern  state  line,  and  from  La  Salle  to  Decatur.  The  coun- 
ty was  then  called  Tazewell,  with  the  seat  of  justice  at  Mackinaw- 
town.  William  11.  Hodge  was  then  sheriff.  Since  that  time 
Macon  County  has  been  taken  off  on  the  south,  and  Champaign, 
Vermilion,  and  onr  own  county  of  McLean,  have  been  taken 
from  the  east. 

Mr.  Rutledge,  like  many  other  settlers,  has  had  a  hard  milling 
experience.  The  family  first  did  without  a  mill,  and  Mr.  Rut- 
ledge, sr.,  made  a  hominy  mortar  and  a  pestle  attached  to  a  spring- 
pole,  by  means  of  which  the  hominy  was  beaten.  But  when  the 
little  "  nigger  head"  horse-mills  came  in  use,  young  Robert  was 
obliged  to  take  his  sack  of  corn,  go  to  mill  on  horseback  one  day 
and  return  with  meal  the  next. 

Mr.  Rutledge  was  a  lively  hunter,  and  he  had  plenty  of  oppor- 
tunities for  exercising  his  skill,  for  deer  were  as  "  plenty  as  black- 
berries." In  1826  he  saw  from  the  door  of  his  cabin  more  than 
a  hundred  deer  walking  one  after  the  other.  At  one  time,  during 
the  fall  of  this  year,  Mr.  Rutledge,  sr.,  killed  three  deer  in  the 
morning  before  breakfast. 

The  wolves  were  then  very  numerous.  Mr.  Rutledge,  at  one 
time  during  the  fall  of  1826,  was  traveling  in  an  ox-cart  a  short 
distance  west  of  where  Heyworth  now  is,  and  there  saw  within 
forty  yards  of  him  twenty-eight  large  gray  wolves  and  one  prairie 
wolf.  He  often  went  on  the  "  ring"  hunts,  as  they  were  called, 
and  was  in  the  great  hunt  described  by  John  Price,  which  appears 


m'lean  county.  767 

in  the  latter's  sketch.  Mr.  liutledge  also  says  that  the  great 
wolf,  which  was  for  a  long  time  the  terror  of  the  whole 
neighborhood  for  a  great  many  miles  around,  once  got  into 
his  traps  and  lost  its  toes  in  getting  out.  This  was  the  wolf 
which  was  afterwards  killed  by  John  Price.  Mr.  Rutledge's 
last  wolf  hunt  was  in  the  month  of  June  in  about  the 
year  1838.  He  started  out  one  rainy  morning  with  John 
"Weedman.  They  went  not  more  than  a  mile  and  a-half 
before  starting  three  large  black  wolves.  Weedman  shot  one 
through  the  shoulder,  and  Rutledge,  while  riding  at  full  speed, 
shot  another. 

McLean  County  was   organized   in   1830.     The  first  couple 
married  in  the  county  after  its  organization  were  Robert  H.  Rut- 
ledge  and  Charity  Weedman.     They  were  married  June  9,  1831, 
by  Father  T.  Brittain,  who  lived  at  the  head  of  Old  Town.     The 
first  license  granted  in   McLean  County  after  its  formation  was 
given  to  them  by  Isaac  Baker,  the  first  county  clerk.     Charity 
Weedman  was  born  July  21,  1812,  in  Perry  County,  Ohio.    Her 
father  came  to  McLean  County  in  1830.     He  was  an  active  man 
of  considerable  influence,  and  was  for  some  time  a  county  com- 
missioner.    He  was  a  great  hunter,  was  wide  awake,  arose  early 
in  the  morning  and  at  one  time  killed  two  deer  before  breakfast 
in  order  to  have  a  good  appetite.     His  daughter  Charity  was  a 
lively  young  woman ;  she  was  up  and   doing  and  at  one  time 
walked  four  miles  to  weave  in  order  to  earn  some  chickens  to 
get  a  start  and  raise  a  flock.    Robert  and  Charity  built  their  first 
cabin  in  the  fall  of  1831,  on  the  ground  where  they  now  live. 
Their  little  cabin  had  neither  floor  nor  door  until  the  following 
spring.    Their  bedstead  was  made  by  boring  holes  in  the  side  of 
the  house  and  driving  in  poles  for  rails  and  using  clapboards  for 
bedchords.    Robert  Rutledge  and  his  brother-in-law,  Jacob  Bish- 
op, thought  they  must  have  the  luxury  of  tables,  so  they   cut  a 
log  and  each  of  them  split  out  a  table  from  it.     The  first  prairie 
which  Mr.  Rutledge  broke  was  in  the  spring  of  1832.     He  then 
worked  under  some  difficulties.     Mrs.  Rutledge  had  one  child, 
which  she  would  lay  on  the  bed  and  go  out  and  drive  the  oxen, 
while  Mr.  Rutledge  held  the  plow. 

Mr.  Rutledge  made  his  first  journey  to  Chicago  with  Garson 
Wright  and  Jacob  Bishop,  and  it  required  four  or  five  weeks  to 


768  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

make  the  round  trip.  While  they  were  gone,  their  unprotected 
families  were  obliged  to  be  on  their  guard  against  Indians  and 
wild  animals.  The  three  men  went  with  ox  teams  to  where  Pon- 
tiac  now  stands,  thence  to  Sulphur  Springs  and  the  Kankakee 
River,  where  they  forded,  thence  to  Hickory  Creek,  north  of 
Joliet,  and  from  there  to  Chicago.  They  were  loaded  with  corn 
and  oats,  and  sold  the  corn  for  $1.50  per  bushel  and  the  oats  for 
$1.00.  They  found  in  Chicago  only  one  family  of  white  folks, 
that  of  William  Clybourne.  They  did  their  trading  with  two 
Frenchmen  by  the  name  of  Beaubean.  They  loaded  their  teams 
with  salt  and  started  on  their  return  to  their  anxious  families. 
After  going  twelve  miles  they  came  to  the  river  Desplaines  and 
were  there  water  bound  three  days.  At  last  their  fifteen  teams 
were  taken  over  by  half-breed  Indians  for  $1.50  a  piece.  They 
were  water-bound  two  days  at  the  Dupage  River,  and  amused 
themselves  during  their  enforced  idleness  by  going  to  hear  a 
Methodist  preacher,  who  was  exhorting  to  the  Indians.  They 
crossed  the  Dupage  in  canoes  and  the  Desplaines  in  the  same 
way.  From  there  they  went  to  Sugar  Grove  on  Fox  River,  and 
thence  to  Ottawa,  where  they  crossed  the  Illinois.  From  there 
they  went  to  Panther  Creek,  thence  to  Crow  Creek,  then  on  to 
Havens'  Grove  across  the  Mackinaw,  thence  to  where  Blooming- 
ton  now  is,  and  on  home  to  Randolph's  Grove. 

When  Mr.  Rutledge  came  to  Randolph's  Grove,  there  were 
Gardner  Randolph,  Captain  Stringfield  and  his  mother's  family, 
James  Burleson  and  family,  Jesse  Funk,  Mr.  Dickerson  and  W. 
Games.  Isaac  Funk,  Robert  Stubblefield  and  William  Brock 
lived  at  Funk's  Grove.  John  Hendrix,  William  and  Thomas 
OrendorfT,  William  Walker,  Ebenezer  Rhodes,  John  Rhodes 
and  John  Benson,  lived  at  Blooming  Grove. 

The  changes  which  have  taken  place  are  of  every  kind  and 
description.  The  face  of  the  country  is  changed  by  the  fields 
and  houses  and  roads,  by  the  timber  which  has  been  cut  down, 
and  by  the  timber  which  has  grown  up.  Mr.  Rutledge  has  cut 
timber,  grown  since  his  settlement  here,  that  squared  eight 
inches. 

Mr.  Rutledge  has  had  few  misfortunes,  but  one  has  been 
something  of  a  difficulty  for  him.  Mr.  Rutledge's  house  burned 
down  on  the  sixteenth  of  October,  1872,  but  it  is  now  replaced 


m'lean  county.  769 

by  a  new  and  substantial  building  which  will  be  his  homestead 
for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  But  notwithstanding  this  misfor- 
tune, Mr.  Rutledge  has  usually  been  very  successful.  He  has 
acquired  a  competence  of  this  world's  goods ;  he  has  been  blessed 
with  good  health,  a  splendid  wife  and  a  magnificent  crop  of 
children.    He  has  had  twelve  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living. 

Mary  J.  Rutledge  was  born  March  7,  1832,  was  married  to 
John  Halsey  in  1849,  and  lives  in  Iowa. 

Sarah  L.  Rutledge  was  born  March  13,  1833,  was  married  to 
Joseph  T.  Martin  in  1852,  and  lives  in  Ford  County,  Illinois. 

George  T.  Rutledge  was  born  August  26,  1834,  married  in 
1860,  Miss  A.  M.  Wagner,  and  lives  in  McLean  County,  Illinois. 

Harriet  Rutledge  was  born  June  13, 1836,  died  April  18, 1862. 

Nancy  E.  Rutledge  was  born  September  11,  1839,  was  mar- 
ried to  J.  C.  Daniel,  and  lives  in*Ford  County,  Illinois. 

Benjamin  F.  Rutledge   was  born  May  19,  1842,  and  died  the 
seventeenth  of  the  following  October. 

Leander  Rutledge  was  born  December  5,  1843,  married  in 
1844,  Mary  A.  Tilghman,  and  lives  in  McLean  County,  Illinois. 

Charity  A.  Rutledge  was  born  July  21,  1846,  was  married  to 
John  T.  Ellsworth,  and  died  November  30,  1870. 

Robert  M.  Rutledge  was  born  August  7,  1848,  and  died 
September  6,  following. 

America  C.  Rutledge  was  born  March  17,  1850,  and  died 
November  9,  1870. 

Martin  A.  Rutledge  was  born  October  27,  1853,  and  died 
September  16,  1854. 

Marcus  D.  Rutledge  was  born  February  20,  1856,  and  lives 
at  home  with  his  parents. 

Mr.  Rutledge  is  of  medium  stature.  He  is  as  good  and  honest 
a  man  as  ever  lived.  He  appreciates  a  funny  story,  but  would 
rather  not  have  too  many  practical  jokes  played  on  himself. 

Jesse  Funk. 

Jesse  Funk  was  born  December  15,  1803,  in  Clark  County, 
Kentucky.  His  father  was  Adam  Funk  and  his  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Nancy  Moore.  Nancy  Moore  was  the  daughter  of  Mr. 
Philip  Moore,  who  came  from  Germany.  Adam  Funk,  the  father 
of  Jesse,  was  the  son  of  Adam  Funk,  who,  while  only  six  years 
49 


770  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

of  age,  was  brought  by  his  father  Adam  Funk,  from  Germany. 
The  child  Adam  was  left  by  his  father  in  Philadelphia  in  charge 
of  a  friend,  while  the  father  went  to  seek  a  place  of  business,  but 
never  returned  and  was  never  again  heard  of.  The  child  Adam 
grew  to  manhood  and  married  Miss  Sarah  Long,  and  their  chil- 
dren were  Adam,  Margaret  and  Jacob.  Adam  married  Miss  Nan- 
cy Moore,  as  above  stated.  Their  children  were  Absalom,  John, 
Jacob,  Sarah,  Isaac,  Dorothy,  Tabitha,  Jesse  and  Eobert. 

In  1808  the  Funk  family  moved  to  Fayette  County,  Ohio. 
Jesse  Funk  remembered  the  war  of  1812,  although  but  a  very 
small  lad.  Two  of  his  elder  brothers  were  soldiers  in  that  war 
and  served  under  General  Cass.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Gene- 
ral Cass  came  home  with  them  and  made  a  visit  of  several  days. 

Jesse  Funk's  business  while  a  boy  was  the  herding  of  pigs  on 
the  White  Oak  Plains,  where  they  were  taken  to  feed  on  mast. 
This  occupation  and  hunting  kept  him  busy.  He  hunted  bees, 
bear,  wolves  and  panther.  In  addition  to  his  gun  he  carried,  on 
his  hunting  excursions,  a  butcher  knife  and  a  three-pound  axe 
for  a  tomahawk.  His  hunting  companions  were  frequently  the 
Indians,  with  whom  he  was  on  terms  of  friendship.  He  often  had 
shooting  matches  with  them.  Mr.  Wesley  Funk  tells  of  a  bear 
fio-ht,  in  which  his  father  and  Isaac  Funk  and  a  Mr.  Pancake  were 
eno-au-ed  in  Ohio,  and  which  he  has  often  heard  his  father  relate. 
They  started  out  one  morning  on  horseback  with  the  hounds  and 
went  to  a  little  stream  called  Deer  Creek.  Before  going  a  great 
way  they  started  an  enormous  bear.  Isaac  and  Mr.  Pancake  being- 
somewhat  excited,  gave  it  a  hard  chase  and  drove  it  to  its  nest. 
This  was  made  of  grass  piled  on  the  ground  five  feet  high,  and 
underneath  was  the  bear  with  her  cubs.  Isaac,  who  was  then  a 
reckless  youth,  rode  his  horse  over  the  nest,  bear,  cubs  and  all. 
This  brought  out  the  beast  and  a  general  fight  took  place.  It 
was  tackled  by  nineteen  hounds,  but  the  bear  came  off  first  best 
and  nearly  killed  three  of  the  hounds,  before  they  could  be  called 
off.  The  animal  was  then  furious ;  the  hunters  tried  to  drive 
it  towards  their  shantv  before  shooting  it.  But  Isaac  became 
impatient  and  wanted  more  sport  and  again  he  charged  on  the 
bear  and  and  rode  his  horse  over  it.  But  the  brute  was  a  little 
too  quick  this  time  ;  it  caught  the  horse  in  the  edge  of  the  hair 
on  its  left  fore  foot  and  tore  the  ancle  and  hoof  on  the  front  side. 


m'lean  county.  771 

The  horse  fell,  and  Isaac  was  thrown.  The  horse  ran  for  home 
while  the  bear  took  after  Isaac  and  would  undoubtedly  have 
killed  him,  had  not  Jesse  rushed  on  with  the  dogs  and  drawn  off 
the  attention  of  the  brute,  until  the  reckless  Isaac  could  escape. 
The  bear  climbed  a  low  tree  and  Jesse  tried  to  shoot  it,  but  the 
flint  in  his  gun  would  not  make  fire.  The  powder  was  lit  with 
a  splinter,  and  when  the  gun  tired  the  bear  came  down,  and  Isaac- 
picked  up  Jesse's  tomahawk  and  went  for  the  brute  again  and 
struck  it.  But  the  bear  reared  up  for  another  tight  and  again 
Jesse  rushed  on  with  the  dogs  to  save  Isaac  from  the  results  of 
his  recklessness.  Jesse  rushed  his  horse  on  the  bear's  heels  and 
when  it  turned  on  him  he  rammed  the  gun  barrel  down  its  throat 
and  stabbed  it  with  his  knife  behind  the  left  shoulder.  Between 
Jesse  and  the  dogs  they  succeeded  in  killing  it. 

But  Jesse  Funk  was  not  always  successful  in  securing  his  bear 
meat,  when  he  had  killed  it.  At  one  time  he  killed  a  bear's  cub 
and  started  for  home,  but  was  delayed,  and  the  wolves  came  howl- 
ing after  him.  They  came  thicker  and  thicker  and  closer  and 
closer,  and  at  last  he  was  obliged  to  drop  his  bear,  and  while  the 
wolves  were  eating  it  he  and  his  dog  went  home, 

During  the  last  year  before  he  came  to  Illinois  he  worked  for  a 
Mr.  Rankin  and  received  as  his  pay  one  hundred  and  twenty  dol- 
lars in  American  half  dollars. 

(  hi  the  fifteenth  of  December,  1824,  Jesse  Funk  came  to  Ran- 
dolph's Grove  in  what  was  then  Fayette,  but  is  now  McLean 
County  Illinois.  During  the  first  year  after  his  arrival  in  Illinois 
he  lived  with  his  brother  Isaac  at  Funk's  Grove.  On  the  fifteenth 
of   September,  1825,   he  married  Miss    Fannie  U.    Stringfield. 

Rev.  John  S.  Barger,  while  writing  of  Jesse  Funk's  marriage, 
says:  "  The  writer  remembers  to  have  heard  him  say  in  regard 
to  the  marriage  fee,  that  he  asked  the  preacher  his  charge  for  his 
services,  who  replied  :  'I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  making  charges 
on  such  occasions,  but  usually  accept  what  the  parties  are  dis- 
posed to  give.'  He  said:  '  I  was  much  relieved  by  his  answer, 
and  ran  my  hand  into  my  pocket  and  gave  him  $2.50.  If  he  had 
made  a  charge  and  had  charged  me  more  than  that  small  sum  I 
could  not  then  have  paid  the  fee !' "  On  the  11th  of  March,  1826, 
the  newly  married  couple  moved  into  their  log  cabin,  twelve  by 
fourteen  feet,  with  only  one  side  of  the  roof  covered,  a  blanket  for  a 


772  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

shutter  to  the  door,  having  no  chimney  and  no  floor  but  the  earth. 
Into  this  humble  dwelling  they  introduced  an  ox-cart  load  of 
household  furniture,  and  a  light  load  at  that.  He  sold  his  wed- 
ding hat  for  some  pigs  and  split  rails  for  some  of  his  neighbors 
for  twenty-five  cents  per  hundred.  Mr  Thomas  0.  Rutledge,  in 
describing  the  shanty  says,  that  Mr.  Funk  had  a  little  salt  meat 
in  one  corner  and  slept  in  the  other,  he  had  a  little  board  table,  a 
dirt  floor,  a  hole  in  the  logs  for  a  window,  a  quilt  for  a  door,  no 
chimney,  the  roof  only  half  on,  no  chair  and  only  two  puncheon 
stools.  One  would  hardly  think  that  this  pioneer,  who  began  life 
under  such  difficulties,  would  at  his  death  leave  an  estate  worth 
half  a  million  dollars  or  more. 

In  1827,  Jesse  Funk  and  his  wife  went  to  Galena.  They 
moved  to  the  Illinois  River  in  an  ox-wagon.  There  they  took  a 
keel-boat  and  went  down  to  its  mouth  and  up  the  Mississippi. 
They  poled  it  up  by  having  a  plank  walk  on  each  side,  where 
those  who  handled  the  poles,  could  walk  backward  and  forward. 
Mrs.  Funk  steered  the  boat.  When  they  came  to  the  rapids,  they 
unloaded  the  boat  and  carried  the  household  goods  around  while 
the  empty  boat  was  poled  and  drawn  up  with  ropes.  '  When  they 
arrived  at  Galena,  Mr.  Funk  commenced  digging  for  mineral  the 
fore  part  of  the  season  ;  then  he  bought  a  team  and  hauled  mine- 
ral during  the  latter  part  of  the  season  ;  then  he  went  home  and 
drove  hogs  to  Galena,  butchered  them,  and  sold  meat  to  the 
miners.  These  were  the  first  hogs  taken  to  Galena.  In  the 
spring  of  1828  he  returned  to  Galena,  but  in  the  fall  he  came 
home  again,  and  took  a  second  lot  of  hogs  to  Galena,  butchered 
them,  and  returned  in  February,  1829.  In  the  fall  of  1829  he 
took  some  oxen  to  Galena,  butchered  them,  sold  them  to  the 
teamsters,  and  returned  shortly  afterwards.  He  always  camped 
out  in  the  woods.  When  he  and  his  men  ran  out  of  meat,  thev 
killed  a  hog  and  scalded  it  by  a  curious  process.  They  dug  a 
hole  in  the  ground,  put  in  some  stones,  built  a  log  fire  in  it,  and 
after  a  while  scraped  away  the  ashes,  poured  in  water,  which  was 
immediately  heated  by  the  stones,  and  instantly  plunged  in  the 
hog,  which  never  failed  to  become  effectually  scalded. 

During  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow,  Jesse  Funk  started  to 
Galena  with  a  drove  of  hogs.  The  men  who  accompanied  him 
were  James  Burleson,  Severe  Stringfield,  Robert  Funk  and  Mar- 


m'lean  county.  773 

tin  Ruth.  The  last  named  was  severely  frozen  on  the  expedition 
and  wished  to  he  left  to  die ;  hut  Jesse  Funk  took  his  whip  and 
threshed  the  man  severely,  and  made  him  run,  and  hv  this  means 
saved  his  life.  On  this  trip  the  men  were  overtaken  by  the  deep 
snow,  and  for  a  while  their  swine  were  buried  beneath  it.  When 
they  took  out  the  pigs,  the  latter  were  found  by  the  holes,  which 
their  breath  melted  up  through  the  snow.  Some  of  the  pigs  had 
been  killed  by  the  wolves.  While  driving  the  pigs,  Jesse  Funk 
followed  behind  and  brought  up  those  which  were  tired  and  dis- 
abled. The  wolves  followed  close  after  him.  The  cold  was  most 
intense,  and  niairy  of  the  pigs  were  frozen.  They  would  put  their 
snouts  in  the  snow  and  squeal,  and  freeze,  and  die.  The  snow- 
drifts were  very  deep,  particularly  in  the  hollows.  They  were 
sometimes  so  deep  that  only  the  tops  of  trees  could  be  seen.  At 
last  the  party  arrived  at  Galena  with  a  remnant  of  starved  and 
frozen  swine.  Provisions  of  all  kinds  were  scarce  at  Galena,  or 
Mr.  Funk  could  not  have  disposed  of  his  poor,  sorry-looking  pigs. 
He  only  made  one  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  by  that  trip. 

In  the  meantime,  Mrs.  Funk  was  at  home  at  Randolph's 
Grove  pounding  her  corn  into  meal,  and  managing  as  best  she 
could.  The  deer  and  wolves  came  into  her  yard  very  often.  Mr. 
Thomas  Rutledge  assisted  her  in  attending  to  the  stock,  cut  and 
hauled  her  wood.  During  this  winter  the  deer  and  wild  turkeys 
ate  with  the  cattle  and  chickens. 

Mr.  Funk  was  a  tireless  man  and  could  endure  everything. 
He  used  many  novel  expedients  to  succeed,  and  seldom  failed  to 
take  advantage  of  any  fortunate  circumstance.  At  one  time  he 
killed  a  wild  hog  at  Buckles'  Grove,  tied  it  to  the  tail  of  his  horse 
and  dragged  it  twelve  miles  home.  On  his  various  excursions  to 
Galena,  Chicago  and  elsewhere,  with  droves  of  stock,  he  camped 
out  at  night  and  made  fire  with  Hint  and  steel  and  t'ow.  He  often 
ran  much  risk  from  robbers  and  lawless  men,  who  are  always 
plenty  in  a  new  country,  but  he  was  a  man  of  powerful  frame, 
and  was  not  exposed  to  so  much  danger  as  many  others  would  be. 
At  one  time  he  Avas  followed  by  a  robber  from  Chicago  to  the 
Mazon  River,  but  there  the  thief  lost  the  camp  of  Mr.  Funk,  and 
was  foiled  in  his  design.  Mr.  Funk  had  then  several  thousand 
dollars  on  his  person.  He  made  a  great  deal  of  money  at  times 
in    his   business,   and   occasionally  he   had  corresponding  losses. 


774  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

During  the  hard  times  of  1837,  he  was  brought  to  the  verge  of 
bankruptcy;  but  he  saved  himself  in  a  fortunate  transaction.  He 
sold  a  lot  of  pork  at  Pekin,  and  took  his  pay  in  depreciated  bills 
of  the  State  Bank  of  Illinois,  and  received  more  money  accord- 
ing to  its  depreciation.  With  this  he  paid  the  debts,  which  Isaac 
Funk  and  others  owed  to  the  bank,  and  he  afterwards  received 
his  own  pay  in  good  money,  dollar  for  dollar. 

Mr.  Funk  was  a  man  of  great  humor,  and  had  a  habit  of 
giving1  nicknames.  Once,  while  driving  swine  to  Ohio,  he  had  a 
man  named  Troxell  to  help  him.  Troxell  could  not  read  or 
write ;  nevertheless,  he  was  anxious  to  be  called  by  some  title  to 
indicate  that  he  was  not  a  common  hog  drover.  Jesse  Funk, 
therefore,  called  him  Squire.  While  on  the  route,  Mr.  Funk  had 
occasion  to  buy  some  pigs,  and  had  difficulty  as  to  the  amount 
'  of  money  they  were  all  worth,  after  an  agreement  had  been  made 
as  to  the  price  of  each  pig.  The  amount  in  controversy  was 
seven  dollars.  At  last  the  party  selling  the  pigs  offered  to  leave 
it  to  Squire  Troxell,  and  have  him  look  over  the  figures  to  see  if 
they  were  correct.  Mr.  Funk  would  not  at  first  agree  to  this,  as 
he  did  not  wish  to  expose  Troxell's  ignorance,  but  at  last  he  con- 
sented, being  anxious  to  see  how  Troxell  would  get  out  of  the 
s.-rape.  The  latter  took  the  paper  of  figures  and  looked  at  it 
upside  down  for  a  long  while.  His  eye  meandered  around  every 
crook  and  turn  of  those  characters,  of  which  he  was  as  ignorant 
as  a  new-born  babe.  At  last  he  said  he  had  discovered  the  mis- 
take, and  that  the  difference  amounted  to  three  dollars  and  a  half, 
instead  of  seven  dollars,  and  this  settled  it,  "Didn't  I  get  out  of 
that  pretty  well  ?"  said  Troxell.  "  Yes,"  said  Funk,  "  but  you 
don't  want  to  figure  me  out  of  three  dollars  and  a   half  again  !" 

Jesse  Funk  was  a  pretty  good-sized  man,  well  formed,  had 
dark  eves  and' black  hair.  He  was  a  kind  and  generous  man, 
and  his  humor  was  of  the  best  quality.  But  he  was  a  terrible 
man  when  enraged :  his  passion  was  like  a  thunder  cloud.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  :  but  lie  always  thought 
it  religious  to  take  his  own  part  by  physical  force,  if  necessary. 
Senator  Cusey  says  Mr.  Funk  would  pray  like  a  congressman, 
(do  congressmen  usually  pray?)  but,  if  neceesary,  he  would  fight 
like  a  pugilist.  At  one  time,  while  Mr.  Funk  was  engaged  in 
devotional  exercises  at  a  camp-meeting,  some  one  pricked  him 


m'lean  county.  775 

with  a  pin.  He  bore  the  torture  patiently  until  the  exercises 
were  ended,  and  then  he  proceeded  to  "  clean  out"  the  parties, 
who  were  causing  the  trouble.    Mr.  Funk  died  February  6, 1865. 

Mr.  Funk  had  eight  children,  of  whom  seven  lived  to  be 
grown.     They  are  : 

Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Brittenham,  widow  of  John  Brittenham, 
lives  in  Monticello. 

Mrs.  Nancy  Ann  Thompson,  wife  of  John  Thompson,  lives  in 
California. 

John  Wesley  Funk  lives  at  the  old  homestead  near  He3Tworth. 

Thomas  Coke  Funk  lives  in  JSormal. 

Mrs.  Delilah  Brown,  wife  of  James  Brown,  lives  close  to  the 
old  homestead,  near  Heyworth. 

Mrs.  Eliza  Barger  died  in  Iowa,  in  1872. 

Absalom  Clark  Funk  lives  at  the  north  end  of  Randolph's 
Grove. 

George  Callahan  Hand. 

The  following  items  concerning  the  life  of  Mr.  Hand,  were 
given  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  A.  M.  String-field,  of  Randolph's 
Grove:  Mr.  Hand  was  born  in  1790.  Mrs.  Strius-field  cannot 
tell  the  place  of  his  birth  or  give  any  information  concerning  his 
early  life.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  for  his  ser- 
vices a  land  warrant  was  given  to  his  family  after  his  death.  In 
the  spring  of  1819,  he  left  Ohio  where  he  was  living,  and  came 
with  his  family  to  Shawnectown,  Illinois.  The  journey  was  hard 
and  adventurous.  The  family  started  on  a  flatboat,  but  it  ran 
against  a  sawyer  and  sank,  and  the  Hand  family  saved  only  their 
lives  and  the  clothing  which  they  happened  to  wear  at  the  time 
of  the  accident.  A  small  steamboat  took  them  from  the  wreck 
and  landed  them  on  shore.  They  found  shelter  in  a  little  cabin 
near  a  grog-shop,  where  they  came  in  contact  with  the  worst  ele- 
ment of  western  society.  The  men  in  the  grog-shop  made  the 
night  terrible  with  their  drunken  revels.  At  one  time  they  be- 
came so  noisy  that  the  proprietor  turned  them  out,  and  shortly 
afterwards  a  storm  came  up  and  blew  off  the  roof  of  the  grog- 
ery.  The  party  took  refuge  in  Mr.  Hand's  cabin,  and  during  the 
whole  night  kept  up  their  drunken  revelry.  After  waiting  three 
or  four  days,  Mr.  Hand's  family  Avere  taken    in   a  boat  to  Shaw- 


776  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

neetown.  They  went  out  into  the  country  about  eighteen  miles, 
and  tli  ere  Mr.  Hand  supported  his  family  all  summer  with  his 
labor  and  his  gun.  He  built  a  little  round  log  cabin  which,  as 
Mrs.  String-field  says,  had  cracks  in  it  large  enough  to  sling  a 
cut  through.  He  stayed  there  four  years  and  then  went  to  San- 
gamon County.  Here  he  raised  two  crops.  Mr.  Hand  hauled 
his  hay  from  the  Sangamon  bottom.  He  had  ten  girls  in 
his  family,  and  they  sometimes  helped  him  in  his  work.  In  1825 
he  came  to  Randolph's  Grove,  and  there  built  a  cabin  and  broke 
prairie.  No  young  man  could  be  found  for  help,  so  Amelia  drove 
the  oxen  to  break  the  prairie.  When  the  land  came  into  market 
he  entered  his  farm.  The  country  was  then  very  wild,  as  may  be 
imagined,  and  the  wolves  came  around  the  house  and  made  so 
much  noise,  that,  as  Mrs.  Stringfield  savs,  "  vou  could  not  hear 
it  thunder."  Mr.  Hand  opened  his  house  for  a  preaching  place 
until  school-houses  were  built.  Their  cabin  was  also  the  preach- 
ers' stopping  place.  Mr.  Hand  died  in  1845,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year 
of  his  age.  He  had  a  family  of  ten  girls  and  four  boys,  and  all, 
except  one  girl,  grew  to  be  men  and  women.  Six  of  the  girls 
and  two  of  the  boys  are  yet  living.  Mr.  Hand  was  rather  a  tall 
man,  fair-haired,  fair-complexioned,  with  very  expressive  blue 
eyes,  and  with  heavy  shoulders.  He  was  a  bold,  energetic  look- 
ins*  man,  and  was  strong  and  active.  He  was  an  exhorter  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  brought  up  his  children  in  the  way  they 
should  o-o. 

Nathan  Low. 

Nathan  Low  was  born  on  a  farm  called  Eingold's  Manor,  in 
Greenbrier  County,  Maryland,  near  Williamsport,  January  6, 
1791.  His  father's  name  was  Nathan  Low,  and  his  mother's 
Nancy  Wright,  before  her  marriage.  Nathan  Low,  jr.,  at  the 
age  of  fourteen,  came  to  Licking  Town,  Licking  County,  Ohio. 
Here  he  finished  his  education,  which  was  very  limited,  as  his 
chances  for  learning  were  uot  good.  He  followed  the  river  for 
some  time  between  the  Kanawha  Salt  Works  and  Zanesville, 
Ohio.  He  married,  February  12,  1814,  Miss  Sarah  Brooks,  a 
lady  of  fine  sense  and  decision  of  character.  She  is  still  living, 
although  Nathan  Low  has  long  since  passed  over  the  river. 

From  1814  to  1820,  Mr.  Low  was  a  farmer  and  drover.     He 


m'lean  county.  777 

drove  cattle  over  the  mountains  to  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  and  worked 
hard  to  carry  on  the  farm.  In  1829,  he  came  with  his  family  to 
Blooming  Grove,  starting  in  June  and  arriving  in  July.  He 
brought  a  carriage  with  him,  but  this  was  too  novel  for  the  West, 
and  was  sold  and  taken  back  to  Tennessee.  It  was  the  first  in 
McLean  County.  The  Indians  were  then  plenty,  and  called  on 
the  Low  family  very  often,  but  never  disturbed  them  in  any  way. 
Mrs.  Low,  who  observes  matters  pretty  sharply,  says  that  some 
of  the  Indians  in  these  parts  ran  away  from  their  tribe  and  joined 
the  forces  of  Black  Hawk  during  the  great  war,  which  the  latter 
carried  on.  One  of  them  came  all  painted  to  Mr.  Low's  cabin 
and  took  dinner  with  the  family  and  piously  asked  a  blessing  at 
the  table;  but  notwithstanding  all  his  apparent  piety,  Mrs.  Low 
was  convinced  that  he  was  bound  for  Black  Hawk's  band,  and 
that  his  paint  was  put  on  for  war,  though  Mr.  Low  thought  it 
was  only  the  Indian's  mode  of  dressing.  He  had  a  horse  and  a 
gun,  which  went  through  the  Black  Hawk  war.  The  horse  was 
ridden  by  Isaac  Murphy.  Mr.  Low  followed  farming  and  stock 
raising  until  1844,  the  time  of  his  death.  He  had  some  property 
in  1829,  when  he  came  to  the  grove,  but  most  of  it  he  afterwards 
acquired  by  hard  and  patient  toil.  At  the  age  of  thirty-five,  he 
was  much  broken  down  in  consequence  of  hard  work.  During 
the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  he  had  thirty  hogs  to  feed,  and  was 
obliged  to  pack  corn  for  them  on  horseback  for  a  distance  of 
three  miles.  He  made  the  trip  through  the  timber  every  other 
day.  During  this  severe  winter  it  was  impossible  for  farmers  to 
go  to  mill,  and  they  pounded  their  corn  and  wheat  in  blocks  and 
sometimes  ground  it  in  a  coffee  mill. 

Nathan  Low's  home  would  not  now  be  called  luxurious.  It 
was  a  shanty  with  a  single  room  twelve  by  fourteen  feet,  and  this 
was  the  home  of  a  family  of  ten  persons !  When  the  children 
came  home  from  school,  they  were  obliged  to  put  the  chairs  and 
tables  out  of  doors  in  order  to  make  beds  on  the  floor.  A  second 
bed  was  made  under  the  large  one.  But  these  little  difficulties 
amounted  to  nothing,  when  compared  to  the  vexations  they 
sometimes  endured.  For  instance,  on  one  occasion  during  this 
same  winter,  there  came  a  storm,  which  carried  off  the  roof  of 
the  little  shanty  and  lifted  it  over  the  horses,  which  were  tied  to 
a  wagon  near  by.     Then  they  tried  to  fix  the  roof  and  the  snow 


778  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

blew  over  them  and  melted  like  rain.  "We  tell  this  incident 
without  any  further  comment;  it  is  as  hard  a  condition  as  we 
have  heard  of  for  some  time. 

The  early  settlers  visited  each  other  oftener  than  people  do 
at  present,  particularly  from  a  distance.  They  had  no  neighbor- 
hood quarrels  or  neighborhood  jealousies.  People  were  always 
glad  to  see  each  other,  and  all  stood  on  the  same  footing.  But 
after  a  while  the  country  became  prosperous  and  thickly  settled, 
and  the  old  warmth  of  feeling  gradually  died  out.  The  pros- 
perity of  later  days  has  destroyed,  in  some  measure,  the  good 
feeling  of  the  early  times.  But  the  kind  feeling  of  the  early 
settlers  has  had  a  good  effect,  which  still  remains  The  hospital- 
ity of  the  pioneers  who  are  now  living  is  of  the  same  generous 
kind  as  that  for  which  they  were  first  distinguished,  and  its 
effects  are  felt  b}^  the  whole  community.  We  are  inclined  to 
think  that  people  are  now  naturally  as  well  disposed  towards 
each  other  as  in  early  days ;  the  difficulty  is  that  if  they  exercise 
charity  and  hospitality  and  keep  the  "  latch  string  always  out," 
some  disagreeable  and  shiftless  folks  will  take  advantage  of  good 
nature.  During  the  early  settlement  of  the  country,  this  latter 
class  of  people  was  very  small.  Everybody  was  welcome  every- 
where, and  all  people  who  lived  within  twenty  miles  of  each 
other  were  neighbors. 

The  early  settlers  made  their  own  furniture.  The}r  had  ovens 
of  clay  in  which  they  baked  their  bread.  Across  the  fire  place 
was  stretched  a  chain,  and  sometimes  two  or  three,  on  which  the 
pots  and  kettles  were  hung. 

During  the  sudden  change  in  the  weather  in  December,  1836, 
so  often  described  in  this  volume,  Mr.  Low  was  at  Bloomington, 
in  the  office  of  the  County  Clerk.  The  cape  of  his  coat  was  wet, 
and  when  he  stepped  out  of  doors  the  wind  flared  it  out  and  im- 
mediately it  was  frozen  in  that  shape. 

Mr.  Low  brought  the  first  sheep  to  Blooming  Grove  and  sold 
them  to  farmers.  His  business  as  long  as  he  lived  was  working 
with  stock.  He  drove  and  sold  cattle  to  the  laborers  on  the 
Illinois  and  Michigan  canal,  and  was  shrewd  enough  always  to 
see  where  he  could  find  a  market.  He  took  rather  a  discourag. 
ing  view  of  the  western  country  and  thought  that,  notwithstand- 
ing its  fine  land,  it  would  never  have  the  advantages  of  so  good 


m'lean  county.  779 

market  as  in  Ohio.  If  he  had  lived  to  hear  the  engine's  whistle, 
he  would  have  changed  his  mind. 

Nathan  Low  was  one  of  the  best  of  the  old  settlers.  He 
worked  hard,  and  in  the  decline  of  lile  saw  the  fruits  of  his  labor 
in  the  prosperity  which  surrounded  him.  At  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  April  17,  1844,  he  was  possessed  of  nine 
hundred  acres  of  land.  He  had  seven  children,  of  whom  five 
are  now  living.     They  are  : 

John  Low,  who  lives  in  Washington  Territory. 

Mrs.  Catherine  Coffey,  who  lives  in  Davis  County,  Missouri. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Karr,  who  lives  at  Blooming  Grove. 

Mrs.  Eliza  Scoggin,  who  is  now  dead. 

Mrs.  Eliza  Ann  Vanordstrand,  who  lives  in  Hey  worth. 

Nathan  Low,  jr.,  who  lives  in  Heyworth. 

Shrewd  observers  give  usually  a  great  deal  of  the  credit  of  a 
man's  success  to  his  wife,  and  this  seems  to  have  been  the  case 
with  Nathan  Low.  Mrs.  Low  now  lives  at  Heyworth,  and  leads 
a  very  pleasant,  independent  life.  She  complains  that  her 
memory  has  failed,  but  the  information  she  has  given  of  the  old 
settlers  has  been  very  accurate.  She  has  raised  a  family  of  re- 
markably intelligent  children,  in  whom  she  has  a  right  to  take  a 
motherly  pride. 

Nathan  Low  was  a  heavily  set  and  rather  fleshy  man,  of 
medium  height,  with  blue  eyes  and  not  very  heavy,  dark  hair. 
He  weighed  perhaps  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds.  His  eyes 
were  sharp  and  expressive,  and  in  his  later  years  were  shaded 
by  spectacles.  lie  was  rather  stoop  shouldered,  on  account  of 
an  injury  received  by  the  falling  of  a  tree  in  1832.  He  worked 
hard  for  his  family,  was  always  anxious  for  their  comfort,  and 
happy  while  in  their  presence.  At  his  death,  he  was  buried  at 
Blooming  Grove,  in  Scoggin's  cemetery. 

■ 

THE  PASS  WATERS  FAMILY. 

P'URNEL   PASSWATERS,    Sr. 

Purnel  Passwaters  was  born  in  1782,  in  Sussex  County,  Dela- 
ware. His  father,  Richard  Passwaters,  was  an  Englishman,  and 
his  mother  was  of  Dutch  descent.     He  was  a  man  of  limited  edu- 


780  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

cation  and  a  farmer.  In  about  the  year  1806,  lie  married  Com- 
fort Short,  a  lady  who  was  partly  of  Welch  descent.  In  1811  he 
moved  to  Monongehela  County,  Virginia.  During  the  war  of 
1812  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier,  but  never  was  called  into  the  field. 
In  about  the  year  1814,  Mr.  Passwaters  went  back  to  the  State  of 
Delaware  on  business,  traveling  on  horseback.  "While  crossing 
the  Allegheny  Mountains,  he  was  once  traveling  in  the  night,  and 
was  followed  by  a  panther  for  seven  miles.  The  animal  often 
came  close  to  him  and  seemed  inclined  to  spring,  but  Mr.  Pass- 
waters  would  jump  from  his  horse  and  throw  stones  at  it.  It 
followed  him  until  he  came  near  a  tavern,  and  then  it  disappeared 
in  the  woods. 

In  1816,  Mr.  Passwaters  emigrated  to  Hamilton  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  followed  farming.  In  the  fall  of  1829,  he  started  with 
his  family  from  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  for  Illinois.  When  he 
reached  Hamilton  County,  Indiana,  the  cold  weather  set  in,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  stop.  In  the  following  spring  he  came  to  what 
was  then  Tazewell,  but  is  now  McLean,  County,  Illinois.  He 
came,. during  a  part  of  his  journey,  in  company  with  Lieutenant 
Governor  Moore.  When  he  arrived  here  he  rented  a  small  piece 
of  land,  and  lived  in  a  little  cabin  on  the  place  now  occupied  by 
his  son,  Enoch  Passwaters.  He  commenced  farming,  and  steadily 
followed  it  until  the  day  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  February. 
1852.  He  and  his  wife  were  both  consistent  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church.     Mrs.  Passwaters  died  in  1844. 

Mr.  Passwaters  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  five  are  now 
living. 

Mrs.  Levina  BurdselL  wife  of  Jeti'erson  Burdsell,  lives  in 
Randolph's  Grove. 

Richard  Passwaters  lives  in  Randolph's  Grove. 

Purnel  Passwaters,  ir.,  lives  with  his  brother  Enoch  at  the  old 
homestead.  . 

Enoch  J.  Passwaters  lives  at  the  old  homestead  at  Randolph's 
Grove. 

( lenient  Passwaters  lives  in  Randolph's  Grove. 

• 

I  ilt 'HARD   Passwate US. 

Richard  Passwaters  was  born  Xovember  3,  1812,  in  Monon- 
gehela   County,  Virginia.      In  1816  he  came  with  his   father's 


m'lean  county.  781 

family  to  Hamilton  Count}',  Ohio.  They  moved  in  a  Hatboat 
from  Wheeling,  Virginia,  to  the  landing  at  JSTorth  Bend,  in  sight 
of  General  Harrison's  house.  There  young  Richard  was  put  to 
work  as  soon  as  he  became  possessed  of  muscle  sufficient  to  make 
his  work  of  any  value.  He  worked  during  summers  and  went 
to  school  winters.  He  started  for  Illinois  with  his  father's  family 
in  the  fall  of  1829,  but  did  not  arrive  at  his  destination  until  the 
spring  of  1830.  He  worked  for  his  father  on  a  farm  until  his 
marriage,  which  important  event  occurred  February  4, 1836.  His 
bride  was  Miss  Sina  Misner,  a  step-daughter  of  Governor  Moore. 
They  were  married  by  Cheney  Thomas,  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
Mr.  Passwaters  then  began  farming  on  the  place  where  he  now 
lives,  at  Randolph's  Grove.  When  the  Black  Hawk  war  broke 
out,  Mr.  Passwaters  volunteered  as  a  soldier,  but  on  his  march 
to  the  Rock  River  country  was  taken  sick  near  where  Lexington 
now  is,  and  was  unable  to  continue  his  march.  He  returned 
home,  but  afterwards  volunteered  as  a  ranger  for  sixty  days  to 
guard  the  frontier.  During  the  fall  after  the  war  he  made  a 
visit  to  Ohio  with  his  companions,  Elias  Gibbs  and  Garrett  Mis- 
ner, but  had  no  particular  adventure.  Mr.  Passwaters  has  been 
much  of  a  hunter.  He  once  had  a  run  of  fifteen  miles  after  a 
gray  wolf,  which  had  been  eating  Jesse  Funk's  pigs,  and  he  killed 
it  with  a  stirrup.  The  wolf  died  game  and  showed  fight  to  the 
last. 

Mr.  Passwaters  had  a  severe  experience  during  the  sudden 
change  of  December,  1836.  He  was  returning  home  on  horse- 
hack  from  his  father's  house;  he  had  come  to  the  spring  branch 
which  empties  into  the  Kickapoo,  and  there,  as  his  horse  refused 
to  take  the  water,  he  was  obliged  to  wade  up  to  his  waist;  but  in 
doing  so  his  horse  broke  loose,  and  Mr.  Passwaters  was  obliged  to 
proceed  home  on  foot,  a  distance  of  a  mile.  When  he  had  gone 
a  short  distance  from  the  creek  the  sudden  change  came  on,  the 
cold  wind  from  the  west  struck  him,  and  before  he  had  proceeded 
a  hundred  yards  farther,  his  clothes  were  frozen  on  him  stiff.  He 
succeded  in  reaching  home,  but  was  sick  for  a  long  time  after- 
wards. 

Mr.  Passwaters  has  followed  farming  all  of  his  life.  He  has 
often  hauled  wheat  to  Chicago,  and  has  had  all  of  the  adventures 


782  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

of  the  pioneers.  lie  lias  raised  a  family  and  supported  it  well  by 
his  labor  and  foresight.  He  has  had  twelve  children,  of  which 
five  have  lived  to  be  grown. 

William  Passwaters  was  in  the  Ninety-fourth  Regiment  of 
Illinois  Volunteers,  and  died  at  Vicksburg. 

Mrs.  Amanda  Ryburn,  wife  of  Edward  Ryburn,  lives  near 
her  father's  house  at  Randolph's  Grove. 

Lee  Passwaters  now  lives  with  Edward  Ryburn. 

Albert  Passwaters  lives  at  home  with  his  father. 

Mr.  Passwaters  is  about  five  feet  and  eight  inches  in  height, 
is  not  heavily  built,  is  a  very  pleasant  gentleman,  is  very  kind- 
hearted,  and  must  have  many  friends.  He  has  lately  been  afflicted 
with  a  stroke  of  paralysis  in  the  left  leg,  but  remains  as  cheerful  as 
ever.  His  wife  is  a  lady  of  fine  sense,  and  their  pioneer  life  lias 
doubtless  been  a  happy  one. 

Purnel  Passwaters,  Jr. 

Purnel  Passwaters,  jr.,  was  born  September  12,  1815,  in 
Monongehela  County,  Virginia.  When  he  was  only  one  year 
old  his  father  moved  to  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  In  the  fall  of 
1820  the  Passwaters  family  started  for  Illinois,  but  on  account  of 
cold  weather  they  wintered  over  in  Indiana.  There  young  Purnel 
killed  his  first  deer.  The  Passwaters  family  reached  Randolph's 
Grove  on  the  sixteenth  of  May,  1830.  In  1833,  Purnel  began  to 
hunt  "  right  smart."  His  first  excursion  was  to  the  Mazon  River 
and  to  the  sandridges  between  that  and  the  Kankakee.  Three 
hunters  went  with  him,  but  theypbund  little  game,  as  other  hunt- 
ers had  recently  preceded  them.  Mr.  Passwaters  shot  at  a 
badger  and  broke  its  fore  leg.  The  animal  ran  into  its  hole  and 
was  caught,  but  two  men  could  not  pull  it  out,  although  they 
pulled  until  it  seemed  that  the  animal  must  be  torn  asunder. 
They  were  obliged  to  kill  it  or  it  never  could  have  been  taken 
out. 

In  1856,  Mr.  Passwaters  went  to  Kansas,  but  had  no  particu- 
lar adventure.  He  saw  a  great  many  Indians,  and  did  some 
trading  with  them.  One  Indian  was  pointed  out  to  him  as  the 
son  of  the  celebrated  Black  Hawk ;  but  if  this  was  the  case,  old 
Black  Hawk  neglected  to  train  up  his  son  in  the  way  he  should 
go,  for  the  young  man  was  drunk. 


m'lean  county.  783 

Mr.  Passwaters  is  about  five  feet  and  eight  or  nine  inches 
high,  has  a  careful,  considerate,  honest  expression  on  his  counte- 
nance, has  nearly  always  been  successful  in  hunting,  has  killed 
great  numbers  of  deer  and  turkeys,  is  a  very  kind-hearted  man 
and  much  respected. 

Enoch  Jones  Passwaters. 

Enoch  Jones  Passwaters  was  born  September  15,  1822,  in 
Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  He  came  with  his  father's  family  to 
Illinois  in  1830,  as  stated  in  his  father's  sketch.  He  has  not  led 
a  very  adventurous  life,  has  hunted  deer  and  wolves  as  nearly  all 
of  the  old  settlers  did.  He  used  to  keep  greyhounds  and  fast 
horses  to  chase  the  game.  He  has  often  caught  two  deer  out  of  a 
gang  during  a  single  chase.  Only  once  did  he  know  a  deer  to 
show  fight,  but  he  killed  it  with  a  stirrup  while  the  dogs  held  it. 
He  remembers  an  exciting  wolf  chase  when  he  rode  an  unshod 
horse  on  slippery  ground,  and  came  up  with  the  wolf  after  chasing- 
it  for  seven  miles.  After  his  horse  had  made  many  turns,  and 
the  wolf  had  made  many  dodges,  Mr.  Passwaters  crippled  it  by 
running  over  it,  and  the  dogs  came  up  and  finished  it. 

Mr.  Passwaters  married,  May  19,  1812,  Almeda  Savage,  who 
died  February  12,  1865.  He  married,  September  7,  1871,  Mrs. 
Ann  Eliza  Atchison.  He  has  been  very  happy  in  his  domestic 
life.  He  is  about  five  feet  and  six  or  seven  inches  in  height, 
has  a  bright  expressive  eye,  is  a  pleasant,  companionable  man, 
and  is  industrious  and  hard  working. 

Enoch  J.  Passwaters  has  had  nine  children,  and  Mrs.  Pass- 
waters  had  two  children  by  her  first  marriage.  The  children 
are : 

Martha  Jane,  wife  of  Tubal  Iseminger,  lives  in  Sedgwick 
County,  Kansas. 

Ann  Maria,  wife  of  Hiram  Miller,  lives  in  Randolph's  Grove. 

Khoda  Comfort,  wife  of  Aaron  S.  Yanvaley,  lives  in  Sedgwick 
County,  Kansas. 

Irvin  Purnel,  Lucy  Alice,  Sarah  Elizabeth,  Mary  Lovina, 
Enoch  Halleck  and  George  William  Passwaters,  live  at  home. 
Sarah  Gertrude  Atchison  and  Charles  Xewton  Atchison,  the 
children  of  Mrs.  Passwaters  by  her  first  marriage,  also  live  in  the 
same  household. 


78-4  old  settlers  of 

Clement  Passwaters. 

Clement  Passwaters  is  the  youngest  living  son  of  the  Pass- 
waters,  sr.  He  was  born  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  March  17, 
1825.  He  is  of  medium  height,  and  has  rather  a  dark  complexion, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  honored  members  of  the  Passwaters 
family.  He  was  married,  June  1,  1848,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Yocum, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Yocum,  of  Sangamon  County,  Blinois.  He 
has  had  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  whom  six  are  living.  They 
are : 

Emily  Jane,  wife  of  Samuel  Miller,  lives  in  Downs  township. 

Stephen  H.  Passwaters  lives  just  east  of  his  father's. 

William  F.,  Enoch  D.,  James  C,  and  John  L.  Passwaters, 
live  at  home. 

Jacob  Bishop. 

Jacob  Bishop  was  born  June  25,  1797,  in  Maryland.  His 
father,  John  Bishop,  was  of  English  descent,  and  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Cooper,  was  of  German.  "When 
Jacob  was  only  four  years  of  age,  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania.  In  about  the  year  1812  or  13, 
the  Bishop  family  came  tc  Perry  County,  Ohio,  near  the  line 
between  that  and  Licking  County.  Their  journey  was  not  re- 
markably adventurous.  "While  crossing  the  Ohio,  the  waves 
rolled  so  high  that  their  boat  came  near  capsizing.  The  family 
was  passed  on  its  way  by  armies  going  westward  to  fight  the 
British  and  Indians.  Every  regiment  was  accompanied  by 
women,  who  were  resolved  to  follow  their  husbands  even  to  the 
battlefield.  Mr.  Bishop's  elder  brother  was  drafted  into  the 
army.  When  the  Bishop  family  arrived  in  Ohio,  they  took  a 
seven  years  lease  of  land  in  the  woods.  Jacob  Bishop  worked 
hard  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  aad  then  hired  out  to 
John  Strawn,  for  whom  he  worked  one  year  for  one  hundred 
dollars.  Then  he  farmed  Mr.  Strawn's  place  for  one  year. 
Jacob  Bishop  married  Mary  Ann  Weedman,  and  commenced 
keeping  house  in  1820.  He  started  for  Illinois,  August  15, 1830, 
and  came  to  Blooming  Grove,  where  he  arrived  on  the  15th  of 
September.  He  had  then  very  little  property,  and  his  father-in- 
law,  George  Weedman,  had  only  a  few  hundred  dollars  with 


m'lean  county.  785 

which  to  bring  the  settlers  here.  Deer,  turkey  and  bee  trees 
were  then  plenty ;  he  found  the  richest  bee  trees  and  largest 
quantities  of  honey  in  Old  Town.  He  worked  hard  and  had  good 
weather  until  the  great  fall  of  snow  between  Christinas  and  New 
Years.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  winter,  people  could  go 
through  the  woods  anywhere  and  find  the  carcasses  of  deer 
which  had  died  because  of  the  severe  weather.  The  first  heavy 
fall  of  snow  came  waist  deep,  and  shortly  afterwards  a  crust 
formed  on  it,  which  prevented  cattle  from  traveling,  for  it  was 
not  hard  enough  to  bear  them  up.  The  settlers  broke  roada 
from  one  house  to  another,  but  the  wind  filled  up  the  tracks  with 
snow;  the  roads  were  broken  again  and  again  until  they  gradu- 
ally became  packed  and  rose  higher  than  the  snow  on  either  side. 
Mr.  Bishop's  family  had  enough  breadstuff's  to  last  until  the 
tenth  of  February.  On  that  day,  Mr.  Bishop  started  with  four 
others  to  Scott's  mill  on  Kickapoo  creek,  about  fourteen  miles 
distant.  They  traveled  from  one  house  to  another,  where  tracks 
had  been  broken  and  packed.  At  one  place  they  walked  over 
bars  six  feet  high.  They  traveled  with  horses  and  took  with 
them  an  additional  packhorse.  If  they  stepped  from  the 
track,  they  went  down  into  the  deep  snow.  They  succeeded 
in  getting  their  meal  ground,  and  returned  the  following  day. 
Just  before  the  snow  fell,  Mr.  Bishop  and  his  father  went 
to  the  edge  of  Old  Town  to  get  some  pork  and  a 
cow.  They  brought  home  the  pork,  but  the  cow  remained  until 
late  in  February.  When  they  went  for  it,  they  counted  the  car- 
casses of  nine  deer  that  had  perished  in  the  snow.  Some  were 
lying  untouched  and  some  had  been  partly  eaten  by  wolves. 
The  pigs  had  a  hard  time  of  it ;  they  were  accustomed  to  run 
wild  and  live  on  mast,  but  the  snow  prevented  them  from  finding 
acorns.  Jesse  Funk's  pigs  ate  the  bark  from  the  elm  trees,  as 
high  as  they  could  reach.  The  wolves  were  the  only  animated 
creatures  which  really  seemed  to  enjoy  themselves.  They  could 
run  around  on  the  crust  of  snow  and  could  kill  all  the  deer  they 
wished,  and  were  not  afraid  of  anything,  for  they  seemed  to 
know  that  nothing  could  catch  them. 

Mr.  Bishop  had  at  first  nothing  with  which  to  support  his 
wife  and  six  children.     He  borrowed  $100,  and  entered  eighty 
acres  of  timber  land  and  went  to  work.     But  notwithstanding 
50 


786  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

these  difficulties,  be  lived  a  happy  life.  In  the  evening  he  sat 
and  made  shoes,  while  his  wife  worked  her  spinning  wheel,  and 
all  the  money  they  could  earn  by  their  united  efforts  was  used 
to  enter  land.  It  was  then  very  easy  to  raise  stock.  Cattle  were 
fattened  by  turning  them  loose  and  allowing  them  to  eat  grass. 

Mr.  Bishop  has  been  something  of  a  hunter.  He  often  chased 
wolves.  At  one  time  he  dug  out  a  den  and  found  five  little  wolf 
puppies.  The  old  ones  were  looking  on  in  the  distance,  but  did 
not  dare  to  come  up.  He  has  hunted  deer,  but  had  no  danger- 
ous adventure;  he  never  had  a  buck  turn  on  him  for  fight.  Mr. 
Bishop  was  always  cautious  about  hunting  deer,  after  an  adven- 
ture which  happened  to  Asa  Weedrnan.  Mr.  Weedrnan  was  a 
great  hunter,  and  on  one  of  his  expeditions  he  creased  a  buck, 
that  is,  shot  it  on  the  top  of  its  neck  and  stunned  it.  He  quickly 
ran  up  to  cut  its  throat,  but  his  knife  was  dull,  and  soon  the  deer 
arose  and  the  hunter  dropped  his  knife  to  hold  it.  The  struggle 
was  a  very  long  one.  Mr.  Weedrnan  held  to  the  horns  of  the 
buck  and  could  do  nothing  else.  At  last  his  strength  failed  him, 
and  he  concluded  to  quit  if  the  deer  was  willing;  so  he  let  go  of 
the  buck  and  lay  down  and  "played  'possum."  The  deer  pawed 
him  and  looked  at  him  suspiciously,  then  ran  off  a  short  distance 
and  looked  back,  then  went  a  little  farther  and  looked  back 
again,  and  finally  went  away  entirely.  Mr.  Weedrnan  lacerated 
his  hands  badly  in  trying  to  hold  the  buck,  and  his  clothes  were 
almost  torn  off  of  him. 

Just  before  the  Black  Hawk  war,  Mr.  Bishop,  Robert  Rut- 
ledge  and  William  G.  Wright,  went  to  Chicago,  and  were  inter- 
rupted by  the  extraordinarily  high  water.  They  crossed  the 
Calumet  swamps  by  putting  eight  yoke  of  oxen  on  each  wagon 
and  drawing  it  through.  On  their  return  they  crossed  the  Des- 
plaines  River  by  unloading  and  taking  their  wagons  across  in 
pieces  in  canoes,  which  they  had  lashed  together.  They  took 
across  their  salt,  a  small  part  at  a  time.  They  crossed  the  Dupage 
River  with  the  assistance  of  only  one  canoe.  At  the  Illinois 
River,  they  were  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  boat  large  enough 
to  bring  their  wagons  over,  but  they  swam  their  oxen. 

Mr.  Bishop  has  been  very  happy  in  his  domestic  life,  and  has 
raised  a  large  family  of  remarkably  intelligent  children.  They 
are : 


m'lean  county.  787 

Mrs.  Sarah  Ann  Hand,  of  Farmer  City,  a  widow,  who  was 
the  wife  of  Philip  Hand.     She  lives  with  her  family. 

George  Bishop,  lives  in  Randolph's  Grove,  about  two  miles 
from  his  father's. 

Mrs.  Hannah  Cusey,  lives  in  Downs  township  with  her  hus- 
band, Senator  John  Cusey. 

Mrs.  Charity  Adams,  wife  of  Wyatt  Adams,  lives  in  Downs 
township,  about  four  miles  north  of  Mr.  Bishop's. 

Jacob  C.  Bishop,  lives  about  four  miles  east  of  his  father's, 
in  Downs  township. 

Mrs.  Charlotte  Stringfield,  lives  with  her  father  at  the  home- 
stead. Her  husband,  A.  J.  Stringfield,  died  of  sickness  con- 
tracted while  in  the  army. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fry,  wife  of  Abram  Fry,  lives  about  six  miles 
from  her  father's  in  Randolph  township. 

William  F.  Bishop,  lives  about  two  and  a-half  miles  from  his 
father's  in  Downs  township. 

Mrs.  Emma  Fulton,  wife  of  James  Fulton,  lives  a  mile  and 
a-half  east  in  Downs  township. 

Mrs.  Harriet  Louisa  Wilson,  wife  of  George  Wilson,  lives 
about  three  miles  east  in  Downs  township. 

John  S.  Bishop,  lives  in  Randolph  township,  about  six  miles 
from  his  father's. 

Asbury  Mills  Bishop,  lives  at  home.  He  lost  his  arm  in  a 
threshing  machine. 

Joseph  Allen  Bishop,  lives  near  his  father's. 

Mr.  Jacob  Bishop  was,  before  he  became  bent  with  age,  five 
feet  and  six  inches  in  height.  He  is  one  of  the  most  tender 
hearted  of  men,  is  exceedingly  kind  to  his  family,  has  worked 
hard  for  them  and  is  anxious  to  see  them  prosper.  He  has  the 
most  fine  and  delicate  feelings,  is  exceedingly  hospitable,  and 
feels  grieved  to  think  people  are  not  as  hearty  and  kind  as  the 
old  settlers  were.  He  has  worked  hard  himself  and  always 
taught  his  children  to  be  busy.  He  would  like  very  much  to  see 
the  old  camp-meetings  revived,  and  thinks  they  are  much  plea- 
santer  than  churches.  All  except  two  of  his  children  are  mem- 
bers of  churches.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Bishop,  died  in 
January,  1873.  She  was  a  most  excellent  lady,  and  in  all  of  the 
hardships  of  pioneer  life  she  bore  her  part  bravely. 


788  OLD    SETTLERS   OF 


Matthew   Covardale. 


Matthew  Covardale  was  born  August  13,  1807,  in  Maryland. 
H's  father's  name  was  Matthew  Covardale,  and  his  mother's 
name  before  her  marriage  was  Nancy  Fisher.  Matthew  Covar- 
dale, sr.,  was  of  Irish  descent.  The  mother  of  young  Matthew 
died  when  he  was  quite  small.  His  father,  Matthew  Covardale, 
sr.,  was  a  seafaring  man  and  had  very  little  time  to  look  after 
his  son.  The  latter  had  no  regular  place  of  abode,  but  was 
shifted  around  from  one  person  to  another.  When  he  was  nine 
years  of  age  an  event  happened  which  changed  the  whole  course 
of  his  life.  While  Matthew  Covardale,  sr. ,  was  bringing  the 
vessel,  of  which  he  was  captain,  into  Delaware  Bay,  it  was  foun- 
dered, and  he  became  ruined  in  fortune.  He  was  utterly  broken 
up  by  this  shipwreck.  He  took  little  Matthew  by  the  hand,  and 
they  started  on  foot  for  the  West.  They  traveled  over  the  moun- 
tains to  Wheeling,  thence  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  then  out  towards 
Lake  Erie,  then  to  Licking  River,  then  down  to  Zanesville,  then 
across  the  Muskingum,  and  then  to  Chillicothe.  There  they 
went  on  a  keelboat  down  the  Scioto  River ;  but  while  they  were 
in  a  sparse  settlement  the  keelboat  sunk.  This  was  at  night. 
They  remained  on  the  shore  until  morning,  then  picked  up  their 
knapsacks  and  went  to  Maysville  on  foot,  there  crossed  the  Ohio 
River  and  went  to  Lexington,  Kentucky,  on  foot,  and  from  there 
to  the  north  bend  in  the  Ohio  River,  below  Cincinnati.  From 
there  they  went  to  Jackson  County,  Indiana,  and  then  back  to 
Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  Here  they  made  a  stopping  place. 
Matthew  Covardale,  sr.,  died  here,  when  his  son  was  only  six- 
teen years  of  age.  The  latter  worked  by  the  day,  by  the  week, 
by  the  month  and  by  the  year.  He  worked  every  way  possible 
in  order  to  make  an  honest  livelihood.  In  the  fall  of  1830  he 
came  to  Randolph's  Grove,  McLean  County,  Illinois.  Here  he 
worked  for  Jesse  Funk  until  no  more  work  could  be  done  during 
that  season. 

During  that  winter  Jesse  Funk  took  a  drove  of  hogs  to  Ga- 
lena, and  had  many  adventures,  for  it  was  the  winter  of  the 
famous  deep  snow.  The  cold  was  intense,  and  Mr.  Funk  was 
obliged  to  wear  a  false  face  to  protect  his  nose  and  cheeks  and 
prevent  them  from  freezing.     The  snow  and  frost  gathered  on 


m'lean  county.  789 

this  false  face  as  he  breathed  through  the  aperture,  and  it  ap- 
peared most  frightful.  When  he  had  occasion  to  stop  at  a  cabin 
on  the  way,  the  moment  the  door  was  opened  the  children 
would  scream,  and  sometimes  the  women  also  would  be  fright- 
ened. 

But  Mr.  Covardale  did  not  accompany  Mr.  Funk  on  this  trip. 
The  latter  stayed  during  the  winter  with  a  man  named  Richard 
Gross,  and  usually  kept  pretty  close  to  the  house.  At  one  time 
he  saw  some  prairie  chickens  some  distance,  across  a  slough, 
and  he  picked  up  a  gun  and  started  to  shoot  them.  While  cross- 
ing the  slough,  where  the  snow  was  very  deep,  he  broke 
through  the  crust  and  went  down.  He  threw  his  gun  on 
the  crust  and  tried  to  work  himself  loose.  But  the  more 
he  worked  the  deeper  he  went  down,  down,  deeper  and  deeper, 
and  the  snow  closed  over  his  head,  and  in  spite  of  all  exertion 
he  continued  going  down.  But  he  continued  struggling  until 
he  packed  the  snow  underneath  him  and  obtained  a  firm  foot- 
hold. Then,  by  packing  the  snow  below  him,  he  rose  high 
enough  to  crawl  out  on  the  crust.  He  returned  to  the  house, 
and  the  people  there  asked  whether  he  was  going  to  shoot  those 
chickens.  Mr.  Covardale  remarked  that  his  ambition  for  hunt- 
ing was  satisfied  for  one  day.  The  cold  during  that  winter  was 
severe,  and  at  one  time  Mr.  Covardale  had  his  eyelashes  frozen 
fast,  and  the  tears  were  frozen  on  his  cheek.  During  that  win- 
ter Mr.  Gross  hunted  deer  and  Mr.  Covardale  pounded  corn. 
The  corn  was  sifted  through  a  sieve  made  of  finely  dressed  deer- 
skin stretched  over  a  hoop  of  white  oak,  and  fastened  with  a 
whang.  The  holes  through  the  buckskin  were  made  with  a 
burning  iron.  In  order  to  keep  warm  during  that  winter  Mr. 
Covardale  and  Mr.  Gross  cut  wood  and  kept  the  fire  burning. 
Their  chimney,  built  of  sticks  and  clay,  sometimes  caught  fire, 
and  they  kept  water  ready  to  throw  up  the  chimney. 

During  the  next  season  Mr.  Covardale  worked  for  Jesse  Funk 
and  for  other  parties.  He  worked  hard  and  succeeded  well. 
After  working  for  a  few  seasons  as  a  renter,  Mr.  Covar- 
dale obtained  some  land  of  his  own,  broke  prairie,  split 
rails  and  made  fences.  He  succeeded  in  all  of  his  un- 
dertakings. He  raised  stock,  which  he  sold  for  prices 
which  would  now  be    considered  next  to   nothing.     He  made 


790  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

the  customary  trips  to  Chicago,  Pekin,  Peoria,  and  other 
places,  camping  out  at  night  and  sleeping  under  the  wagon, 
which  he  made  his  dwelling. 

Mr.  Covardale  married  Mrs.  Anstis  Thompson,  a  widow,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia.  Mr.  Covardale  has  never  had  any  chil- 
dren of  his  own.  His  stepson,  William  Thompson,  carries  on 
the  farm.  Franklin  Thompson,  his  eldest  stepson,  is  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Kansas.  Mrs.  Mar}-  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Cresswell  are  his  stepdaughters. 

Mr.  Covardale  is  about  five  feet  and  nine  inches  in  height, 
weighs  one  hundred  and  forty  or  fifty  pounds,  and  has  a  san- 
guine complexion  and  white  hair.  He  is  a  hard  worker,  and  a 
most  honest  and  worthy  man.  He  thinks  a  great  deal  of  the  old 
settlers,  and  has  himself  seen  some  of  the  severest  hardships  of 
the  early  days.  But  he  had  the  courage  to  do  and  the  will  to 
overcome.  He  is  very  frank  and  kind,  and  likes  fair  dealing, 
and  possesses  the  fullest  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  is  ac- 
quainted. 

Samuel  Stewart. 

Samuel  Stewart  was  born  May  5,  1790,  in  Monongehela 
County,  Virginia.  His  parents  were  Americans.  His  father 
died  when  Samuel  was  quite  young.  When  he  was  twenty-one 
or  two  years  of  age  he  went  to  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  and  be- 
gan farming  with  his  brother,  who  had  preceded  him  there.  He 
returned  to  Virginia  for  a  short  time,  but  went  back  to  Ohio. 
All  of  his  travel  was  done  on  horseback. 

He  was  married  in  May,  1816,  to  Jane  Hanley.  This  lady 
was  born  in  1791,  and  is  yet  living,  and  bids  fair  to  enjoy  life 
much  longer. 

Mr.  Stewart  made  a  visit  to  Illinois  in  1830,  and  bought  a 
claim  of  A.  M.  Stringfield  at  Randolph's  Grove.  During  the 
following  year  he  moved  to  Randolph's  Grove  with  his  family  in 
wagons.  He  immediately  went  to  farming,  as  that  was  the  oc- 
cupation of  nearly  all  the  old  settlers.  He  also  made  brick  and 
put  up  a  brick  house.  The  lumber  used  was  sawed  with  a  whip 
saw,  indeed,  this  was  almost  the  only  way  to  make  it.  The 
cabins  in  early  days  were  built  without  nails,  and  were  simply 
pinned  together.     The  door  was  made  of  split  boards  or  shakes, 


m'lean  county.  791 

and  was  called  a  clapboard  door  ;  the  floor  of  the  cabin  below 
was  puncheon,  while  the  floor  of  the  loft  was  usually  of  linn 
bark. 

The  Stewart  family  Avere  for  a  long  time  after  their  arrival, 
very  much  annoyed  by  wolves,  which  made  such  a  howling  and 
barking  around  the  house  at  night  that  it  was  impossible  for  any 
one  to  sleep.  Mr.  Stewart  was  often  obliged  to  go  out  and  fire 
his  gun  to  frighten  them  away,  in  order  that  the  family  might 
obtain  a  little  rest. 

Burins;  the  celebrated  sudden  change  in  the  weather  in  Be- 
cember,  1836,  Mr.  Stewart  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  the 
children  home  from  school.  The  Little  Kickapoo  was  overflowed, 
but  he  succeeded  in  getting  the  children  across  by  bringing  them 
over  on  horseback,  two  at  a  time. 

Mr.  Stewart  was  accustomed  to  hunt  occasionally,  and  kept  for 
this  purpose  a  horse,  which  had  quite  a  histor}T.  It  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  emigrated  to  the  West  across  the  mountains.  It 
was  taken  by  a  soldier  through  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  on  its 
return  was  traded  to  Mr.  Stewart.  Having  seen  many  adven- 
tures, it  may  be  supposed  that  the  horse  was  possessed  of  a  good 
degree  of  smartness.  It  could  go  anywhere,  and  open  any  gate 
or  door,  indeed  if  its  smartness  had  continued  to  increase  it 
might  have  learned  to  pick  a  lock  or  go  through  a  dwelling.  Mr. 
Stewart  hunted  with  the  horse,  but  after  a  while  the  animal  be- 
came too  refined  for  this,  and  pretended  to  be  frightened  by  the 
report  of  a  gun,  and  refused  to  allow  Mr.  Stewart  to  shoot  from 
its  back.  When  this  horse  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  (its  legal 
majority)  it  was  supposed  to  have  been  stolen  from  its  master, 
but  the  probability  is  that  it  considered  itself  too  smart  to  ac- 
knowledge a  master  and  ran  away. 

The  early  settlers  of  course  "went  visiting,"  but  their 
visits  were  made  at  times  to  suit  their  circumstances  and  the 
necessities  of  their  life.  They  came  before  breakfast,  and  when 
they  went  to  quiltings  and  house-raisings,  they  were  on  hand 
particularly  early  in  order  to  do  a  good  day's  work,  and  return 
home  early  to  feed  their  stock. 

Mr.  Stewart  had  nine  children  in  his  family,  and  of  these 
eight  grew  to  be  men  and  women. 

John  Hanlev  Stewart  lives  in  Bloomington. 


792  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

James  ISTewton  Stewart  died  in  Kentucky  in  1845. 

Mrs.  Isabel  Jane  Xoble  died  in  1855. 

Sarah  Ann  Stewart  died  in  1845. 

Robert  Stewart  died  in  1869. 

William  Curtis  Stewart  lives  two  miles  north  of  the  home- 
stead. He  was  a  bachelor  until  thirty-nine  years  of  age,  when 
he  did  his  duty  and  married  Mrs.  Amanda  Vandevort,  who 
died  March  19th,  1874. 

Hon.  Archibald  Evans  Stewart  is  a  physician.  He  lives  at 
Randolph's  Grove,  at  the  old  homestead,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
legislature.  He  served  as  surgeon  in  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois 
Volunteers  from  1862  until  1865.  The  homestead  house,  where 
he  lives,  was  the  first  house  built  of  brick  in  McLean  County.  It 
was  erected  in  1834.     The  brick  was  made  on  the  farm. 

Air.  Samuel  Stewart  was  six  feet  in  height,  rather  spare,  had 
brown  eyes,  rather  light  hair,  was  not  very  muscular,  had  a  mild, 
pleasant  expression  on  his  countenance,  and  was  indeed  a  worthy 
citizen.  He  was  a  strong  friend  of  Governor  Moore,  and  was  one 
of  the  men  who  persuaded  that  gentleman  to  take  an  active  part 
in  politics.     Mr.  Stewart  died  January  8,  1841. 

John  Haxley  Stewart. 

John  H.  Stewart,  eldest  son  of  Samuel  Stewart,  was  born 
October  28,  1817,  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  In  October,  1831, 
the  Stewart  family,  consisting  of  nine  persons  in  all,  together 
with  the  family  of  George  Thompson,  came  to  McLean  County, 
Illinois.  The  reason  why  the  Stewart  family  came  West,  was  a 
desire  on  the  part  of  the  father  of  John  H.  Stewart  to  secure  land 
for  every  member  of  his  numerous  family. 

Air.  Stewart,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  went  to  school  only 
six  months  in  Ohio,  and  if  his  mother,  who  is  a  well  informed 
lady,  had  not  taken  the  matter  in  hand,  his  education  would 
have  been  finished.  Mr.  Stewart  speaks  very  highly  of  his  old 
schoolmaster  in  Ohio,  William  Bebb,  who  afterwards  emigrated 
to  Illinois,  where  he  died.  Mr.  Stewart  was  raised  a  farmer, 
like  his  father,  but  all  the  Stewarts  are  mechanics  by  nature. 
They  possess  great  skill  in  the  handling  of  carpenters'  tools. 
They  themselves  did  all  the  wood-work  of  the  house  of  which 
we  have  spoken  in  his  father's  sketch.     Their  journey  from  Ohio 


m'lean  county.  793 

to  McLean  County  was  without  any  adventure  worthy  to  relate. 
They  came  with  one  horse  team  and  one  ox  team,  arriving  at 
Randolph's  Grove  in  the  fall  of  1831,  the  father  having  previously 
(in  1830)  bought  a  claim  from  A.  M.  Stringfield.  During  their 
first  winter  here,  Mr.  Stewart,  and  his  brother,  James  Newton, 
slept  in  a  wagon,  and  the  wolves  often  came  when  they  were  in 
their  beds,  snuffing  and  snorting  around  this  primitive  couch. 
Mr.  Stewart's  father,  Samuel  Stewart,  gave  A.  M.  String-field  one 
hundred  dollars  for  his  claim,  and  as  he  had  brought  four  hun- 
dred dollars  with  him  from  Ohio,  he  entered  this  claim  and  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  besides.  Mr.  Stewart,  sr.,  also  entered 
eighty  acres  for  A.  M.  String-field. 

Times  were  hard  when  the  Stewart  family  came,  and  they 
had,  of  course,  to  endure  all  the  hardships  of  a  frontier  life. 
When  they  came  to  the  country  they  brought  as  many  groceries 
with  them  as  would  last  during  the  first  year,  which  they  had 
purchased  at  Cincinnati.  After  that  they  made  their  own  maple 
sugar  for  many  years.  The  family,  on  the  whole,  enjoyed  good 
health,  and  soon  found  themselves  in  easy  circumstances.  All 
the  children  of  Mr.  Stewart,  sr.,  the  father  of  John  II.,  were  born 
in  a  log  house  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  except  Dr.  Stewart,  the 
present  member  of  the  legislature,  who  was  born  at  Randolph's 
Grove,  when  the  house  of  which  we  have  spoken  in  the  fore- 
going sketch  was  about  half  finished.  The  Stewart  family  was 
a  happy,  hard  working  family.  The  mother  of  the  present  stock 
is  still  living  on  the  homestead  farm,  where  they  first  settled. 
She  is  a  remarkable  lady,  who  now,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years,  can  walk  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  as  rapidly  as  a  young- 
girl  of  twenty.  Her  life  is  entirely  wrapt  up  in  her  children, 
grandchildren,  and  one  great-grandchild,  (Delia,  little  daughter 
of  Mr.  H.  C.  Horine.) 

Mr.  Stewart  never  was  much  of  a  hunter,  but  he  occasionally 
chased  wolves,  killing  them  with  a  stirrup  when  the  chase  was 
on  horseback,  which  was  the  custom  in  those  days.  He  also 
killed  now  and  then  a  deer,  but  these  animals  were  already  scarce 
when  he  came  to  the  country,  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow  having 
made  havoc  among  them. 

Mr.  Stewart  speaks  with  the  greatest  admiration  of  Squire 
A.  M.  Stringfield  and  Mrs.  Stringfield.     He  says,  that  whatever 


794  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Squire  Stringtield  says  is  a  fact  to  be  relied  on,  and  whatever  lie 
promises  he  will  perform. 

In  1839,  Mr.  Stewart  commenced  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count— and  married,  of  course.  The  lady  of  his  choice,  who  is 
still  living,  was  Miss  Jane  Evans,  daughter  of  Owen  Evans,  of 
Randolph's  Grove.  His  father  made  him  a  present  of  eighty 
acres  of  land,  to  which  he  gradually  added  more.  He  continued 
farming  up  to  1857,  when  he  sold  out  his  timber-farm  on  account 
of  failing  health,  and  because  he  wished  to  give  his  children  an 
education ;  but  he  still  carries  on  farming  about  six  miles  south 
of  Bloomington,  on  the  Main  street  road,  on  a  tract  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres. 

He  moved  to  Normal  about  the  time  the  Normal  University 
began  its  labors.  There  Mrs.  Stewart  kept  a  boarding-house, 
which  was  the  first  house  of  the  kind  established  in  Normal. 
During  most  of  this  time  Mr.  Stewart  was  in  partnership  with 
A.  C.  "Washburne  in  a  meat-market,  from  which  they  supplied 
the  whole  of  Normal  with  meat  for  about  eight  years. 

In  1872,  Mr.  Stewart  went  into  the  agricultural  implement 
and  machinery  business,  which  is  now  carried  on  by  him  and  his 
son-in-law,  Mr.  H.  C.  Horine.  This  house  was  started  in  1870, 
by  Frank  Stewart,  a  nephew  of  Mr.  Stewart.  Mr.  Horine  be- 
came partner  of  the  business  in  1871,  and  when  Frank  went  out 
of  the  firm,  Mr.  Stewart  stepped  in.  The  business,  under  the 
name  of  Stewart  &  Horine,  is  carried  on  at  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Grove  streets,  Bloomington. 

Mr.  Stewart  has  three  children  living.     They  are  : 

Sarah,  wife  of  William  Houser,  who  lives  in  Randolph  town- 
ship. 

Emilv,  wife  of  H.  C.  Horine,  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Mary  I.,  wife  of  "W.  S.  Vinyard,  resides  with  her  parents  in 
Bloomington. 

Mr.  Stewart  is  about  six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  is  well  pro- 
portioned, appears  to  be  quite  muscular,  and  has  a  very  erect 
walk.  His  hair  and  beard  are  almost  gray ;  he  has  gray  eyes, 
and  uses  glasses  when  he  reads  and  writes.  He  is  a  very  con- 
scientious man,  and  thinks  well  before  he  decides  on  anything; 
but  when  he  sets  his  mind  on   doing  anything  he  will  do  it  with- 


m'lean  county.  795 

out  hesitation.  He  is  a  kind  and  indulgent  father  to  his  children. 
He  has  been,  (by  reason  of  care  and  industry,)  successful  in  life, 
which  is  in  a  great  measure.due  to  his  kind  and  hospitable  wife. 

David  Noble. 

David  Noble  was  born  in  September,  1795,  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  He  was  of  English  and  Dutch  descent.  His  father  was 
an  old  English  sea  captain,  who  came  to  the  United  States  and 
married  a  Pennsylvania  Dutch  lady,  and  became  thoroughly 
Americanized.  David  Noble  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  when  that 
place  was  no  larger  than  Heyworth,  that  is,  a  village  of  two  or 
three  hundred  people.  He  had  a  limited  education,  and  as  his 
parents  were  poor,  was  obliged  to  work  his  way  through  the  world 
without  learning  or  wealth.  In  1817  he  was  married  to  Rebecca 
Karr.  In  1828  he  went  to  New  Orleans  in  company  with  his 
brother,  with  a  load  of  chickens  and  various  other  kinds  of 
poultry,  and  by  good  managemert  and  good  fortune  they  did  very 
well  with  their  stock.  In  the  fall  of  1830  he  came  to  Illinois  to 
see  the  country,  and  visited  various  points  in  Sangamon  and  Taze- 
well counties.  He  returned  to  Ohio  during  the  same  fall,  and 
prepared  to  come  "West.  During  the  following  year,  October  3, 
1831,  the  Noble  family  started  for  McLean  County,  Illinois,  and 
arrived  there  on  the  20th.  They  traveled  with  a  four-horse  team. 
The}'  came  in  near  Squire  A.  M.  Stringfield's  place,  and  saw  him 
chase  a  wolf  on  foot  and  catch  it  with  his  hands.  Mr.  Noble  set 
his  dog  on  the  wolf  before  Stringfield  caught  it,  but  the  dog  was 
quickly  whipped.  Mr.  Stringfield  took  the  wolf  home  alive. 
Their  journey  was  a  hard  one,  as  it  rained  nearly  all  the  time  they 
traveled.  During  one  day  they  only  went  ten  miles.  They 
traveled  long  distances  over  corduroy  roads.  At  one  time  they 
were  mired  down,  a  little  this  side  of  Urbana,  and  Mr.  Joseph 
Noble  (David's  brother)  was  obliged  to  carry  out  his  wife.  Joseph 
Noble  rode  an  old  gray  mare,  which  had  a  bad  habit  of  lying 
down  in  the  mud,  when  it  was  deep,  and  refusing  to  get  up.  The 
only  way  of  compelling  her  to  rise  was  to  hold  her  head  under 
the  mud  and  water  for  a  while. 

David  Noble  lived,  during  nearly  all  of  the  first  winter,  in  a 
cabin  on  old  Mr.  Passwaters'  place,  about  one  mile  south  of  where 
William  Noble  now  lives.     After  that  the  family  went  to  the 


796  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

cabin  near  where  John  Wakefield  now  lives.  There  they  did 
some  pretty  hard  grubbing,  as  the  place  joined  the  timber.  David 
Noble  stayed  there  until  1844  or  '45,  and  then  came  five  miles 
north,  bought  some  new  prairie  and  made  a  farm. 

The  wife  of  David  Noble  died  in  1837.  In  1841  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Jane  Arnold,  a  widow  lady. 

Mr.  Xoble  suffered  with  a  stroke  of  paralysis  a  few  years  be- 
fore his  death,  which  occurred  in  September,  1863.  His  domestic 
life  was  pleasant.  He  had  ten  children  to  raise  and  care  for,  six 
by  his  first  marriage  and  four  by  his  second.     They  are : 

William  C.  Xoble,  who  lives  at  Randolph's  Grove. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Munson,  wife  of  Ira  Munson,  who  lives  in 
Randolph's  Grove. 

Stephen  K.  Xoble,  who  lives  in  Bloomington. 

James  Iv.  Xoble,  who  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Mrs.  Mercy  Ann  Rust,  widow  of  George  W.  Rust,  deceased, 
lives  in  Randolph's  Grove. 

Thomas  Jacob  Xoble  lives  a  mile  north  of  Randolph's  Grove. 

The  four  children  by  his  second  marriage  live  with  their 
mother  in  Champaign  County,  near  Homer.     They  are  : 

Mrs.  Maria  Louisa  Custer. 

Mrs.  Eliza  Ann  Hollis. 

Mrs.  Martha  E.  Custer. 

Harrison  David  Xoble. 

David  Xoble  was  five  feet  and  eleven  inches  in  height,  had  a 
large,  strong  frame,  and,  before  he  was  afflicted  with  paralysis, 
weighed  two  hundred  pounds.  He  was  very  muscular,  worked 
hard,  and  had  usually  good  health.  His  hair  was  naturally  black, 
and  his  eyes  pleasing  and  expressive. 

William  Crivlin  Xoble. 

William  Crivlin  Xoble  was  born  February  25,  1818,  in  Ham- 
ilton County,  Ohio.  His  education  was  not  very  liberal,  but  was 
all  that  could  be  expected  at  that  time.  The  scholars  were  then 
more  remarkable  for  their  muscle  than  their  intellect,  and  had  a 
habit  of  turning  out  the  teacher  on  Christmas  day.  At  one 
time,  when  they  threatened  to  turn  out  the  master,  he  compro- 
mised the  matter  by  giving  them  a  gallon  of  whisky  and  some 
eggs,  and  one  of  them  was  carried  home  insensible.     Mr.  Xoble 


m'lean  county.  797 

went  to  school  to  William  Bebb,  who  was  afterwards  Governor 
of  Ohio.  The  schoolmasters  in  those  days  made  desperate 
attempts  to  teach  the  children  politeness ;  the  girls  were  taught 
to  courtesy  to  whoever  they  met,  while  going  to  or  returning 
from  school,  and  the  boys  were  taught  to  bow,  or  as  it  was  called, 
"  make  their  manners."  Mr.  Noble  came  to  Randolph's  Grove 
with  his  father,  David  Noble,  in  the  fall  of  1831,  and  continued 
his  schooling  for  two  winters  in  Illinois.  The  falling  of  the 
meteors  in  1833  impressed  him  very  much.  They  fell  it  seemed 
by  millions,  to  the  north,  south,  east  and  west,  and  some  of  them 
made  a  large  blaze.  He  felt  no  fear  on  account  of  this  wonder- 
ful phenomenon,  but  the  next  morning,  when  he  went  to  mill, 
he  met  so  many  persons  who  were  frightened  by  the  meteors 
that  he  began  to  be  frightened  himself.  Some  people  were  made 
crazy  with  fear. 

When  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and 
brought  a  load  of  goods  for  William  H.  Allin.  He  was  gone  on 
that  trip  about  sixteen  days,  and  received  a  dollar  and  a- quarter 
per  hundred  weight  for  hauling. 

Mr.  JSToble  married,  October  31,  1839,  Isabel  Jane  Stewart, 
and  by  this  happy  marriage  had  three  children.  She  died,  May 
10,  1855.  On  the  tenth  of  January,  1856,  he  married  Eunice 
Burley,  by  Bailey  H.  Coft'ey,  and  has  had  three  children  living 
and  one  dead.  Very  few  men  are  blessed  with  a  more  hapyy 
domestic  life. 

In  the  fore  part  of  February,  1856,  Mr.  Noble  went  on  busi- 
ness to  Kentucky.  He  crossed  the  Ohio  River  on  horseback  on 
the  ice  at  Portsmouth.  This  was  rather  a  dangerous  matter,  as 
he  was  obliged  to  wade  his  horse  three  feet  deep  in  water  to 
reach  the  ice,  and  it  cracked  under  him  while  crossing.  He 
rode  around  among  the  Kentucky  hills,  and  it  seemed  some- 
times that  he  must  fall  into  eternity.  The  hills  were  exceedingly 
steep,  and  nothing  but  a  Kentucky  horse  could  travel  among 
them.     A  horse  from  Illinois  could  never  have  found  a  foothold. 

Mr.  Noble  is  about  six  feet  in  height,  is  broad  shouldered  and 
strongly  built,  is  a  hard  worker,  is  very  clever  and  good  natured, 
appreciates  fun,  is  a  good  neighbor  and  a  good  American  citizen. 


798  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


Joseph  Karr  Noble. 


Joseph  K.  Noble  was  born  October  9,  1823,  in  Whitewater 
township,   Hamilton    County,    Ohio.      His   father's    name    was 
Joseph  Noble,  and  his  mother's  name  before  her  marriage  was 
Nancy  Karr.     Joseph  Noble  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  Nancy  Karr 
in  New  Jersey.     Both  were  of  American  descent.     The  Noble 
family,  consisting  of  six  members  in  all,  came  to  Randolph's 
Grove,  McLean  County,  Illinois,   in  the  fall  of  1831.     There 
Joseph  Noble  bought  a  farm  partly  improved  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  and  two  horses  and  a  wagon.     During  the  first 
winter  they  lived  in  a  large  log  cabin  with  an  entry   between. 
But  their  conveniences  were  not  great,  as  two  other  families  as 
large  as  their  own  lived  with  them.     During  that  winter,  nearly 
all  the  streams  were  frozen  up,  so  that  the  mills  could  not  run. 
Every  family  was  therefore  obliged  to  have  its  hominy  mortar 
with  which  to  crack  frostbitten   corn.     They  had  no  fruit  nor 
vegetables,  except  turnips,  but  had  plenty  of  venison  and  wild 
turkeys.     Joseph  Noble  was  then  a  lad  eight  years  of  age,  but 
the  scenes  of  those  early  days  are  clearly  impressed  on  his  mind. 
He  remembers  going  with  a  party  out  to  a  wolf  pen,  put  up  by 
Gardner  Randolph,  and  there  finding  a  wolf,  which  was  so  in- 
cautious as  to  trust  himself  within  it.     The  following  is  Mr, 
Noble's  description  of  the  pen  :   "  It  was  made  of  logs  notched 
close  at  the  corners,  growing  gradually  smaller  at  the  top,  so 
that  when  the  wolf  was  on  the  outside  it  was  easy  to  climb  up, 
but  too  high  to  climb  out  while   on  the  inside."     The  settlers 
usually  killed  the  wolves  by  chasing  them  on  horseback  and 
killing  them  with  clubs.     During  the  Black  Hawk  war,  the  set- 
tlers were  often  frightened,  and  Mr.  Noble  tells  a  queer  story  of 
a  scare  he  experienced  while  out  in  the  woods  at  play.    Said  he : 
"  I  heard  a  strange   noise  and  started  to  the  house  taking  my 
youngest  brother  on  my  back.     Looking  across  the  field  I  saw 
my  father  coming  on  his  horse  from  the  plow  as  fast  as  possible. 
We  arrived  at  the  house  out  of  breath  and  found  that  the  bees 
were  swarming,  and  mother  was   calling   for  father   and  was 
pounding  a  frying  pan  with  a  large  iron  spoon  to  make  the  bees 
settle.     You  may  be  sure  that  we  were  glad  the   trouble  was 
occasioned  by  bees  instead  of  Indians." 


m'lban  county.  799 

Mr.  Noble  did  not  receive  an  extended  education.  He  went 
to  school  when  quite  young,  and  one  of  his  teachers  was  John 
Moore,  afterwards  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Noble 
learned  at  an  early  age  what  it  was  to  work.  At  the  age  of  fif- 
teen he  drove  a  team  of  ten  steers,  called  a  prairie  breaking 
team.  "With  them  he  broke  ground  for  various  parties,  among 
others  for  James  Allin,  of  Bloomington.  He  broke  the  ground 
where  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Machine  Shops  now  stand.  The 
remainder  of  Mr.  Noble's  sketch  may  be  given  in  his  own  words: 
"  I  cannot  remember  precisely  all  of  the  settlers  who  were  in 
Randolph's  Grove  when  I  first  came.  They  were  usually  young 
folks  with  small  families.  But  notwithstanding  their  few  chil- 
dren, they  were  obliged  to  work  very  hard  for  their  own  and 
their  children's  support,  for  nearly  all  their  wearing  apparel  was 
made  by  themselves,  was  spun,  woven,  cut,  fitted  and  sewed. 
The  people  here  were  from  many  States,  but  they  all  appeared 
members  of  one  family.  They  endured  the  privations  and  dis- 
comforts of  life  together.  When  any  one  needed  assistance  it 
was  always  forthcoming.  The  women  had  quiltings  and  sewing 
bees,  and  the  men  had  house  raisings  and  corn  huskings.  In 
after  years  the  different  settlements  joined  together  in  wolf 
hunts,  raised  a  pole  on  a  high  piece  of  ground,  hoisted  a  flag 
and  on  a  certain  day  all  turned  out  and  drove  the  game  to  the 
center.  "When  they  came  near  the  pole,  it  was  fun  to  see  some 
on  foot  with  long  rifies  ready  to  shoot  the  first  deer  or  wolf,  and 
others  on  horses  chasing  the  tired  game.  Some  would  be  thrown 
from  their  horses,  and  others  would  fall  when  their  horses  stum- 
bled in  the  active  chase.  Those  good  old  times  will  never  come 
again ! " 

When  Mr.  Noble  was  twenty-four  years  of  age,  he  married 
Miss  Lemira  Hampton,  who  was  born  within  the  boundaries  of 
the  present  county  of  McLean.  Her  father  came  to  the  country 
from  Tennessee,  the  year  before  the  deep  snow.  Mr.  Noble  has 
had  six  children,  of  whom  five  are  living.     They  are : 

John  S.,  Charles  M.,  Nannie  M.,  Robert  K.  and  Joseph  P. 
Noble ;  all  of  whom  live  at  home.  Mr.  Noble  is  about  five  feet 
and  ten  inches  in  height,  is  rather  spare  and  straight,  and  has 
dark  hair  and  gray  eyes.  He  appears  to  be  a  very  good  neigh- 
bor, and  his  remarks  concerning  the  old  settlers  and  the  condi- 


800  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

tion  of  things  during  the  early  days,  show  him  to  be  a  man  of 
good  feeling. 

Dr.  Harrison  Noble. 

Dr.  Harrison  Noble  was  born  March  6,  1812,  in  Hamilton 
County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  John  Noble,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Price.  John  Noble  was  of 
English  descent,  but  he  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  thereby  became  cut  off  from  the  English  branch  of  the  fam- 
ily,  and  nothing  is  known  of  it.  Harrison  Noble  had  a  fair  edu- 
cation, and  while  still  in  his  youth  taught  school  for  a  livelihood. 
He  also  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  a  part  of  the  time 
was  a  farmer.  In  after  years  he  was  a  physician,  and  also  a  sur- 
veyor. He  had  a  mind  evenly  developed  and  well  balanced,  and 
could  succeed  in  many  professions. 

Mr.  Noble  was  married,  March  21,  1833,  to  Miss  Abby  Cook, 
in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  In  1833  he  came  to  the  West.  His 
trip  was  a  hard  one,  through  swamps  and  creeks  during  a  wet 
season,  but  by  good  fortune  and  good  management  he  came  safely 
through.  He  settled  at  Randolph's  Grove  with  Joseph  Noble, 
sr.,  who  had  moved  out  some  time  before.  Harrison  Noble  sold 
two  horses  and  obtained  money  to  enter  eighty  acres  of  land. 
Then  he  built  a  cabin  and  moved  into  it,  and  worked  his  land 
with  a  horse  belonging  to  his  mother.  He  hired  a  man  to  break 
six  or  eight  acres  of  land  and  paid  for  it  by  carpenter  work.  He 
had  knowledge  of  many  trades,  and  his  handiness  now  stood  him 
in  good  stead,  for  if  he  could  not  find  work  to  do  at  one  employ- 
ment, he  followed  another,  and  succeeded  Avell  at  everything. 
He  did  some  surveying,  taught  school,  worked  as  a  carpenter, 
and  did  anything  at  which  his  hands  could  be  usefully  employed. 

Mr.  Noble  was  an  Old-Line  Whig.  That  party  was  in  the 
minority  in  McLean  County  in  the  early  days.  But  people  then 
cared  less  for  party  ties  than  for  popular  men.  In  about  the  year 
1840  Mr.  Noble  came  out  as  an  independent  candidate  for  sur- 
veyor, and  of  course  his  merits  and  demerits  were  sharply  criti- 
cized, but  it  was  pretty  well  understood  that  if  he  could  show 
himself  qualified  for  this  position  he  would  be  elected.  About 
this  time  a  curious  circumstance  occurred.  General  Gridley  and 
General  Covel  had  a  warm  discussion  concerning  his  ability.  The 


m'lean  county.  801 

latter  was  a  Democrat.     General  Covel   said:  "I'll  bet  vou  he 

can't  tell  the  number  of  acres  in  a  piece  of  land  with many 

rods  on  one  side,"  &c,  and  he  gave  the  number  of  rods  on  each 
of  four  sides.  General  Gridley  took  the  bet,  and  as  soon  as  he 
saw  Mr.  Xoble,  the  problem  was  stated.  "  Xow,"  said  General 
Gridley,  "how  mairy  acres  are  in  that  piece  of  land?"  "There 
may  be  more  and  there  may  be  less,"  said  Mr.  Noble.  "Xow," 
thought  Gridley,  "  Iv'e  lost  my  bet."  But  Mr.  Xoble  continued 
and  explained  that  the  angles  must  be  given ;  for  if  they  were 
not  given  the  sides  might  be  so  arranged  as  to  enclose  a  great 
many  acres,  or  scarcely  any  at  all.  Then  he  picked  up  a  limber 
switch  and  bent  it  into  a  four-sided  figure,  and  by  making  the 
angles  sometimes  right  angles  and  sometimes  acute,  he  explained 
the  matter  clearly.  "Well,"  said  Gridley,  "Covel  and  I  are  both 
fools."  This  incident  was  told  many  times,  and  it  made  friends 
for  Mr.  Xoble,  for  it  made  him  acquainted.  The  incident  was 
related  by  Hon.  John  Cusey.  Mr.  Xoble  held  the  office  of  sur- 
veyor for  three  terms.  When  he  was  about  thirty-five  years  of 
age  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  by  himself.  He  after- 
wards attended  one  course  of  lectures  at  Cincinnati,  and  received 
his  diploma.     He  practiced  medicine  and  was  quite  successful. 

Mr.  Xoble  had  five  children  by  his  first  marriage,  but  only 
two  are  living.     They  are  : 

Jacob  Xoble  lives  on  the  line  between  the  townships  of  Ran- 
dolph and  Funk's  Grove. 

Sarah  Maria,  wife  of  John  Perry,  lives  in  Danvers  township. 

Mrs.  Xoble  died  in  about  the  year  1844.  On  the  15th  of 
April,  1848,  Mr.  Xoble  married  Mrs.  Jane  E.  Marmon.  By  this 
marriage  one  child  was  born,  John  Locke  Xoble,  who  lives  on 
the  homestead  place. 

Dr.  Xoble  died  August  12, 1870.  He  was  about  six  feet  in 
height,  had  black  hair  and  gray  eyes,  was  very  muscular,  and  in 
his  younger  days  a  great  wrestler.  His  feet  were  deformed,  and 
toed  in,  but  this  was  an  advantage  in  wrestling.  "While  he  was 
attending  lectures,  a  person  inquired  of  him  whether  on  account 
of  his  deformity  he  was  not  obliged  to  bear  with  insults.  Dr. 
Xoble  gave  the  gentleman  a  proof  of  his  skill,  which  decided  the 
matter.  Dr.  Xoble  was  a  very  honest  man  and  very  popular  in 
McLean  County. 
51 


802  old  settlers  of 

Walter  Karr. 

Walter  Karr  was  born  July  8,  1797,  in  Sussex  County,  New 
Jersey.  His  father's  name  was  Thomas  Karr,  and  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Celia  Lewis,  both  Americans.  Mr.  Karr  was 
not  old  enough  to  be  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  though  many 
of  his  relatives  were  in  it.  He  had  a  half-brother  who  was  cap- 
tured by  the  British  when  Hull  surrendered  at  Detroit.  The 
Americans  were  very  unfortunate  at  the  outset,  for,  in  addition 
to  the  calamity  of  Hull's  disgraceful  surrender,  there  came  what 
was  known  as  the  cold  plague,  which  carried  off  nine  hundred 
men  in  one  winter  from  the  command  of  General  Cass,  who  had 
only  twenty-five  hundred  men  in  his  command.  It  was  a  strange 
disease,  which  the  physicians  did  not  understand.  This,  Mr.  Karr 
savs,  was  told  to  him  by  his  brother. 

"Walter  Karr  had  come  to  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio, 
in  1807.  The  village  of  Cincinnati  then  contained  sixteen  or 
seventeen  hundred  people.  On  their  journey  from  jSTew  Jersey 
the  Karr  family  went  first  to  Elizabethtown,  between  the  Alle- 
gheny and  Monongehela  Rivers,  and  there  built  a  ilatboat  or 
'•Yankee  sled."  Mr.  Karr's  father  and  brother  took  the  horses 
there  and  came  through,  but  the  rest  of  the  family  went  down 
on  the  flat-boat.  Some  other  parties  on  board  had  attached  a 
keelboat  for  the  convenience  of  cooking,  and  all  on  board  went 
joyfully  along  to  the  new  country.  Xo  incident  of  importance 
occurred  before  their  arrival  in  Hamilton  County.  It  was  about 
that  time  that  General  Harrison  was  governor  of  Indiana  terri- 
tory. The  general  was  a  very  kind-hearted  man,  and  always 
willing  to  do  a  favor,  but  wanted  it  appreciated.  Mr.  Karr  tells 
a  story  of  General  Harrison,  which  shows  the  eccentricity  of  the 
man.  In  1834,  when  Mr.  Karr  was  traveling,  he  went  with  his 
heavily  loaded  wagon  past  General  Harrison's  premises.  The 
latter  had  previously  changed  the  road  across  his  premises,  but  as 
the  fence  was  down  Mr.  Karr  took  the  old  road.  General  Harri- 
son rushed  out  and  said  :  "  Stop  !  turn  about,  go  back."  But  a 
man,  named  Johnson,  reasoned  with  the  general,  and  asked  the 
privilege  of  going  ahead,  when  the  general  replied:  "Yes,  go 
ahead,  but  for  God's  sake  keep  off  my  meadow!"  "Xow,"  said 
Mr.  Karr,    "if  we  had  first  asked  the  privilege  of  crossing  his 


m'lean  county.  803 

premises  on  the  old  road  and  given  him  a  chance  to  do  a  favor, 
which  would  be  appreciated,  he  would  have  said  :  'Yes,  gentle- 
men, for  God's  sake,  go  ahead."  " 

Mr.  Karr  clearly  remembers  the  earthquake  of  1811,  which 
shook  down  Xew  Madrid,  and  sank  the  lands  of  the  river  St. 
Francis  in  Arkansas.  The  shocks  were  clearly  felt  in  Ohio,  but 
no  damage  was  done. 

While  coming  down  the  Ohio,  in  June,  1815,  Mr.  Karr  saw 
the  first  steamboat  which  came  up  from  Xew  Orleans  to  Pittsburg. 
It  was  called  the  Enterprise. 

In  February,  1834,  Mr.  Karr  started  for  the  West.  He  went 
by  steamboat  to  Pekin,  and  from  there  came  across  by  team  to 
McLean  County  with  Seth  Baker,  and  arrived  at  the  latter  place 
March  11,  1834.  On  the  day  of  his  arrival  the  weather  was  so 
warm  that  he  killed  a  snake,  one  of  the  jointed  kind,  which  flew 
to  pieces  when  struck.  On  the  fourteenth  of  March,  two  men, 
Hopping  and  Torrence,  gathered  spring  flowers,  and  the  weather 
was  indeed  beautiful.  But  on  the  fourteenth  of  May  a  severe 
frost  came  and  cut  the  buds  on  the  trees,  turned  the  leaves  com- 
pletely brown  and  froze  a  crust  on  the  ground. 

Mr.  Karr  tells  some  strange  facts  concerning"  the  sudden 
change  in  December,  1836,  When  this  change  in  the  weather 
occurred,  Mr.  John  Wesley  Karr  wras  milking  cows,  as  an  indus- 
trious farmer's  boy  should.  He  immediately  started  for  home,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  but  on  reaching  it  he  became  so  cold 
that  he  could  not  speak. 

Mr.  Karr  went  to  farming  upon  his  arrival  in  the  West,  and 
succeeded  fairly  well,  but  suffered  severely  with  the  hard  times 
from  1837  to  1842.  The  winter  of  1842-3  was  the  longest  of 
which  he  has  any  recollection.  The  snow  came  early,  and,  with 
the  exception  of  a  January  thaw,  remained  until  late  in  March. 
Mr.  Karr  did  not  learn  of  any  plowing  done  that  spring  before 
the  month  of  May.  He  sowed  a  patch  of  spring  wheat  that  year 
on  the  fifth  of  May,  and  raised  fifteen  bushels  to  the  acre.  The 
winter  wheat  was  all  frozen  out  and  had  to  be  re-sown.  But  not- 
withstanding these  discouraging  circumstances,  people  in  many 
instances  raised  during  that  year  more  than  thirty  bushels  of 
wheat  to  the  acre,  and  the  crops  were  generally  most  excellent. 
During  the  spring  previous,  in  1842,  he  sowed  wheat  about  the 


804 


OLD    SETTLERS    OF 


eighteenth  or  twentieth  of  March,  and  on  the  last  of  March  it 
was  green.  He  did  not  harvest  it  until  August,  and  obtained 
from  it  two  hundred  bushels  from  six  bushels  of  seed,  or  thirty- 
three  and  one-third  bushels  per  acre.  He  hauled  one  load  of  it 
to  Chicago  in  September,  and  sold  it  for  sixty-three  cents  per 
bushel,  and  thought  he  made  a  very  good  trip.  Mr.  Karr  has 
been  a  careful  farmer. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  reader  to  know 
something  of  the  taxes  which  have  been  paid  within  the  last 
thirty-five  years.  Mr.  Karr  gives  his  taxes  as  shown  by  his  re- 
ceipts, and  in  the  list  below  the  taxes  after  1843  are  all  upon 
nearly  the  same  land.  Since  1856-7  he  has  paid  taxes  on  four 
acres  less  ground  than  in  1845. 


Year  1839, 

82  53i 

Yeai 

•  1840, 

U  66 

Yeai 

■  1841, 

$8  02 

"  1842, 

3  07 

a 

1843, 

5  88 

u 

1844, 

7  53 

"  1845, 

7  44 

a 

1846, 

7  74 

a 

1847, 

8  74 

"  1848, 

7  97 

a 

1849, 

10  41 

a 

1850, 

12  05 

"  1851, 

19  69 

a 

1852, 

15  67 

u 

1853, 

29  24 

"  1854, 

27  56 

a 

1855, 

40  88 

a 

1856, 

49  57 

"  1857, 

57  17 

u 

1858, 

44  17 

a 

1859, 

51  85 

"  1860, 

41  99 

a 

1861, 

31  56 

a 

1862, 

36  89 

"  1863, 

90  49 

u 

1864, 

84  45 

a 

1865, 

91  81 

"  1866, 

131  59 

u 

1867, 

141  05 

a 

1868, 

137  88 

"  1869, 

166  48 

a 

1870, 

121  41 

a 

1871, 

122  63 

"  1872, 

112  65. 

This  does  not  include 

Mr. 

Karr's 

taxes,  on 

town 

lots  an 

d  other 

property.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  average  for  the  first  seventeen 
years,  beginning  with  1839,  was  $12.89,  and  the  average  for  the 
last  seventeen  years  is  $89.06.  The  reader  mil  note  the  sudden 
rise  of  taxes  from  1862  to  '63,  when  they  nearly  trebled  on  ac- 
count of  the  war. 

Mr.  Karr  married  in  1823,  Eliza  Ann  Karr,  a  daughter  of  his 
cousin.  He  has  had  eight  children,  of  whom  four  are  living. 
They  are : 

Edwin  Karr  lives  one  mile  and  a  quarter  south  of  his  father's. 

Mrs.  Harriet  Kinzel  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Henry  A.  Karr  lives  with  his  father. 

Mrs.  Celia  Rockwell  lives  at  Clinton,  in  DeWitt  County. 

Mr.  Karr  is  a  man  of  medium  height ;  his  hair  is  only  partly 


m'lean  county.  805 

gray,  though  he  is  seventy-six  years  of  age.  His  long,  full  beard 
is  nearly  white,  and  his  eyes  are  very  bright.  Tins  gives  to  him 
a  venerable  appearance.  He  complains  that  his  memory  is  fail- 
ing with  age,  but  many  persons  would  be  glad  to  have  one  as 
good  as  his  at  present.  He  is  a  modest  man  and  unassuming,  but 
possessed  of  good  judgment.  Perhaps  the  most  marked  trait  in 
his  character  is  his  love  of  truth  and  honest  dealing.  In  giving 
some  items  of  the  days  that  are  gone,  he  was  very  particular  to 
tell  the  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth.      Let  us  all  do  likewise. 


THE  RUST  FAMILY. 

William  Rust. 

William  Rust  was  born  in  Granville  County,  North  Carolina, 
February  23,  17!>2.     His  father  was  of  English  descent. 

Mr.  Rust  was  raised  in  North  Carolina.  On  the  8th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1811,  he  married  Nancy  McGee,  and  soon  after  moved  to 
Middle  Tennessee.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  war  of  1812, 
Mr.  Rust  became  a  soldier.  He  was  sick  during  much  of  his 
time  in  the  army,  but  was  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  at  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  often  described  the  fight,  and  said  that  the 
British  came  very  close  to  the  works  before  the  Americans  were 
allowed  to  fire.  After  the  British  General  Packenham  fell,  the 
command  devolved  upon  General  Lambert,  who  was  repulsed 
with  frightful  loss.  At  the  close  of  the  battle  he  asked  permis- 
sion to  bury  the  dead,  but  General  Jackson  sent  the  British  dead 
to  them. 

Sometime  after  the  elose  of  the  war,  Mr.  Rust  emigrated  to 
West  Tennessee,  where  he  lived  a  number  of  years.  In  1829  he 
moved  to  Hamilton  County,  Illinois.  Here  he  first  made  a  half- 
faced  camp  in  the  timber,  in  which  the  family  lived  until  they 
could  build  a  log  cabin.  This  was  made  of  round  logs,  after- 
wards smoothed  down  on  the  inside.  Mr.  Rust  improved  a  farm 
of  thirty-five  or  forty  acres,  and  built  a  large  tobacco  house.  This 
was  a  log  house  sixty  feet  long  and  twenty  feet  wide,  with  an 
open  space  twenty  feet  wide  through  the  middle,  but  covered  with 
a  roof.  Wagon  loads  of  tobacco  were  driven  into  this  opening 
and  unloaded  on  each  side.     The  house  held  five  tiers  of  tobacco. 


806  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

In  the  fall  of  1834,  Mr.  Rust  came  to  McLean  County.  He 
stopped  first  with  Jesse  Funk,  then  went  for  a  few  days  into  an 
old  school-house,  until  he  could  rent  a  farm  of  Samuel  Stewart. 
At  the  end  of  two  years  he  bought  a  piece  of  land  for  himself 
and  improved  a  farm.  It  is  now  owned  by  William  C.  Xoble. 
He  broke  prairie,  raised  stock,  and  succeeded  well.  In  the  spring 
of  1847  he  went  to  Lvtleville,  and  there  ensra^ed  in  the  milling 
business.  He  first  had  a  mill  driven  by  water,  but  by  the  failure 
of  water  he  was  compelled  to  use  steam.  He  then  had  two 
partners,  Wooster  and  Hougham.  In  about  the  year  1867,  he 
sold  out,  and  retired  to  a  quiet  life.  He  was  constable  and  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  during  the  active  years  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Rust  had  nine  children,  five  boys  and  four  girls.  James 
AV.,  John  F.,  and  George  "W".  Rust,  live  in  Randolph  township  ; 
Martha  Ann,  wife  of  Wilson  Lindlev,  lives  in  Cowlev  County, 
Kansas;  William  M.,  Harvey  J.,  and  Mary,  wife  of  David  Housrh- 
am,  live  in  Randolph  township  ;  Arnetta  and  Nancy  Caroline 
Rust  are  both  dead. 

Mr.  Rust  was  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height  in  his 
prime.  He  was  a  good-looking  man,  was  healthy  and  square- 
shouldered,  and  weighed  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds. 
His  eyes  were  blue,  and  his  hair  was  almost  black.  He  was  a 
very  honest  man,  faithful  in  fulfilling  his  obligations,  and  had 
this  reputation  among  all  with  whom  he  had  occasion  to  deal. 
He  died  at  Randolph's  Grove,  August  26,  1873,  aged  eighty-one 
vears  six  months  and  three  days. 

John  F.  Rust. 

John  Rust  was  born  August  11,  1816,  in  Murray  County, 
Middle  Tennessee.  In  1824,  the  family  went  to  Monroe  County, 
Mississippi,  but  after  two  years  they  went  to  Hardeman  County, 
West  Tennessee,  and  afterwards  to  Hickman  County.  In  1829, 
they  came  to  Hamilton  County,  Illinois.  During  the  winter  of 
the  deep  snow,  John  Rust  amused  himself  by  hunting  coons.  In 
the  winter  season  he  often  hunted  muskrats  and  tore  open  their 
houses  and  killed  them  with  hoes.  He  first  knocked  on  the 
houses,  and  if  any  muskrats  were  within  they  would  jump  into 
the  water  and  their  plash  could  be  heard. 

In  the  spring  of  1834,  Isaac  and  Jesse  Funk  came  down  to 


m'lean  county.  807 

Hamilton  County  to  buy  cattle.  John  Rust  then  hired  out  to 
Jesse  Funk  for  six  months,  and  was  to  receive  fifty  dollars  as  his 
wages.  He  started  on  his  journey  with  the  cattle  to  McLean 
County.  He  carried  his  extra  clothes  on  his  back.  As  they 
troubled  him  a  good  deal,  he  pulled  off  his  trousers,  stuffed  his 
clothes  into  the  legs,  tied  the  bottoms,  threw  them  over  his 
shoulders  and  went  on.  The  wages,  which  John  Rust  earned, 
were  paid  to  his  father,  until  the  former  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  For  seven  years,  John  Rust  worked  driving  cattle,  exposed 
to  all  kinds  of  weather.  In  January,  1836,  he  drove  hogs  to 
Chicago  for  Isaac  Funk.  A  heavy  snow  came  shortly  after  they 
started.  At  Wolf  Grove  they  commenced  dragging  an  elm  log 
fastened  to  the  rear  axle  of  a  wagon  to  break  the  way.  The 
weather  was  desperately  cold,  and  during  one  night  about  six 
inches  of  snow  fell  on  them  as  they  lay  on  the  ground.  At  Sul- 
phur Springs  they  found  the  road  somewhat  broken,  and  they 
abandoned  their  elm  log.  They  found  the  rapids  at  the  Kan- 
kakee partly  frozen  and  partly  open,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
break  the  ice  clear  across.  The  hogs  refused  to  go  into  the 
water  until  the  drovers  built  parallel  rail  fences,  and  compelled 
the  swine  to  follow  down  between  them  and  go  into  the  water. 
When  the  drivers  came  out  of  the  water,  their  clothes  were  frozen 
on  them  in  a  few  moments.  They  arrived  at  last  at  Chicago.  It 
was  Mr.  Rust's  first  sight  of  the  place,  and  he  was  much  interested 
in  Fort  Dearborn,  which  was  then  standing.  Mr.  Rust  received 
fifty  cents  per  day  for  his  work.  On  his  return,  he  went  with 
Gardner  Randolph  with  a  drove  of  swine  to  Galena.  His  great- 
est trouble  on  this  trip  was  the  crossing  of  Rock  River  at  Dixon, 
which  was  attended  with  difficulty  on  account  of  the  drifting  ice. 
But  the  cold  was  very  severe  when  he  returned,  and  he  was  sick 
for  some  time  with  rheumatism  brought  on  by  exposure. 

During  the  sudden  change  in  December,  1836,  Mr.  Rush  was 
hauling  a  load  of  cord  wood  from  Sulphur  Springs,  where  Mr. 
Hinshaw  now  lives,  to  Mr.  Thompson's  mill  in  Pone  Hollow  at 
Bloomington.  When  he  arrived  at  the  mill  he  had  difficulty  in 
unyoking  the  oxen,  as  the  keys  were  frozen  fast  in  the  yoke. 
When  he  drove  the  oxen  into  the  barn  lot  he  found  the  chickens 
frozen  into  the  slush.  During  this  winter  he  worked  for  sixteen 
dollars  per  month,  and  his  father  drew  his  wages.    But  he  worked 


808  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

after  time  and  made  extra  wages,  and  with  this  money  be  bought 
his  first  good  suit  of  clothes.  These  were  the  clothes  which  he 
afterwards  wore  at  his  wedding. 

In  January,  1838,  Mr.  Rush  went   with  William  and  John 
Lindley  with  a  drove  of  swine  to  Aurora.     The  cold  was  severe 
and  a  heavy  snow  was  on  the  ground.     One   of  the  drovers, 
named  Hiram  Reilley,  was  about  to  freeze  to  death  on  his  horse. 
The  men  pulled  him  off,  rolled  him  in  the  snow,  whipped  and 
pounded  him  into  life  and  took  him  to  the  house.     During  that 
night  he  burnt  his  boots  to  a  crisp  while  trying  to  keep  warm. 
He  was  discharged  and  sent  home  the  next  day.     Many  of  the 
hogs  had  become  injured  or  disabled  and  were  placed  in  a  wagon 
and  drawn  by  oxen.     But  when  they  attempted   to  cross  Long 
Point  Creek,  the  oxen  could  not  pull  the  wagon  with  its  heavy 
load  up  the  steep  bank.     Mr.    Rust  jumped   into  the   water  on 
that  bitterly  cold  day,  pulled  out  the  end  board,  and  the  load  of 
disabled  swine  was  dumped    into  the   creek.     The  wagon  was 
pulled  out,  reloaded,  and  the  party  proceeded.     While  on  their 
way   to    Chicago,    they    were   subjected   to    severe    changes    of 
weather.     It  was  first  very  cold,  then  warm  and  then  cold  again. 
The    drove  of   swine  swam  across  the   Vermilion    River,  but 
crossed  the  Illinois  and  Fox  Rivers,  and  Buck  Creek  above   Ot- 
tawa on  the  ice.     On  Mr.  Rust's  return  from  Aurora,  a  winter 
thunderstorm  set  in,  and  he  and  his  brother  were   obliged  to 
swim  Buck  Creek.     When  they   came   out  of  the  water,   they 
wrung  their  socks,  poured  a  pint  of  whisky  into  their  boots  and 
went  on.     Shortly  afterwards  it  became   so  intensely  cold  that 
their  clothes  were  frozen  on  them   stiff.     They  stopped  at  the 
house  of  a  man,  named  Clark,  at  Ottawa.    When  Mr.  Rust  pulled 
off  his  overcoat  it  stood  up  straight  against  the  wall.     From  Ot- 
tawa they  came  home  without  further  adventure. 

Mr.  Rust  obtained  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in 
DeWitt  County,  as  the  result  of  much  labor.  On  the  22d  of 
October,  1840,  he  married  Margaret  Elizabeth  Lindley,  youngest 
child  of  John  Xindley,  sr.  When  Mr.  Rust  spoke  of  his  mar- 
riage, in  giving  these  items,  Mrs.  Rust  said  ;  "  What  kind  of  a 
place  do  you  think  he  took  me  to  ?  It  was  away  off,  where  I 
did  n't  see  a  woman  for  three  weeks,  and  we  lived  in  a  little 
cabin  without  any  window,  and  the  light  Game  down  the  chim- 


m'lean  county.  809 

ney,  and  the  wolves  howled  around  us  !"  But  Mrs.  Rust  enjoyed 
those  early  days,  notwithstanding  the  rude  surroundings.  The 
family  now  live  in  Randolph's  Grove,  near  where  Mr.  Rust,  sr., 
first  made  a  permanent  settlement  when  he  came  to  McLean 
County. 

Mr.  Rust  lias  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  eight  are  living. 
They  are  : 

George  W.  Rust  lives  three  miles  east  of  his  father's. 

Thomas  J.  Rust  lives  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  east  of  Ran- 
dolph Station,  in  Randolph  township. 

John  L.,  Jennie,  Alice,  William  Douglas,  Minnie  and  Ben 
Rust,  all  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Rust  is  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  weighs  about 
two  hundred  and  ten  pounds,  has  a  sanguine  complexion,  a  bald 
head,  and  thin,  sandy  hair.  He  is  muscular,  has  a  great  deal  of 
courage,  and  the  best  of  business  qualifications.  Perhaps  his 
most  marked  characteristic  is  his  fidelity,  his  faithfulness  to  his 
trust.  Everything  entrusted  to  his  care  has  been  well  attended 
to,  and  everybody  by  whom  he  was  employed  had  great  con- 
fidence in  him.  He  owns  about  nine  hundred  acres  of  land,  has 
a  great  deal  of  stock,  drives  his  business  carefully  and  succeeds 
well. 

"William  Marion  Rust. 

William  Marion  Rust  was  born  January  31,  1821,  in  Murray 
County,  Middle  Tennessee.  He  came  with  the  family  to  Ham- 
ilton County,  Illinois,  and  in  the  fall  of  1834  to  Randolph's 
Grove,  McLean  County.  He  was  an  active,  industrious  worker 
and  gained  a  fair  start  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  county. 
He  enjoyed  the  sports  of  the  early  days,  particularly  the  great 
ring  hunts.  A  great  hunt  was  once  organized,  and  a  month  or 
more  was  required  for  preparation.  The  pole  was  erected  be- 
tween Randolph's  and  Funk's  Grove,  and  on  it  was  a  banner, 
which  bore  the  words,  "Wolves  and  Deer,"  in  large  letters.  The 
affair  came  off  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties,  and  the  sport 
was  rare  indeed.  Sometimes  these  chases  were  a  little  danger- 
ous. Mr.  William  Stewart  was  severely  injured  while  with  a 
large  party  after  a  wolf.  His  horse  stumbled  into  a  hole  and 
fell,  and  he  was  so  severely  injured  that  his  life  was  despaired  of. 


810  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

On  the  24th  of  January,  1842,  Mr.  Rust  married  Catherine 
Myers.  He  has  had  nine  children,  of  whom  five  are  living. 
They  are : 

Amanda,  wife  of  Eber  Stringfield,  lives  at  Randolph's  Grove. 

Franklin  Rust  lives  at  home. 

Amy,  wife  of  Joseph  H.  Lacey,  lives  in  Jackson  County, 
Missouri. 

Carrie  and  George  B.  Rust  live  at  home. 

Mr.  Rust  is  five  feet  nine  inches  and  a  half  in  height,  and  is 
in  good  health  and  spirits.  He  is  a  very  fair,  reliable  man  and 
understands  well  how  to  manage  his  business.  He  has  an  inter- 
esting family,  and  appears  to  lead  a  contented  life.  He  looks 
back  with  pleasure  to  the  sports  of  the  early  days,  and  says  that 
nothing  at  the  present  time  equals  the  chases  on  the  prairie  after 
the  wolves  and  deer. 

Harvey  Jackson  Rust. 

Harvey  J.  Rust  was  born  January  6, 1823,  in  Murray  County, 
Tennessee.  He  moved  to  various  places  with  the  family,  and  in 
1829  came  to  Hamilton  County,  Illinois.  Hamilton  County  was 
then  a  great  place  for  game,  deer,  wolves,  wildcats  and  elk.  The 
elk  were  not  numerous,  but  the  deer  and  wolves  were  abundant. 
Many  people  there  made  their  living  by  hunting.  They  put  up 
blinds  in  the  trees  and  built  fires  there  for  the  purpose  of  attract- 
ing the  deer.  Such  positions  were  safe,  and  the  hunters  were 
protected  from  the  wolves.  The  fires  were  built  on  platforms  of 
boards,  covered  with  earth,  and  were  about  fifteen  feet  from  the 
ground.  In  the  night  time  the  deer  stared  at  the  fires  and  were 
shot  down.  These  fires  were  made  near  the  salt  licks.  In  the 
fall  of  the  year  the  deer  came  into  the  fields  or  enclosures  and 
ate  the  corn  and  turnips.  They  were  particularly  fond  of  the 
latter.  Sometimes  the  deer  would  knock  off  the  rail  of  a  fence 
while  jumping  over,  and  they  would  always  afterwards  jump  over 
at  that  place.  The  farmers'  boys  would  take  advantage  of  this 
and  kill  the  deer  by  placing  sharp  stakes  in  the  ground  near  the 
fence,  so  that  the  deer  would  jump  over  on  them.  Mr.  Rust 
sometimes  killed  deer  in  this  manner,  though  it  seems  to  have 
been  a  very  cruel  way. 


? 


m'lean  county.  811 


In  the  fall  of  1834  the  Rust  family  came  to  Randolph's  Grove, 
Illinois,  and  here  commenced  farming.  Thev  first  rented  land 
and  afterwards  bought  ground  near  where  John  F.  Rust  now 
lives.  Harvey  Rust  worked  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  Then  he  went  with  Isaac  Funk  and  others  to  take 
a  drove  of  hogs  to  Chicago.  They  went  to  Wolf  Grove,  thence 
to  the  Mazon,  then  on  the  Kankakee  and  from  there  to  Chicago. 
The  weather  was  very  cold  and  many  hogs  froze  to  death.  Mr. 
Rust  earned  his  money  during  the  early  days  by  hard  work.  He 
broke  prairie  for  various  parties,  for  John  Moore,  Dr.  Karr,  Isaac 
Funk,  the  Stubblefields,  Jesse  W.m  Fell,  and  many  others.  He 
received  from  $2.50  to  $3.50  per  acre.  But  when  he  broke  prai- 
rie for  Mr.  Fell  the  times  were  so  hard  that  he  could  get  only 
$1.50  per  acre,  and  took  his  pay  in  Illinois  money,  worth  only 
forty  cents  on  the  dollar. 

In  1850  Mr.  Rust  traded  a  horse  for  a  land  warrant,  and  en- 
tered eighty  acres  of  land  about  two  miles  southwest  of  where 
Randolph  Station  now  is.  He  then  had  only  his  land  and  a  wife. 
He  was  none  too  quick  in  entering  his  land,  for  the  charter  for 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  was  passed  during  the  next  year, 
and  the  land  office  was  closed  for  a  season.  He  worked  very 
hard  to  get  a  start,  and  succeeded.  In  1852  he  built  a  house  and 
moved  into  it,  and  on  this  land  he  has  ever  since  made  his  home. 

Mr.  Rust  was  no  hunter.  He  once  was  passing  through  the 
timber  when  his  two  dogs  caught  a  lynx,  and  Mr.  Rust  pounded 
it  to  death  with  a  club.     It  measured  six  feet  from  head  to  tail. 

On  the  24th  of  February,  1848,  Mr.  Rust  married  Miss  Ruth 
E.  Burroughs.  She  died  in  1862.  In  1863  Mr.  Rust  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Hoover,  a  very  pleasant  lady. 

Mr.  Rust  is  of  medium  height,  and  not  very  heavy.  His  face 
is  rather  long  in  shape,  and  his  head  is  somewhat  bald.  He  is 
very  entertaining  in  conversation,  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  listen  to 
him.  He  is  a  very  kind  and  hospitable  man,  and  seems  ready  to 
accommodate  his  friends  and  neighbors.  He  has  succeeded  well 
in  life,  and  is  in  easy  circumstances. 


812  old  settlers  of 

Campbell  Wakefield. 

Campbell  "Wakefield  was  born  February  11,  1804,  in  Crosby 
township,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  His  father,  whose  name  was 
Andrew  Wakefield,  was  born  May  5,  1705,  in  County  Antrim, 
Ireland.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Margaret  Camp- 
bell, was  born  December  16,  1772,  in  Franklin  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Her  parents  came  from  Ireland,  though  the  name  is 
Scotch.  The  Wakefields  came  originally  from  England :  thev 
went  to  Ireland  during  the  rebellion.  When  Mr.  Andrew  Wake- 
field was  eighteen  years  of  age.  he  came  to  the  United  States.  He 
married,  1794,  in  Franklin  County,  and  immediately  went  to 
Xelson  County,  Kentucky,  where  he  had  previously  prepared  a 
farm.  The  journey  was  made  on  pack  horses.  Mr.  Wakefield's 
relatives  were  well  acquainted  with  the  Lincoln  family  in  Ken- 
tucky, which  produced  one  of  the  greatest  of  American  presi- 
dents. Mr.  Campbell  Wakefield  says  he  always  admired  Mr. 
Lincoln's  social  qualities,  though  he  could  not  act  with  him  politi- 
cally. In  1803,  Mr.  Andrew  Wakefield  went  to  Crosby  town- 
ship, Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  and  lived  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  June  23,  1828.  The  new  country  was  then 
infested  with  horse-thieves,  and  Mr.  Wakefield,  sr.,  was  one  of 
the  leaders  of  a  band  of  men  who  "  weeded  out,'  the  pests  of 
society,  and  wounded  and  captured  the  leader,  John  Long.  Camp- 
bell Wakefield  received  his  common  school  education  in  Ohio.  He 
remembers  very  little  of  the  war»  of  1812,  and  simply  calls  to 
mind  that  many  soldiers  went  from  Hamilton  County,  and  that 
Hull's  surrender  at  Detroit,  caused  a  very  profound  sensation. 
He  was  never  a  great  sportsman,  but  sometimes  amused  himself 
by  hunting  coons  and  opossums  with  dogs  at  night.  The  people 
there  were  accustomed  to  harvest  all  of  their  grain  with  a  sickle. 
Whisky  was  a  commonplace  thing  in  the  harvestfield.  The  peo- 
ple raised  all  their  own  flax,  and  the  women  dressed  and  spun  it. 
Campbell  Wakefield  married,  May  24, 1827,  Margaret  Elder,  who 
was  born  December  19,  1803,  in  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania. 
They  were  married  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Thomas,  in  Whitewater 
township,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  They  have  one  sou,  John 
Elder  Wakefield,  who  was  born  May  10,  1828,  in  Crosby  town- 
ship, Ohio.     He  is  their  only  child. 


m'lean  county.  813 

In  June,  1835,  Mr.  Wakefield  came  to  McLean  County,  Illi- 
nois, and  bought  land,  where  he  now  lives,  near  Heyworth.  He 
returned  to  Ohio  and  brought  out  his  family  in  October  of  the 
same  year.  He  came  with  one  large  ox-team  and  two  horse- 
teams.  He  immediately  went  to  farming.  He  lived  at  first  in  a 
double  cabin  made  of  round  logs  with  the  bark  still  on.  It  was 
a  rough  dwelling,  but  it  served  his  purpose  for  six  years.  He 
hauled  his  wheat  to  Chicago,  took  his  own  provisions  with  him, 
and  received  forty  or  fifty  cents  per  bushel.  There  they  bought 
their  boots  and  shoes  and  leather  and  other  necessaries.  He  re- 
members the  celebrated  sudden  change  in  the  weather  of  Decem- 
ber, 1836,  and  says  that  the  first  blast  which  came  from  the  west 
froze  everything  up  solid  and  covered  the  earth  with  a  coating 
of  ice.  He  hunted  deer  on  the  ice,  and  as  it  was  everywhere 
slippery  he  succeeded  in  catching  them  with  dogs.  Mr.  Wake- 
field has  had  rare  sport  in  killing  deer  and  wolves,  and  has  fre- 
quently participated  in  the  general  hunts  towards  a  pole  put  up 
in  some  central  locality.  He  has  continued  farming  up  to  the 
present  time,  has  entered  some  land  and  bought  some,  and  con- 
tinued adding  to  his  original  tract  until  he  has  obtained  about 
fifteen  hundred  acres  nearly  all  together.  A  part  of  it  is  now 
occupied  by  John  Elder  Wakefield,  who  lives  a  short  distance 
west  of  his  father's  homestead. 

Mr.  Wakefield  is  of  medium  height  and  rather  solidly  built. 
His  average  weight  is  about  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  pounds. 
His  head  is  large  and  English  in  appearance.  He  has  a  large 
brain,  and  seems  to  be  a  man  of  most  excellent  judgment.  The 
lines  on  his  face  indicate  success  and  prosperity.  He  seems  to  be 
a  very  firm  and  decided  man,  and  appears  to  be  conscious  of  the 
fact,  that  in  whatever  he  does  or  undertakes,  he  is  backed  up  by 
the  most  correct  judgment.  He  was  commissioned  justice  of  the 
peace,  August  25,  1840,  by  Governor  Thomas  Carlin.  He  was 
re-elected,  and  commissioned  by  Thomas  Ford,  who  succeeded 
Mr.  Carlin  as  governor  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Wakefield  had  very 
little  to  do,  as  the  people  tried  to  deal  fairly  with  each  other  and 
settle  their  differences  without  resorting  to  law.  They  had  no 
use  for  locks  on  their  doors.  Mr.  Wakefield  served  as  commis- 
sioner appointed  to  divide  several  large  landed  estates,  and  this 
service  he  performed  carefully  and  scrupulously.     In  politics  he 


814  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

has  been  a  Democrat.  His  first  vote  was  cast  in  Ohio  for  Old 
Hickory,  (the  favorite  title  for  General  Jackson.)  He  has  now  a 
circular  which  was  issued  by  the  enemies  of  Jackson,  with  a  view 
of  influencing  voters.  It  was  called  the  "  coffin  circular."  Gene- 
ral Jackson  was  not  a  man  to  stand  on  trifles,  and  on  one  occa- 
sion hung  two  men,  by  the  exercise  of  military  power,  when  he 
thought  a  desperate  occasion  required  it.  This  coffin  circular 
was  sent  around  for  the  purpose  of  striking  horror  into  the  minds 
of  the  people  ;  but  it  had  quite  a  contrary  effect.  Mr.  Wakefield 
is  a  man  of  liberality  and  public  spirit.  He  owned  the  land  on 
which  the  town  of  Heyworth  stands.  He  made  many  appropria- 
tions for  public  purposes.  He  gave  the  land  where  the  Presby- 
terian Church  now  stands,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  church 
thereon.  He  gave  land  for  the  district  school  of  the  town,  also 
land  to  encourage  the  building  of  the  steam-mill  first  put  up  by 
Caussin  and  Wilson,  and  afterwards  by  Mr.  Dice  F.  Hall.  He 
donated  the  undivided  half  of  forty  acres  of  land  to  induce  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  to  locate  the  depot  in  Heyworth,  where 
it  now  stands.  He  made  other  donations  to  encourage  trade  and 
induce  business  men  to  locate  at  Heyworth.  This  generous  policy 
has  had  its  effect  in  the  growth  of  the  town  and  the  enterprise 
and  thrift  of  the  place.  Mr.  Wakefield  pays  a  tribute  of  respect 
to  his  wife,  and  says  that  his  success  in  life  has  been  due  in  a 
great  measure  to  her  influence.  He  has  been  enabled  to  acquire 
some  considerable  property,  and  it  is  due  to  the  prudence  and 
wise  counsels  of  his  wife  that  he  has  saved  it. 

Dr.  Thomas  Karr. 

Dr.  Thomas  Karr  was  born  on  the  twenty-third  of  April,  1793, 
in  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania.  His  father,  Captain  John  Karr, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Mercy  Lee,  and  both  father  and  mother  came  from  old 
English  stock.  His  great-grandfather  knew  Philadelphia  when 
it  was  but  a  whortleberry  patch.  Like  nearly  all  of  our  old  set- 
tlers, Thomas  Karr  sprang  from  a  numerous  family  ;  he  had  five 
brothers  and  four  sisters.  While  Thomas  was  yet  an  infant  his 
father  moved  to  the  township  of  Mansfield,  Sussex  County,  New 
Jersey,  east  of  the  Delaware  River.  Here  he  received  his  early 
education  in  a  district  school  kept  in  a  little  log  school-house 


m'lban  county.  815 

with  only  one  window.  Thomas  was  a  precocious  hoy  in  some 
respects :  for  whether  or  not  he  was  very  forward  with  his  les- 
sons, he  certainly  was  well  advanced  in  the  favor  of  those  trouble- 
some creatures  who  plague  the  lives  of  school-boys — the  girls  ! 
When  he  was  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  took  quite  a 
fancv  to  a  young  girl,  and  while  dancing  with  her  at  noon  around 
a  bucket  of  water,  they  accidently  upset  it.  The  teacher  took 
them  to  task  for  it,  and  Thomas  insisted  that  he  was  to  blame, 
and  claimed  that  he  should  receive  all  the  punishment;  but  the 
teacher  punished  them  both.  Thomas  bore  his  own  without  any 
trouble,  but  he  cried  most  bitterly  when  the  pretty  girl  he  fancied 
so  much  was  punished  too.  Forty-five  years  after  this  little  cir- 
cumstance, he  met  an  elderly  lady,  who  recognized  him,  and  re- 
minded him  of  the  incident — she  was  the  pretty  girl  of  his  youth. 

When  he  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  his  father  moved 
to  Cincinnati  Ohio,  where  he  arrived  on  the  last  day  of  October, 
1810.  Cincinnati  was  then  a  very  small  place,  and  Thomas  has 
frequently  shot  ducks  in  ponds,  which  were  standing  where  Third 
street  now  is.  In  this  new  country  Thomas  was  set  at  work.  He 
hauled  wood  to  market  in  the  town,  and  made  himself  generally 
useful.  After  hauling  wood  two  miles  he  could  sell  it  for  fifty 
cents  per  cord  !  This  occupation  he  followed  during  the  winter 
of  1810-11.  In  the  spring  of  1811  the  family  moved  up  the  Ohio 
River,  ten  miles  from  Cincinnati,  where  he  remained  nearly  three 
years.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  1811  that  Thomas  Karr  first  saw  a 
steamboat.  It  slowly  moved  up  the  Ohio  River,  about  as  fast  as 
a  boy  'could  walk,  and  Mr.  Karr  could  only  express  his  astonish- 
ment by  following  it  for  three  or  four  miles  and  throwing  stones 
at  it !  During  the  following  year  (1812)  war  was  declared  with 
England.  During  this  war  all  men  were  enrolled,  and  those  of 
the  military  age,  were  put  on  a  muster-roll  and  were  liable  to 
draft.  They  were  afterwards  divided  into  classes  and  graded,  and 
one  class  was  exhausted  before  another  was  taken.  Men  did  not 
volunteer,  but  were  drafted.  Dr.  Karr  was  drafted  twice,  and 
once  he  volunteered  for  a  special  expedition.  But  he  was  not  at 
any  time  in  actual  service,  as  the  occasions  for  which  the  drafts 
were  made  passed  without  requiring  troops. 

While  living  in  Hamilton  County,  the  only  place  to  ship  pro- 
duce was  at  General  Harrison's  Landing  on  the  Ohio  River,  from 


816  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

whence  it  was  taken  away  on  flatboats.  General  Harrison,  who 
lived  there  at  the  time,  was  a  man  about  six  feet  in  height,  and 
rather  slim  built.  His  eve  was  very  bright  and  expressive,  and 
whoever  once  saw  him  never  forgot  him.  He  was  the  son-in-law 
of  Judge  Simins,  the  early  proprietor  of  Hamilton  County.  The, 
land  in  this  county  was  granted  to  Judge  Simms  by  patent  from 
the  government  in  the  year  1800  or  thereabouts.  The  patent 
covered  all  the  land  from  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Miami  River  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Little  Miami,  and  extended  twelve  miles  into 
the  interior,  and  was  given  on  the  condition  that  Judge  Simms 
should  cause  a  lar^e  number  of  settlers  to  make  their  homes 
there. 

In  the  year  1814,  or  about  that  time,  the  Karr  family  moved 
to  Forth  Bend  in  Whitewater  township,  where  General  Harrison 
lived.  Here  it  was  that  Thomas  was  married ;  but  his  lovely 
bride  was  not  the  pretty  girl  of  his  youth,  in  whose  company  he 
had  been  punished  for  upsetting  the  bucket  of  water.  These 
little  school  boy  romances  are  short  lived.  He  married  a  charm- 
ing young  widow  lady,  named  Elizabeth  Kitchell.  He  has 
had  a  family  of  five  children,  but  they  are  now  all  dead  except 
one. 

In  1833  Dr.  Thomas  Karr  bought  land  at  Randolph's  Grove, 
McLean  County,  Illinois,  at  $1.25  per  acre,  and  in  1835  he  came 
on  with  his  family  to  occupy  it.  He  arrived  on  the  last  day  of 
October,  and  had  at  the  time  neither  rail  nor  clapboard.  He 
lived  for  two  weeks  after  his  arrival  with  two  other  families,  con- 
taining in  all  eighteen  persons,  in  a  room  sixteen  feet  square. 
But  at  the  end  of  two  weeks  he  had  built  a  log  hut  in  the  woods 
and  occupied  it  immediately,  and  felt  rich !  The  family  lived  in 
this  little  cabin  for  about  two  years  and  a  half,  when  Dr.  Karr 
was  enabled  to  build  a  frame  house  of  more  respectable  appear- 
ance. 

In  1843  Dr.  Karr  was  the  assessor  of  McLean  County,  and 
did  his  work  in  fifty-five  days,  for  which  he  received  two  hundred 
dollars. 

Dr.  Karr  was  in  the  early  days  a  Democrat,  but  when  his  old 
acquaintance,  General  Harrison,  was  a  candidate  for  the  presi- 
dency, Dr.  Karr  was  obliged  to  split  his  ticket  and  give  the  gen- 
eral a  vote.     The  political  parties  prepared  for  this  campaign 


m'lean  county.  817 

veiw  early.  Dr.  Karr  says  that  in  January,  1840,  the  winter  pre- 
ceding the  campaign,  he  saw  a  party  of  men  in  the  timber  viewing 
the  trees.  They  were  looking  and  pointing  first  at  one  large  tree 
and  then  at  another,  and  finally  they  selected  one,  out  of  which 
they  made  a  canoe,  which  was  an  emblem  of  the  Whig  party. 
This  canoe,  as  our  old  settlers  will  nearly  all  remember,  was 
taken  to  the  various  "Whig  gatherings  during  the  following  sum- 
mer, and  created  quite  a  sensation. 

Dr.  Karr  is  about  five  feet  and  eight  inches  in  height,  is  rather 
heavy  set,  and  his  face  is  red  and  full.  He  is  now  nearly  eighty 
years  of  age,  but  no  one  would  think  him  over  sixty.  He  is 
pleasant,  talkative,  and,  above  all  things,  jolly.  He  enjoj-s  the 
world  very  much,  and  although  he  has  now  obtained  a  great  age, 
he  will  live  yet  many  years. 

Dr.  Karr  was  twTice  married.  He  first  married,  December  81, 
1814,  Elizabeth  Kitchell,  a  widow,  and  had  five  children,  of  whom 
only  one  is  living.     They  are  : 

Mrs.  Eleanor  Hopping,  wife  of  Edward  Hopping,  born  Octo- 
ber 7,  1815.  She  and  her  husband  both  died  in  McLean  County 
at  Randolph's  Grove. 

Martha  Ann,  wife  of  James  Hodson,  born  November  2, 1817. 
She  and  her  husband  both  died  at  Randolph's  Grove. 

Thomas  Jefferson  Karr,  born  February  10,  1821,  died  at 
Blooming  Grove. 

"William  Karr,  born  January  5,  1823,  lives  with  his  father  at 
Randolph's  Grove. 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  Captain  Scoggin,  of  Blooming  Grove,  was 
born  August  4,  1825.     She  died  shortly  after  her  marriage. 

Aaron  Kitchell,  of  Bloomington,  is  a  son  of  Mrs.  Karr  by  her 
first  marriage. 

Dr.  Karr  married  Mrs.  Martha  Evans,  of  Ebensburg,  Penn- 
sylvania. Her  maiden  name  was  Martha  Edwards.  She  was  a 
sister  of  Dr.  Karr's  first  wife.  Mrs.  Karr  was  born  December 
18,  1802,  in  Llambrynmire,  Wales.  She  is  a  very  kind  lady,  and 
loves  to  entertain  her  friends  in  English  style. 

William  Karr. 

William  Karr  was  born  January   5,    1823,   in   Whitewater 
township,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.     He  was  educated  partly  in 
52 


818  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Ohio  and  partly  in  Illinois.  He  was  rather  a  precocious  scholar 
and  learned  his  lessons  easily.  In  Ohio  he  went  to  a  schoolmas- 
ter named  Dow,  who  occasionally  took  his  dram.  Mr.  Dow 
sometimes  felt  the  effect  of  spirits  in  the  schoolroom,  and  once 
in  a  while  fell  asleep.  At  one  time  when  he  went  to  sleep  all  of 
his  scholars  left  the  schoolroom  and  went  home  without  shutting 
the  school-house  door.  A  flock  of  sheep,  which  was  grazing  near 
by,  went  into  the  school-house,  and  when  the  master  awoke  from 
his  slumber  he  was  astonished  at  the  character  and  appearance  of 
his  pupils.  This  incident  made  the  schoolmaster  wiser,  and  he 
never  again  fell  asleep  in  school.  When  William  Karr  was 
eight  or  nine  years  of  age,  he  suffered  extremely  from  rheuma- 
tism, but  being  anxious  to  continue  his  studies  he  was  taken  to 
school  on  a  gentle  horse,  by  his  brother  Jefferson.  He  studied 
while  lying  down  on  two  chairs.  In  October,  1835,  the  Karr 
family  came  to  Illinois,  as  stated  in  the  preceding  sketch  of  his 
father.  At  Randolph's  Grove  William  Karr,  when  only  twelve 
years  of  age,  went  to  school  to  Mr.  Evans,  a  good  old  man,  for  a 
few  days  ;  but  the  schoolmaster  said  that  William  was  too  far 
advanced  for  him,  and  that  ended  his  schooling  with  Mr.  Evans. 
William  Karr  continued  his  education  under  other  teachers,  and 
made  good  progress.  One  of  his  old  schoolmasters,  Mr.  Bur- 
rows, is  still  living  at  Young's  place  in  Randolph's  Grove. 

William  Karr  married,  December  24,  1844,  Miss  Mary  Jane 
Elder,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Hannah  Elder.  She  came  from 
Whitewater  township,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  where  Mr.  Karr 
was  born.  She  came  with  her  father's  family  to  Randolph's 
Grove,  October  13, 1842.  On  the  day  after  their  marriage,  Eliza- 
beth Karr,  William's  sister,  was  married  to  Captain  Scoggin,  of 
Blooming  Grove.  This  was  December  25th.  On  the  26th  of  the 
same  month  they  were  given  a  grand  dinner  by  Squire  Campbell 
Wakefield,  who  had  married  William  Karr  and  Mary  Jane  Elder. 
Squire  Wakefield  is  Mrs.  William  Karr's  uncle. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Karr  have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are 
living,  four  sons  and  two  daughters.     The  first  child  in  infancy. 

Anstis  Karr  was  born  January  30, 1850,  is  married  to  Richard 
M.  Jones,  and  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Iris  Karr,  born  March  6,  1852. 

John  Karr,  born  May  8,  1856. 


m'lean  county.  819 

Joseph  Wakefield  Karr,  born  July  1,  1859,  and  William  El- 
der Karr,  born  January  31,  1869,  all  live  at  home. 

Thomas  I).  Karr,  born  January  16,  1862,  died  September  12, 
1864. 

William  Karr  is  about  five  feet  and  nine  and  one-half  inches 
in  height,  is  a  very  active  man,  and  has  not  been  sick  during  the 
last  twenty-five  years.  His  hair  is  thick  on  his  head,  but  turning 
slightly  gray.  His  eyes  are  light  gray,  like  his  father's.  His 
family  and  his  father's  live  in  the  same  house,  and  it  would  be 
hard  to  find  in  McLean  County  a  family  wmose  familiar  inter- 
course is  marked  by  such  consideration  and  delicacy  of  feeling. 
It  is  the  lady  who  makes  the  household.  It  is  said  that  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Japanese  government  once  called  on  the  United  States 
Minister,  Mr.  Delong,  and,  observing  the  fine  taste  displayed  at 
the  home  of  the  American,  inquired  the  reason.  Mr.  Delong 
said:  "It  is  because  a  lady  presides  over  the  household."  This, 
perhaps,  goes  far  to  explain  the  happy  life  and  pleasant  feeling  in 
Mr.  Karr's  family. 

George  Martin. 

George  Martin  was  born  January  13,  1802,  in  Franklin 
County,  Pennsylvania.  His  father,  Joseph  Martin,  and  his 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Nancy  Thompson,  were  both 
born  in  County  Down,  Ireland,  and  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  at  an  early  day.  In  1802,  when  George  was  an  infant,  his 
parents  moved  from  Pennsylvania  to  Mason  County,  Kentucky, 
and  remained  there  until  1813,  when  they  moved  to  Whitewater 
township,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  He  does  not  remember  much 
of  the  war  of  1812.  His  brother  went  into  the  army  as  a  volun- 
teer. His  father  lived  for  a  long  time  in  a  little  log  cabin  in  the 
woods,  and  George  had  a  fine  opportunity  to  study  nature  at  his 
leisure.  In  1830,  he  married  Susannah  Harvey.  In  the  latter 
part  of  October,  1835,  he  came  to  McLean  County,  Illinois,  with 
Campbell  Wakefield.  He  has  lived  here  ever  since.  He  has 
usually  followed  farming,  and  rented  land  of  Mr.  Wakefield. 
He  has  lived  a  happy  and  contented  life,  has  engaged  in  all  the 
sports  of  the  early  settlers,  and  has  been  to  every  wolf  and  deer 
hunt  in  the  neighborhood. 

George  Martin  is  a  little  more  than  six  feet  in  height;  his 


820  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

hair  is  gray  with  age.  He  is  an  honest,  faithful,  hard  working 
man.  He  has  a  very  pleasant,  honest  expression  on  his  coun- 
tenance, and  no  doubt  observes  the  golden  rule  to  do  as  he  would 
be  done  by. 

George  Martin  has  had  six  children  in  his  family,  one  of 
whom  is  dead. 

They  are : 

Zebulon  Alonzo,  a  stepson,  Joseph  T.,  James  N.,  Margaret  M. 
J.  and  Andrew  C.  W.  Martin. 


TOWANDA. 

Jesse  Walden. 

Jesse  Walden  was  born  February  12,  1808,  in  Woodford 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father,  Elijah  Walden,  was  American 
born,  but  of  English  descent,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Sally  AValker,  was  born  in  Hanover  County,  Virginia, 
but  was  of  Welch  descent. 

When  Jesse  Walden  was  five  or  six  years  of  age,  the  family 
moved  to  Clark  County,  Indiana,  near  Charlestown,  and  there 
remained  until  they  came  to  Illinois.  Mr.  Walden,  sr.,  was  a 
very  religious  man  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and 
his  brother  was  a  Methodist  preacher.  Jesse  was  therefore  very 
carefully  and  very  religiously  reared.  This,  however,  did  not 
prevent  the  growth  of  boyish  vanity.  When  he  became  old 
enough  to  own  a  Handkerchief  and  some  store  clothes  he  thought 
himself  of  great  consequence  in  the  universe  of  God.  He  and 
a  friend,  while  looking  very  pretty  in  their  new  garments, 
crossed  a  creek  near  by  in  a  perogue  (large  canoe,)  and  on  their 
return  jumped  into  the  water  to  prevent  themselves  from  going 
over  the  dam.     The  store  clothes  had  to  suifer. 

On  the  28th  of  July,  1828,  Jesse  Walden  married  Elizabeth 
Pike,  in  Casey  County,  on  the  Green  Brier  Ridges,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1828,  he  started  to  Illinois.  When  he  arrived  in  San- 
gamon County,  about  eight  miles  east  of  Springfield,  he  had  but 
seven  dollars  in  his  pocket.  He  spent  half  of  this  for  cooking 
utensils,  and  half  to  put  his  gun  in  order  for  the  purpose  of 
killing  prairie  chickens,  turkeys  and  wild  hogs.     It  is  interest- 


m'lean  county.  821 

ing  to  know  how  a  man  under  such  circumstances  could  manage. 
He  first  helped  a  neighbor  build  a  house,  for  which  service  he 
received  a  wagon ;  then  he  built  a  log  house  for  himself,  except 
the  roof;  then  he  traded  his  wagon  and  a  bureau,  which  he  had 
brought  with  him,  for  a  claim  on  which  was  a  cabin  and  twelve 
acres  of  improved  land.  This  he  rented  to  a  new  comer  for 
twelve  bushels  of  corn  per  acre.  He  sold  the  logs  for  the  house 
on  his  own  improvement,  and  rented  a  place  and  a  team  to  work 
it,  paying  one-half  of  the  crop  as  rent,  and  thus  became  fairly 
started.  Such  was  the  ingenuity  of  a  man  who  began  with 
almost  nothing.  He  raised  a  crop  and  sold  his  half  in  the  field 
for  three  head  of  cattle,  sold  his  improved  claim  for  a  horse  and 
a  milch  cow,  and  moved  to  Blooming  Grove.     This  was  in  1829. 

Here  he  lived,  near  his  uncle  William  Walker's,  until  after 
the  deep  snow. 

In  the  spring  of  1831,  Mr.  Walden  moved  to  the  southern 
edge  of  Money  Creek  timber  to  a  farm  rented  of  Jacob  Spawr, 
and  there  remained  for  three  years.  Mr.  Walden  speaks  par- 
ticularly of  the  frights  occasioned  during  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
and  especially  the  scare  at  the  close,  when  the  rangers  returned 
and  fired  off  their  guns  in  the  timber. 

Mr.  Walden  moved  from  Jacob  Spawr's  place  to  the  north- 
east side  of  Money  Creek,  where  Jesse  Trimmer  lives.  In  1834, 
while  hunting  with  a  party  in  the  Mackinaw  barrens,  and  while 
in  camp  there  at  night,  they  saw  the  falling  of  the  meteors  and 
almost  concluded  that  the  day  of  judgment  had  come. 

He  lived  on  his  claim,  near  the  present  Trimmer  place,  for 
three  years,  then  three  years  in  Mackinaw  timber,  then  three 
years  at  Randolph's  Grove,  and  then  moved  to  Smith's  Grove, 
about  three  miles  from  the  present  village  of  Towanda,  and 
there  he  has  lived  ever  since.  The  great  sudden  change  in  the 
weather  took  place  in  December,  1836,  while  Mr.  Walden  lived 
at  Mackinaw  timber.  He  was  about  a  mile  and  a-half  from 
home,  but  jumped  on  his  horse  and  started  on  the  full  run,  the 
intense  cold  freezing  the  slush  as  he  traveled.  As  he  passed  a 
slough  near  his  house  he  saw  a  lot  of  pigs  belonging  to  his 
neighbor  Bartholomew,  frozen  last  in  it.  AVhen  he  arrived 
home,  he  could  scarcely  pull  oil'  his  overcoat  as  it  was  frozen 
fast.     Mr.  Bartholomew  was  obliged  to  chop  his  pigs  loose  from 


822  OLD   SETTLERS    OF 

the  ice  to  get  them  out.  During  this  sudden  change,  "William 
Walden,  the  brother  of  Jesse,  came  across  the  prairie  on  foot, 
and  the  water  plashed  on  his  trousers  and  froze  on  them  so 
rapidly  that  he  was  obliged  to  cut  off  his  pantaloons  below  the 
knee  in  order  to  travel.  He  was  driving  an  ox-team  and  had  a 
friend  with  him  who  wished  to  resign  himself  to  fate  and  die, 
but  William  pitched  the  man  into  the  wagon  and  brought  him 
home. 

Jesse  Walden  succeeded  well  and  accumulated  some  prop- 
erty ;  but  about  four  years  ago  he  lost  his  health,  and  his  finan- 
cial matters  also  suffered,  but  he  still  in  good  circumstances. 

Mrs.  Walden  died  August  10,  1867.  She  was  a  good  woman, 
and  to  her  Mr.  Walden  no  doubt  owes  in  a  great  measure  the 
success  he  has  met  with  in  life.  Ten  children  were  born  of  this 
marriage.     They  are : 

John  Walden,  born  August  9,  1828,  in  Indiana,  and  brought 
to  Illinois  when  only  seven  weeks  old.  He  is  a  mechanic,  and 
lives  one  mile  south  of  Bloomington. 

William  Louis  Walden,  born  March  24,  1830,  was  a  soldier 
in  the  army  during  the  rebellion.  He  died  in  March,  1869,  at 
Pleasant  Hill. 

James  Walden  died  in  early  youth. 

George  Wesley  Walden,  born  September  16,  1834,  lives  at 
Chenoa. 

Jesse  Wallace  Walden,  born  September  10, 1836,  is  a  farmer, 
and  lives  five  or  six  miles  northeast  of  Lexington. 

Martha  Elizabeth  died  in  infancy. 

Archy  Walden  was  a  soldier  in  the  army.  He  enlisted  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  war  in  the  First  Illinois  Cavalry,  in  the  company 
commanded  by  Captain  (afterwards  General)  McNulta.  He  lives 
near  his  father's  on  the  homestead  place. 

Henry  Walden,  born  June  5,  1842,  lives  in  Blue  Mound 
township. 

Sarah  Jane,  wife  of  John  Kerr,  lives  near  her  father's  on  the 
homestead  place. 

Albert  Walden,  born  Jul}7  13,  1851,  is  a  farmer  and  lives  on 
the  Mackinaw  in  Gridley  township. 

Jesse  Walden  married  January  14,  1869,  Mrs.  Sarah  Mc- 
Corkle.     She  is  a  woman  of  tact  and  fine  sense  and  enjoys  her- 


m'lean  county.  823 

self  in  polite  society.  Mr.  Walden  is  about  five  feet  and  a-half 
in  height,  but  appears  somewhat  taller.  He  has  been  somewhat 
heavy,  weighing  one  hundred  and  ninety  pounds.  He  is  rather 
slow  of  speech,  his  eyes  are  small  but  expressive,  and  his  nose  is 
somewhat  prominent.  He  is  very  humorous  and  likes  to  plague 
people,  particularly  young  ladies,  in  a  good  natured  way.  He  is 
a  very  companionable  man,  and  one  of  the  best  known  among 
the  early  settlers. 

WHITE  OAK. 

John  Benson,  Sr. 

John  Benson  wras  born  in  York  County,  Pennsylvania,  March 
1,  1778.  He  was  the  eldest  of  ten  children,  two  only  of  whom 
are  now  living.  His  father  was  born  in  Deny  County,  Ireland, 
and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mollie  Taylor,  was  born 
in  York  County,  Pennsylvania.  Her  parents  had  emigrated  from 
Ireland  at  an  early  day.  His  father,  James  Benson,  was  a  private 
soldier  in  the  Continental  army,  and  fought  gallantly  for  Ameri- 
can independence.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Fort  Washington, 
Col.  Magraw  commanding,  and  was  confined  for  a  long  time  on 
board  of  a  prison-ship,  at  Philadelphia.  James  Benson  was  a 
farmer,  but  being  anxious  to  better  his  condition,  he  removed  to 
Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  when  young  John  was  only 
three  years  of  age.  In  1785,  he  moved  to  McClellan's  Station, 
Bourbon  County,  Kentucky.  At  this  place  John  received  all  of 
his  schooling,  which  was  none  too  much.  He  wTas  taught  to  spell 
by  an  old  bachelor  Englishman,  out  of  Dillworth's  spelling-book. 
At  the  age  of  twelve  his  education  was  finished,  and  although  it 
was  not  very  much,  it  was  not  by  any  means  to  be  despised  in 
those  days.  Those  were  pioneer  days  in  Kentucky.  James 
Benson  hauled  the  logs  to  build  the  first  house  in  Paris,  Bour- 
bon County.  In  1705,  James  Benson  removed  his  family  to 
John  Mills  Station,  (now  Millersburg,)  Xicholas  County,  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  died.  On  the  sixth  of  October,  1803,  John 
Benson  married  Sallie  Music,  at  the  residence  of  Colonel  Bobert 
Berry.  He  at  once  removed  to  near  Stirling,  Montgomery  Coun- 
ty, wdiere  he  was  engaged  in  the  tanning  business.  Three  years 
after  this  he  removed  to  Gibson  County,  Indiana. 


824  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

John  Benson  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  fought  at 
Tippecanoe  under  General  Harrison.  He  says  that  the  Indians 
had  been  committing-  some  depredations  when  Harrison  was  sent 
to  Tippecanoe  with  orders  not  to  fight  unless  it  was  necessary. 
The  Indians  were  found  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle,  but  they  sig- 
nified their  willingness  to  make  peace.  The  whites  asked  for  a 
place  to  camp,  and  the  Indians  showed  them  a  position  which 
seemed  very  poor  for  defence  in  case  of  an  attack,  and  a  better 
locality  was  chosen.  Some  of  the  Indians  followed  the  whites, 
and  asked  if  they  had  any  cannon,  and  when  told  "  yes,"  said 
they  knew  better.  The  whites  confined  a  man  whom  they  thought 
to  be  a  spy,  until  the  battle  was  over.  They  lay  on  their  arms 
that  night,  and  were  furiously  attacked  by  Indians  in  the  morn- 
ing at  about  two  hours  before  daybreak.  The  Indians  made  four 
separate  attacks,  and  drove  the  whites  back  to  their  horses,  but 
could  drive  them  no  farther.  The  Indians  retreated  just  at  day- 
break, but  the  whites  considered  themselves  about  half  whipped. 
The  battle  lasted  two  hours  and  five  minutes  by  the  watch. 

Mr.  Benson  remained  in  Gibson  County,  Indiana,  until  1820, 
when  he  removed  to  that  part  of  the  county  of  Sangamon,  which 
now  forms  Logan  County,  Illinois.  He  arrived  Xovember  6th, 
with  his  brother-in-law,  Asa  Music.  Here  he  rented  a  cabin  and 
went  to  work.  He  cultivated  a  garden  with  ox'es  shoes  !  AVe 
have  heard  of  a  great  many  kinds  of  agricultural  implements,  but 
this  is  the  first  time  we  ever  heard  of  ox'es  shoes  being  put  to 
such  novel  service.  The  crops  were  fine,  and  everything  would 
have  been  satisfactory  had  it  not  been  for  the  fever  and  ague. 
The  little  settlement  there  consisted  of  three  families  only,  and 
the  loss  of  Mr.  Benson's  daughter  Polly,  a  young  lady  between 
seventeen  and  eighteen  years  of  age,  cast  a  shadow  over  them  all. 
But  the  settlers  seemed  contented  with  their  lot;  the  game  fur- 
nished meat,  and  the  groves  furnished  honey.  Mr.  Benson  had 
some  experience  as  a  peddler.  He  peddled  all  over  Illinois,  flax- 
wheels,  which  he  took  on  a  debt  from  his  brother  William. 

Mr.  Benson  states  a  curious  circumstance  about  the  domesti- 
cation of  the  hog.  The  year  before  he  removed  to  Illinois,  he 
came  out  to  the  State  with  his  brother-in-law  and  brought  a  load 
of  hogs.  They  lost  some  on  the  way,  and  those  that  were  taken 
through  to  Illinois  became  in  one  year  so  wild  that  they  had  to 


m'lean  county.  825 

be  shot  to  be  saved.  If  lie  bad  not  shot  them,  probably  he  would 
have  had  no  more  claim  on  them  than  on  the  wild  deer.  In  1823 
he  removed  to  Blooming  Grove  and  entered  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Andrew  Scoggin.  He  was  preceded  a  year  or  more  by  John 
Dawson  and  John  Hendrix.  Thomas  Orendorff  came  during 
the  spring  of  that  year.  They  assisted  Mr.  Benson  in  raising 
his  cabin. 

Mr.  Benson  has  a  lively  recollection  of  the  Indians.  Old 
Machina,  the  chief  of  the  Kickapoos,  often  sang  lullabys  to  his 
children.  With  the  Indians  the  culinary  art  is  still  in  its  infancy. 
On  one  occasion  old  Machina  came  to  Mr.  Benson's  house  with 
a  deer  which  he  had  killed,  and  borrowed  a  kettle  to  cook  apart 
of  it,  He  cut  off  the  head  and  boiled  it  for  a  short  time,  and 
then  made  a  broth  by  mixing  in  some  meal.  It  was  a  mixture 
which  no  one  but  an  Indian  could  eat,  and  Mr.  Benson,  jr.,  says 
he  could  not  eat  broth  for  twenty  years  afterwards,  because  of  the 
recollection  of  that  Indian  mixture. 

Mr.  Benson  was  a  live  farmer.  Agricultural  implements  were 
not  easy  to  obtain  in  those  primitive  days,  and  he  had  some  diffi- 
culty in  getting  a  plow.  But  he  finally  had  one  made  by  Mr. 
McKnight,  of  Elkhart  Grove;  the  iron  work  was  done  by  Mr. 
White.  The  mouldboard  and  shear  of  the  plow  were  all  in  one 
piece.  It  would  be  quite  a  curiosity  now.  The  team  which  drew 
the  plow  would  also  be  a  curiosity.  It  consisted  of  two  small 
horses  and  two  small  steers.  The  horses  took  the  lead,  while  the 
steers  were  attached  directly  to  the  plow.  With  this  queer  ar- 
rangement he  broke  thirteen  acres  of  prairie  during  the  first 
year. 

John  Benson,  sr.,  taught  school  two  winters  in  Blooming 
Grove.  He  taught  one  session  of  three  months  and  one  of  six 
months,  on  the  south  side  of  the  grove,  about  a  mile  east  of  Cap- 
tain Scoggin's  place.  He  thinks  he  was  the  first  teacher  at  the 
grove.  Another  man,  Dr.  Trabue,  taught  at  the  same  time  on 
the  east  side  of  the  grove. 

In  September,  1828,  was  held  the  first  protracted  meeting  at 
the  house  of  Ebenezer  Rhodes.  The  services  were  conducted  by 
Mr.  Pankas,  from  Loudon  County,  Virginia,  assisted  by  Mr. 
John  Green,  of  Morgan  County,  Illinois  ;  both  were  New  Light 
preachers.     The  meeting  was  attended  by  the  settlers  from  far 


X26  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

and  near.  Mrs.  Benson,  young  James  Benson,  and  four  others, 
joined  the  church,  and  an  organization  was  formed  which  met 
alternately  at  Mr.  Benson's  and  at  Mr.  Josiah  Brown's,  of  Dry 
Grove.  Ebenezer  Rhodes  was  their  pastor  for  many  years,  as- 
sisted by  Mr.  James  Scott,  of  Kickapoo. 

The  early  settlers  paid  very  little  attention  to  literature.  All 
of  their  exertions  were  required  in  getting  a  start  in  the  world. 
Mr.  Benson's  library  consisted  of  a  bible,  a  testament,  a  life  of 
Washington,  and  McCarty's  history  of  the  late  war. 

In  the  spring  of  1825  there  occurred  an  event  in  McLean 
County  in  which  ladies  will  be  particularly  interested.  It  was  a 
wedding,  the  first  which  had  ever  been  celebrated  in  the  county 
where  white  people  were  the  parties.  We  have  no  doubt  that 
often  before  this  the  Indian  lover  had  won  his  dusky  maiden  and 
celebrated  the  happy  event  in  his  own  peculiar  manner ;  but 
never  before  had  there  been  here  a  genuine  white  man's  wedding. 
The  parties  were  Thomas  OrendorfF  and  Melinda  Walker.  We 
have  no  particulars  with  regard  to  the  affair.  Jenkins  was  not 
there  to  describe  the  dresses  worn  and  comment  on  the  appear- 
ance of  the  bride.  We  have  no  doubt  she  appeared  charming 
enough.  Ladies  always  do ;  they  seem  to  understand  such 
matters. 

In  the  early  days  the  incidents  which  now  would  impress  us 
so  little  seemed  to  the  pioneers  to  be  great  events.  Mr.  Benson 
remembers  what  an  import  element  of  commerce  beeswax  was, 
as  it  was  gathered  from  the  bee-trees  in  the  groves. 

Mr.  Benson  and  his  son  assisted  James  Allin  in  raising  his 
double  log  cabin,  the  first  house  built  on  the  original  site  of 
Bloomington.  Mr.  Allin  first  intended  to  use  Mr.  Benson's 
house  as  a  store,  but  was  dissuaded  from  this  because  some  of 
the  neighbors  did  not  like  it,  as  Mr.  Benson  was  a  Whig.  Mr. 
Benson  has  a  lively  recollection  of  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow, 
in  1830-1,  and  thinks  that  on  account  of  the  deep  snow  the 
farmers  of  McLean  County  have  never  been  able  to  make  fall 
wheat  yield  a  fair  return. 

On  the  fourteenth   of  November,  1841,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Ben- 
son  died  at  Blooming  Grove,  and  as  his  sons  had  moved  to 
White  Oak,  he  also  removed  thither.     On  the  twenty-third  of 
May,  1842,  he  married  Elizabeth  Waldron,  of  Bowling  Green, 
Illinois,  who  died  in  August,  1871. 


m'lean  county.  827 

Mr.  Benson  was  treasurer  of  Tazewell  County  in  1827.  He 
was  very  quick  with  his  pen,  and  a  correct  speller,  and  these 
were  considered  great  accomplishments  in  early  days.  He  was 
treasurer  for  only  one  year,  and  assessor  as  well. 

Mr.  Benson  now  lives  with  his  son  John  at  White  Oak,  sur- 
rounded by  his  children,  grandchildren  and  great-grandchildren, 
numbering  one  hundred  and  fifteen  persons.  His  three  sons 
now  living,  John,  James  and  William,  are  old,  gray-headed  men, 
surrounded  by  their  children  and  grandchildren.  They  might 
form  a  community  by  themselves,  as  they  live  on  adjoining 
farms.  The  old  gentleman  was  ninety-six  years  of  age  in  March, 
1874,  the  oldest  man  in  the  county.  In  manner  he  is  pleasing 
and  affable,  though  somewhat  dignified.  He  is  about  five  feet 
and  four  inches  in  height,  and  his  form  is  somewhat  bowed  with 
age.  In  other  days  he  was  five  feet  and  six  and  one-half  inches 
in  height.  His  form  is  not  heavy,  on  the  contrary,  a  little  thin. 
His  hair  is  now  very  white,  as  might  be  expected ;  his  features 
are  clearly  defined  and  regular.  In  dress  Mr.  Benson  was  al- 
ways plain  ;  he  never  wore  boots  until  he  was  sixty  years  of  age. 
He  formerly  wore  the  garb  so  common  with  the  pioneers,  a  wolf 
skin' cap,  a  hunting  shirt  and  buckskin  breeches.  In  fall  and 
winter  he  wore  moccasins,  but  in  summer  he  went  barefooted, 
and  frequently  used  his  bare  feet  to  stamp  out  the  prairie  fire. 
He  lost  his  eyesight  when  forty-one  years  of  age,  and  regained 
it  when  sixty-five.  He  was  always  remarkable  for  his  intrepidity 
and  his  adventurous  spirit.  He  is  still  in  good  health,  and  often 
walks  two  or  three  miles  in  a  day. 

John  Benson,  Jr. 

John  Benson,  jr.,  was  born  October  12,  1807,  in  Gibson 
County,  Indiana.  He  lived  there  until  he  was  twelve  years  old, 
and  then  went  with  the  Benson  family  to  Illinois,  to  that  part  of 
Sangamon  County  which  now  forms  the  county  of  Logan.  In 
1823  the  family  moved  to  Blooming  Grove,  to  the  place  now  oc- 
cupied by  Andrew  W.  Scoggin.  Old  Mr.  Benson  and  his  sons 
James,  Jesse  and  John,  had  made  an  improvement  at  Bloom- 
ing Grove,  and  John  Benson,  jr.,  returned  with  his  father  and 
brought  up  the  family.  They  had  a  hard  time  at  first,  as  they 
were  obliged  to  pay  a  dollar  a  bushel  for  corn,  and  earn  the 
money  by  splitting  rails  for  fifty  cents  per  hundred. 


828  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

John  Benson,  jr.,  was  a  great  bee  hunter.  The  first  bee  tree 
he  found  was  on  Salt  Creek,  and  out  of  it  he  obtained  three  gal- 
lons of  honey.  On  the  day  following  he  found  a  tree,  out  of 
which  he  took  six  gallons  of  honey  and  eight  pounds  of  bees- 
wax, and  after  that  he  found  many  trees  and  much  honey.  In  a 
single  limb  of  a  tree  he  at  one  time  found  two  swarms  of  bees. 
He  frequently  went  to  the  Vermilion  River  towards  Pontiac  and 
brought  home  a  barrel  of  honey  for  his  pains. 

Mr.  Benson  often  had  wolf  chases,  which  furnished  great 
amusement.  At  one  time  when  he  and  Thomas  Orendorff  were 
near  Major's  Grove,  a  wolf  appeared  near  by,  sitting  on  the 
ground  and  looking  at  them  impudently.  Mr.  Benson  ran  after 
it  and  struck  it  down  with  an  ear  of  corn,  and  Orendorff"  fol- 
lowed and  killed  it. 

AYhen  Mr.  Benson  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  started 
with  the  Funks  to  drive  pigs  to  Galena.  He  stopped  in  Peoria 
about  two  weeks,  and  while  there  witnessed  a  little  misunder- 
standing, which  sprang  up  between  a  Dutchman  and  a  negro, 
and  was  settled  in  the  way  in  which  too  many  such  matters  were 
attended  to  in  those  days.  They  fought  it  out.  The  Dutchman 
threw  the  negro  down,  but  unfortunately  allowed  his  thumb  to 
be  inserted  in  the  negro's  mouth.  Some  of  the  bystanders  called 
out,  "Let's  part  them."  "No,"  said  another,  "  let  them  fight  it 
out ;  one's  a  Dutchman  and  the  other's  a  nigger  !"  But  the  par- 
ties to  the  misunderstanding  thought  they  had  done  enough  for 
the  amusement  of  the  crowd,  and  stopped. 

The  Funks  had  a  hard  time  in  moving  their  pigs,  which 
broke  through  the  ice  in  the  Illinois  River.  Jacob  and  Jesse 
Funk  went  after  them  waist  deep  in  water  ;  but  notwithstanding 
all  their  exertions,  two  of  the  pigs  were  drowned.  A  heavy  fall 
of  snow  made  it  difficult  to  travel,  and  a  wagon  going  before 
made  a  track  for  the  pigs  to  walk.  When  the  party  came  to  the 
head  of  Crow  Creek  the  weather  was  intensely  cold,  and  all  but 
one  of  the  party  was  frost-bitten.  Here  old  John  Dixon  lived. 
He  was  the  pioneer  who  afterwards  moved  to  Rock  River.  By 
this  time  Mr.  Benson  found  that  he  had  enough  of  it,  and  re- 
turned to  Blooming  Grove,  while  the  remainder  of  the  party 
went  on  to  Galena. 

Mr.  Benson  sent  eleven  hogs  with  the  "  bunch,"  that  was 
taken  to  Chicago,  when   all  of  the  farmers   clubbed  together. 


m'leax  county.  829 

They  stopped  at  Big  Sulphur  Springs  for  several  weeks,  on  ac- 
count of  a  sleet  storm,  which  made  it  impossible  to  travel.  The 
cold  was  intense,  and  the  men  in  charge  of  the  swine  were  ob- 
liged to  stand  guard  to  prevent  the  pigs  from  piling  one  on  top 
of  another,  and  crushing  those  beneath  them,  to  death. 

Mr.  Benson  remembers  some  queer  incidents  of  old  days.  One 
strange  genius,  called  Jake,  liked  to  exaggerate  very  much,  in 
order  to  make  his  entertaining  stories  better  appreciated.  Once, 
while  a  number  of  hands  were  working  in  a  field,  Jake  was  sent 
for  water,  and  during  his  absence  one  of  them  killed  a  prairie 
rattlesnake,  and  they  resolved  to  tell  some  big  snake  stories 
when  Jake  came  back,  in  order  to  draw  him  out.  On  his  return, 
one  of  the  party  told  of  the  mountain  rattlesnakes  of  Tennessee. 
Jake  roused  up  and  said  that  when  he  lived  in  Ohio,  the  people 
were  troubled  by  an  enormous  snake  which  they  could  not  kill 
or  catch.  At  last  they  drove  an  ox  to  the  hole  of  the  serpent, 
which  immediately  swallowed  up  the  "critter"  alive.  This 
made  the  snake  so  sluggish  that  people  came  up  with  their  rifles 
and  shot  it  again  and  again  until  they  killed  it.  This  story  was 
not  disputed.  Jake  once  told  of  a  large  turkey  which  came  into 
bis  field,  while  he  was  harvesting,  and  troubled  him  by  eating 
his  grain.  He  killed  it,  and  it  was  so  large  that  when  its  neck 
was  stragihtened  over  his  shoulders  its  feet  dragged  in  the  snow. 
This  story  also  remained  undisputed,  though  the  idea  of  snow  in 
harvest  seemed  rather  queer. 

Mr.  Benson  was  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  in  1832,  having  en- 
listed in  Captain  McClure's  company.  They  elected  their 
officers  at  Pekin,and  proceeded  from  there  to  Peoria  and  thence 
on  to  Dixon's  Ferry.  On  the  morning  after  Stillman's  Run,  Mr. 
Benson  went  up  with  the  army  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster,  and 
helped  to  bury  the  dead.  The  evening  of  that  day  in  spring 
time  he  stood  picket  without  fire  or  blanket,  and  was  wakeful 
enough,  as  may  be  supposed.  Among  the  funny  stories  told  of 
Stillman's  Run,  is  one  relating  to  a  man  named  Vesey.  A  short 
time  before  the  fight  occurred,  a  lot  of  whisky  was  distributed 
among  the  soldiers,  and  they  seemed  to  think  as  much  of  this 
enticing  beverage  as  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Vesey  carried  his  whisky 
in  a  coffee-pot,  which  he  handled  most  tenderly.  At  one  time 
when  he  found  a  chance  to  give  the  Indians  a  shot  he  dismounted, 


830  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

put  down  his  coffee-pot  carefully,  fired  at  the  Indians,  picked  up 
his  coffee-pot  tenderly,  remounted  his  horse  and  rode  away. 
The  army  returned  to  Dixon's  Ferry,  and  three  companies  went 
from  there  to  Ottawa.  The  day  after  their  arrival  at  the  latter 
place  Captain  McClure's  company  and  a  few  other  volunteers 
went  up  to  Indian  Creek  and  buried  the  murdered  families 
of  Davis,  Hall  and  Pettigrew,  which  had  been  previously  buried 
in  a  shallow  grave  by  the  house.  After  building  a  fort  at  Otta- 
wa, the  soldiers  were  mustered  out  of  service. 

Mr.  Benson  has  since  lived  happily  at  White  Oak  Grove, 
where  he  still  resides,  without  any  other  remarkable  adventure. 
His  domestic  life  has  been  very  pleasant.  In  1830  he  married 
Penina  Hinshaw,  with  whom  he  has  lived  most  happily  ever 
since.  He  has  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  nine  are  living. 
They  are  : 

Mrs.  Mary  M.  Arnold,  wife  of  J.  W.  Arnold,  lives  at  Eureka 
in  Woodford  County. 

Robert  Music  Benson  was  a  soldier  in  the  Thirty-third  Illi- 
nois Volunteers.  He  was  wounded  in  the  face  at  Yicksburg. 
He  now  lives  in  Bloomington. 

Phillip  Young  Benson  was  also  in  the  Thirty-third  Illinois. 
He  lives  now  about  four  miles  east  of  his  father's. 

Mrs.  Penina  Ann  Conger,  wife  of  John  D.  Conger,  lives  at 
Eldora,  Hardin  County,  Iowa. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Brown,  wife  of  Wiley  Brown,  lives  in  Bloom- 
ington. 

Mrs.  Lydia  Ellen  Smith,  wife  of  Frank  Smith,  lived  at  El- 
dora, Hardin  County,  Iowa.     She  died  July  9,  1873. 

Miss  Addie  Benson  lives  at  her  father's  house. 

Mrs.  Lucy  F.  Smales,  wife  of  Charles  H.  Smales,  lives  in 
Hancock  County,  Illinois. 

Emmett  Lee  Benson  lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Benson  is  five  feet  and  five  inches  in  height,  is  quite  bald, 
is  very  healthy,  has  small,  humorous  eyes,  is  strong,  active  and 
industrious,  loves  fun,  and  indeed  no  one  appreciates  a  joke  bet- 
ter than  he.  He  remembere  clearly  and  distinctly  the  events  of 
the  past,  and  his  intellect  is  not  impaired  by  age.  He  sings  to 
his  grandchildren  the  song  he  learned  of  the  Indian  chief  of  the 
Kickapoos,  Machina.      It  was  not  much  of  a  song,  and  was 


m'lean  county.  831 

hummed  in  a  monotonous  way  by  Machina  to  the  little  white 
pappooses,  who  sat  on  his  knee.  It  ran  ;  "  Ile-o,  he-o,  me-yok-o- 
nee,  me-yok-o-nee,"  continually  repeated.  Mr.  Benson  has  a 
peculiarly  pleasing  and  cheerful  expression  of  countenance,  and 
has  hardly  an  enemy  in  the  world. 

James  Benson. 

James  Benson  was  born  October  26,  1805,  in  Montgomery 
County,  Kentucky.  When  he  was  only  fifteen  months  old,  the 
Benson  family  moved  to  Indiana,  to  that  part  of  Knox  County, 
which  is  now  Gibson  County,  where  they  remained  until  1820. 
In  that  year  they  moved  to  Illinois,  to  that  part  of  Sangamon 
County  which  now  forms  the  County  of  Logan,  and  there  went 
to  tanning. 

In  Januaiy,  1821,  James  Benson  went  on  a  bee  hunt  to  Salt 
Creek,  and  found  what  would  be  considered  by  bee  hunters  a 
great  curiosity.  It  was  a  tree  absolutely  deserted  by  bees,  but 
containing  more  than  three  gallons  of  candied  honey.  During 
the  following  March,  he  went  to  Kickapoo  Creek  on  a  bee  hunt 
with  a  man  named  Campbell  and  another.  Campbell  found  the 
first  three  trees  and  seemed  to  be  in  luck,  but  Benson  followed 
up  the  matter  well,  and  found  a  linn  tree  with  a  hollow  contain- 
ing a  gallon  of  honey,  and  then  a  white  oak  containing  ten  gal- 
lons. Large  flakes  of  honey,  two  feet  broad,  were  taken  out. 
He  found  next  a  black  walnut  tree  which  had  been  stripped  of 
its  bark  by  Indians  who  wished  to  make  wigwams.  When  the 
tree  died,  it  shrank,  and  various  weather  checks  appeared,  and 
through  them  the  bees  went  to  the  hollow  within  and  filled  it 
with  honey.  The  hunters  took  out  of  it  seven  or  eight  gallons 
of  honey.  The  next  tree  was  a  burr  oak  with  a  hollow  about 
thirty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  out  of  this  they  took  eight  or 
nine  gallons. 

Sangamon  County  was  then  a  very  unhealthy  section  of  coun- 
try and  in  the  spring  of  182o,  the  Benson  family  moved  to  Bloom- 
ing Grove.  James  and  Jesse  cut  and  hauled  house  logs  for  ten 
days  before  the  family  came.  They  were  visited  by  Severe 
Stringfield  and  Gardner  Randolph  from  Randolph's  Grove.  On 
the  last  of  May,  the  Benson  family  came  on.  They  first  moved 
into  a  linn  bark  camp,  which  had.  three  sides  closed  up  and  the 


832  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

fourth  side  open.  The  floor  and  roof  were  linn  bark.  That 
summer  the  family  raised  very  little  grain,  and  during  the  fol- 
lowing winter  many  of  their  cattle  died.  They  were  subjected 
to  many  inconveniences.  James  was  obliged  to  go  thirty-five 
miles  on  horseback  to  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Fork  to  get  his 
plow  sharpened.  He  crossed  the  Kickapoo  by  hanging  to  his 
horse  as  it  swam  over,  and  then  going  back  with  a  canoe  for  his 
plow.  Mr.  Benson  married,  November  6,  1828,  Polly  Ann 
Hinshaw,  who  was  born  in  Overton  County,  Tennessee,  and  had 
lately  come  to  Blooming  Grove.  Then  he  went  to  Harley's 
Grove  and  improved  a  place,  sold  his  improvement,  and  in  1831 
moved  to  White  Oak  Grove.  Here  he  and  his  brother  John 
built  a  cabin  and  broke  ground.  During  the  following  spring, 
they  volunteered  in  Captain  McClure's  company,  and  went  to 
the  Black  Hawk  war.  They  went  up  to  Dixon's  Ferry  and  were 
mustered  into  the  regular  service.  The  famous  defeat  of  Major 
Stillman's  battalion  occurred  on  the  evening  of  the  day  after  their 
arrival.  In  the  middle  of  the  night,  Mr.  Benson  was  awakened 
from  his  sleep  by  a  voice  calling  "halloo!"  On  answering,  he 
was  told  that  Stillman's  men  were  all  killed,  that  the  Indians 
had  crawled  on  them  and  said  "  woo,  woo,"  and  butchered  them 
all  in  their  camp !  During  the  following  morning,  Captain  Eades, 
of  Peoria,  who  had  been  in  the  "  Run"  and  lost  his  hat,  came 
around  the  camp  with  a  handkerchief  tied  to  his  head  and  his 
sword  at  his  side.  He  tried  to  collect  his  men,  but  they  were 
badly  scattered,  and  he  pould  find  but  few.  The  greater  part  of 
the  troops  went  up  on  the  battle  ground.  Nearly  all  were 
mounted,  but  a  few  out  of  each  company  were  dismounted,  and 
these  formed  a  company  by  themselves.  After  marching  to  the 
scene  of  the  fight,  about  thirty-five  miles  above  Dixon,  and  bury- 
ing the  dead,  the  men  returned.  Shortly  afterwards,  three  com- 
panies, one  of  which  was  Captain  McClure's,  were  sent  to 
Ottawa,  and  on  their  arrival  were  ordered  to  Indian  Creek,  to 
bury  the  families  of  Davis,  Hall  and  Pettigrew,  which  had  been 
murdered  by  the  Indians  immediately  after  the  fight  of  Still- 
man's Run.  They  found  these  families  buried  on  the  outside  of 
the  house  near  the  chimney.  But  they  were  only  lightly  covered 
with  earth  and  were  taken  up  and  reburied  in  a  trench.  The 
two  boys,  who  escaped  and  who,  he  thinks,  belonged  to  the  Hall 


m'lean  county.  833 

family,  were  able  to  identify  the  dead,  and  by  their  assistance  the 
bodies  were  separated  and  those  of  each  family  buried  together. 
Shortly  afterwards  the  volunteers  were  discharged. 

Mr.  Benson  has  made  the  usual  trips  to  Chicago.  He  hauled 
wheat -and  drove  hogs  there,  and  sold  them  for  prices  which 
would  not  now  be  considered  worth  the  trouble  of  the  journey. 
At  Peoria,  pork  brought  $1.25  to  $1.50,  provided  the  larger  part 
of  the  pay  was  taken  in  goods.  Vinton  Carlock  succeeded  in 
getting  $1.00  per  hundred  in  cash. 

Mr.  Benson  has  had  fourteen  children,  of  whom  eleven  are 
living.     They  are : 

William  Benson,  who  lives  east  of  Lexington. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  D.  Knight,  wife  of  Moses  Ii.  Knight,  who 
lives  in  Cropsy  township. 

Mrs.  Nancy  Gilstrap,  wife  of  Henry  Gilstrap,  lives  in  Cow- 
lick, Kansas. 

Cyrus  II.  Benson,  lives  in  Lawndale  township. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Chisholm,  wife  of  Jesse  Chisholm,  lives 
about  three  and  a-half  miles  east  of  her  father's. 

Jesse  M.  Benson,  lives  in  Lawndale  township. 

Mrs.  Susannah  Arnold,  wife  of  James  C.  Arnold,  lives  in 
Cropsy  township. 

James  P.  Benson,  lives  in  Lawndale  township. 

Emily  W.,  Edward  C.  and  Horace  M.  Benson,  live  at  the 
homestead  in  White  Oak  Grove. 

Mr.  Benson  is  about  five  feet  and  six  inches  in  height,  is 
squarely  built  and  quite  strong.  His  hair  is  perfectly  white.  He 
has  a  sanguine  complexion  and  temperament,  is  a  kind  man  and 
a  gentleman  of  the  strictest  integrity.  He  has  a  cataract  in  his 
eye,  which  has  been  of  great  trouble  to  him  and  has  nearly 
destroyed  his  sight.  He  has  had  several  operations  performed, 
and  it  is  hoped  that  it  will  now  improve  and  his  sight  be  restored. 
He  has  a  patient  and  hopeful  disposition,  and  his  affliction  has 
not  affected  his  kindness  of  manner. 

William  Thomas  Taylor  Benson. 

William  T.  T.  Benson  was  born  October  12,  1811,  in  Gibson 
County,  Indiana.     At  the  age  of  nine  years,  he  went  with  his 
father's  family  to  what  is  now  Logan  County,  Illinois.     In  the 
53 


834  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

spring  of  1823,  the  Benson  family  settled  on  the  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  Andrew  W.  Scoggin  and  there  remained  about  thirteen 
years,  after  which  they  came  to  White  Oak  Grove.  Mr.  Benson 
married  at  Blooming  Grove,  September  25,  1834,  Nancy  Hin- 
shaw,  a  sister  of  George  Hinshaw,  jr.  He  built  the  first  house 
on  the  prairie  near  White  Oak  Grove,  about  half  a  mile  south 
of  it.  He  sawed  lumber  wih  a  whip  saw  and  it  was  the  first,  he 
tninks,  that  went  into  Bloomington.  He  helped  to  make  the 
first  brick  that  went  into  that  town,  in  the  brick  yard  of  Peter 
Whipp,  where  George  Hinshaw  now  lives.  But  as  the  clay 
proved  to  be  poor,  the  yard  was  moved  to  the  Big  Branch.  Mr. 
Benson  sawed  lumber  for  Colonel  Gridley  to  build  his  store- 
house, but  it  was  burned  in  kiln  drying.  Mr.  Benson  put  up 
various  buildings  as  he  acquired  property,  and  the  country 
became  developed  in  wealth  and  prosperity,  and  at  present  he 
has  a  fine,  large  house,  with  good  outbuildings.  He  has  had 
some  experience  with  fires  on  the  prairie,  but  only  once  suffered 
from  them  serious  damage.     This  was  at  Blooming  Grove. 

Mr.  Benson  has  been  very  successful  in  life  and  acquired  a 
fair  competence.  He  raised  an  orphan  boy  whom  he  has  treated 
as  his  own  child  in  every  respect,  even  in  the  division  of  his 
property.  He  gave  to  three  of  his  children  and  to  this  boy,  each 
ninety  acres  of  land  with  stock  and  farming  implements,  on 
condition  that  they  should  each  pay  him  three  hundred  dol- 
lars. He  has  acquired  four  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  land 
altogether. 

Mr.  Benson  has  had  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  living. 
They  are  : 

George  Benson,  lives  at  Champaign,  in  Champaign  County, 
Illinois. 

Mrs.  Susannah  Lollis,  wife  of  Mitchell  W.  Lollis,  lives  in  the 
edge  of  White  Oak  Grove. 

Mrs.  Melissa  Hand  Conger,  wife  of  Robert  Conger,  lives  in 
Lawndale  township. 

Mr.  Benson  is  five  and  one-half  feet  high,  is  rather  squarely 
built,  has  a  good  head  with  a  good  development  of  intellect. 
His  hair  is  almost  entirely  white,  and  his  whiskers  are  silver. 
He  wears  spectacles,  is  a  very  pleasant  man,  is  strictly  honest  in 
his  dealings  and  friendly  in  his  manner.     He  lives  in  the  edge 


m'lean  county.  835 

of  White   Oak  Grove  with    the   family  of  his   daughter,   Mrs. 
Susannah  Lollis. 

Elisha  Dixon. 

Elisha  Dixon  was  born  June  14,  1809,  near  Romney,  Hamp- 
shire County,  Virginia,  not  far  from  the  battle-ground  of  Win- 
chester, where  General  Shields  whipped  Stonewall  Jackson. 
There  are  in  that  country  many  stone  fences,  and  it  was  behind 
one  of  these  that  Jackson's  army  took  refuge  after  its  unsuccess- 
ful attack  on  that  of  Shields ;  but  the  army  of  Shields  followed 
up  its  advantage,  and  the  troops  of  Jackson  were  flanked  and 
driven  from  behind  the  stone  wall  and  completely  routed.  Elisha 
Dixon's  father  was  John  Dixon,  and  his  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Drusilla  Harvey.  His  father  was  of  English,  Irish  and  Scotch 
stock,  and  his  mother  was  of  German  descent.  He  was  a  rela- 
tive of  Jeremiah  Dixon,  who  with  Mason  made  the  survey  known 
as  Mason  and  Dixon's  line.  John  Dixon  was  a  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  was  very  honest  and  much  respected.  In  1815  the  Dixon 
family  came  to  Ohio,  and  settled  on  the  Stillwater  River  in  Har- 
rison County,  near  the  town  of  Freeport.  Here  they  saw  many 
of  the  privations  of  frontier  life.  They  were  obliged  to  go  fifty 
miles  distant  to  buy  frost-bitten  corn,  for  which  they  had  the 
privilege  of  paying  seventy-five  cents  per  bushel.  About  one- 
fourth  of  all  the  corn  raised  in  that  section  of  country  was  eaten 
up  by  squirrels.  The  instruction  given  in  the  schools  was  little 
enough,  and  only  extended  to  reading  and  writing.  In  1828, 
Elisha  Dixon  came  to  Dry  Grove,  in  that  part  of  Tazewell  Coun- 
ty, Illinois,  which  now  forms  the  county  of  McLean.  Here  he 
lived  two  years,  with  only  one  room  to  his  little  cabin.  He  visited 
Peoria,  when  it  had  only  four  houses.  It  had  a  store  kept  by  a 
man  named  Bogardus,  and  very  little  else  was  to  be  seen.  A  part 
of  the  pickets  were  still  standing  around  Fort  Clark.  Mackinaw- 
town  was  simply  brush  and  woods  ;  it  had  the  name  of  a  town, 
but  the  town  was  not  there. 

During  the  fall  before  the  deep  snow,  Mr.  Dixon's  stacks  were 
burned  to  the  ground,  and  he  was  obliged  to  winter  his  stock  on 
bran  and  boiled  turnips.  One  of  his  pigs  was  caught  under  a 
drift  of  snow  and  lived  six  weeks  without  anything  to  eat.  Mrs. 
Dixon  also  tells  of  a  turkey  that  was  under  the  snow  during  this 
winter  and  survived. 


836  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war,  Mr.  Dixon  enlisted  in  Captain 
McClure's  company,  and  was  mustered  into  service  at  Pekin,  in 
Tazewell  County.  They  went  on  to  Dixon's  Ferry,  and  after  the 
tight  of  Stillman's  Run  went  upon  the  ground  and  buried  the 
dead.  On  their  return  to  Dixon's  Ferry  four  companies  under 
Colonel  Johnson  were  sent  to  Ottawa  for  the  defence  of  that  place. 
Captain  McClure's  company  was  then  sent  up  to  Indian  Creek  to 
bury  the  three  families  that  had  -been  murdered  by  the  Indians 
there.  After  the  burial  of  the  bodies,  they  went  back  to  Ottawa, 
and  shortly  afterwards  were  honorably  discharged  and  returned 
home. 

After  Mr.  Dixon's  return  he  went  to  farming  on  the  place  now 
owned  by  Charles  Johnson,  at  White  Oak  Grove.  He  worked 
hard  and  succeeded  in  keeping  the  fire  out  of  the  grove,  and  now 
a  fine  growth  of  timber  has  come  up,  equal  perhaps  to  any  in 
McLean  County. 

Mr.  Dixon  has  taken  great  interest  in  schools,  has  done  every- 
thing to  help  them  along.  In  1845  he  was  elected  school  treas- 
urer, and  kept  the  office  fourteen  years.  He  used  to  draw  money 
from  John  Price,  who  was  school  commissioner  for  the  whole 
county.  Mr.  Dixon  took  the  best  of  care  of  the  school  money, 
but  it  sometimes  made  him  feel  very  uneasy,  as  two  attemps  were 
made  to  rob  him.  The  care  and  anxiety  after  a  wmile  seemed  to 
him  greater  than  the  honor,  and  he  refused  to  hold  the  office 
longer. 

In  June,  1872,  Mr.  Dixon  was  summoned  on  the  grand  jury 
of  the  United  States  District  Court  at  Springfield.  There  he  had 
a  varied  experience.  He  came  across  men  who  could  talk.  He 
first  came  in  contact  with  a  spiritualist,  who  was  quite  handy  with 
his  tongue.  Mr.  Dixon  does  not  usually  allow  any  one  to  get 
the  start  of  him  in  talk,  and  when  the  spiritualist  claimed  to  have 
seen  signs  and  wonders,  and  to  have  looked  on  the  face  of  the 
Almighty,  Mr.  Dixon  called  the  gentleman's  attention  to  the  fact,, 
that  wdien  Moses  went  up  the  mountain  and  looked  on  the  face 
of  the  Almighty,  and  returned  to  the  children  of  Israel,  his 
brother  Aaron  could  not  look  on  his  face  on  account  of  its  bright- 
ness; but  the  most  careful  scrutiny  would  fail  to  discover  any 
such  brilliancy  on  the  face  of  the  spiritualist,  (except  that  pecu- 
liar brightness  which  comes  from  spirits  of  the  "  other  kind.'') 


m'lean  county.  837 

While  the  grand  jurymen  were  at  Springfield,  they  had  only 
seven  cases  before  them ;  but  Mr.  Dixon  says  they  were  receiving 
three  dollars  per  day,  and  wished  to  prolong  their  sitting  by  con- 
tinually adjourning,  in  order  to  continue  drawing  pay.  Mr. 
Dixon  was  excused  at  his  own  request  and  came  home. 

Mr.  Dixon  married  in  December,  1828,  Mary  Brown,  of  Dry 
Grove,  who  came  from  Overton  County,  Tennessee.  He  raised 
a  family  of  five  children,  but  only  two  of  these  are  living.  They 
are : 

William  Dixon,  who  lives  at  Minier,  in  Tazewell  County. 

John  F.  Dixon  teaches  school  in  the  neighborhood  of  Pontiac. 

Elisha  Dixon  is  six  feet  and  two  inches  in  height,  is  heavily 
built,  has  a  large  and  well-shaped  head,  covered  with  hair  thick 
and  white,  has  a  pleasant  smile,  is  kind  to  every  one,  and  takes 
pleasure  in  talking  to  whoever  calls  on  him.  He  has  done  fairly 
in  life,  and  is  disposed  to  be  generous.  Mr.  Dixon  can  talk  when 
he  gets  himself  started.  He  can  embellish  matters  and  make 
them  shine  by  the  power  of  his  imagination.  When  people  talk 
to  him,  he  can  see  the  sharp  corners  and  the  inconsistencies  of 
their  conversation,  and  woe  to  the  incautious  man  who  makes 
wild  statements  in  his  presence.  He  takes  a  great  interest  in  the 
events  of  other  days  and  the  doings  of  the  early  settlers.  In 
religion  he  wishes  it  clearly  understood  that  he  is  a  degree  man, 
and  that  he  thinks  the  planetary  world  is  a  type  of  the  spiritual 
world.  He  thinks  that  men  will  be  different  in  intellect  in  the 
world  to  come,  and  that  no  one  will  be  kept  back  in  order  that 
another  may  catch  up  with  him  in  intellectual  or  moral  develop- 
ment. 

Smith  Denman. 

Smith  Denman  was  born  September  6, 1799,  in  Essex  County, 
!New  Jersey.  His  father  was  Mathias  Denman,  and  his  mother's 
name  before  marriage  was  Phoda  Elston.  Mr.  Denman  is,  as  far 
as  he  knows,  of  English  descent.  In  1804  the  Denman  family 
moved  to  Washington  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  re- 
mained two  years,  and  then  went  to  Licking  County,  Ohio.  There 
they  began  farming.  Smith  Denman  married,  June  27,  1821, 
Elizabeth  Dixon,  and  set  up  for  himself  in  life  by  leasing  land. 
By  hard  work  he  made  money  enough  to  come  to  Illinois,  which 


838  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

he  did  in  September,  1829.  He  had  a  pleasant  journey,  and  set- 
tled at  White  Oak  Grove,  McLean  County,  Illinois.  He  lived 
quite  comfortably  during  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow.  He  worked 
well  and  carefully,  though  he  was  not  a  large  farmer. 

Mr.  Denman  has  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  four  are  living. 
They  are : 

Jabez  Harris  Denman,  who  lives  in  Bolinger  County,  Mis- 
souri. 

Mrs.  Drusilla  Buck,  wife  of  Daniel  W.  Buck,  lives  in  Pales- 
tine township,  Woodford  County,  Elinois. 

Smith  Denman,  jr.,  lives  in  Montgomery  County,  Illinois. 

Mrs.  Mary  Benson  lives  in  McLean  County,  about  ten  miles 
east  of  Lexington. 

Mr.  Denman  is  six  feet  in  height,  is  slenderly  built,  is  a  pleas- 
ant, accommodating  gentleman,  and  a  straightforward,  honest 
man. 

Aim  ah  am  W.  Carlock. 

Abraham  W.  Carlock  was  born  April  7,  1800,  in  Hampshire 
County,  West  Virginia,  near  the  west  branch  of  the  Potomac 
River.  His  paternal  grandfather  emigrated  to  this  country  from 
Germany,  and  settled  in  Virginia  shortly  before  the  outbreak  of 
the  Revolutionary  war.  During  the  war  he  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Continental  army.  Shortly  after  Abraham's  birth  his  father 
moved  to  Overton  County,  Tennessee,  about  fifteen  miles  from 
Livingston,  the  county  seat,  on  the  Obey  River.  Here  he  began 
farming  on  a  small  scale,  and  hunting  on  a  large  scale.  Young 
Abraham  was  then  quite  a  rambler.  His  son,  W.  B.  Carlock, 
says  of  him:  "He  busied  himself  in  rambling  over  the  moun- 
tains, hills  and  valleys,  gathering  chestnuts,  chincapins,  black- 
berries and  whortleberries,  and  chasing  squirrels  and  ground 
hogs  (woodchucks)."  If  he  did  all  of  that  in  one  day,  it  cer- 
tainly must  have  kept  him  quite  busy.  But  it  seems  that  the 
big  game  was  left  for  Abraham's  father,  for  the  same  good  au- 
thority says;  "There  were  a  great  many  bear  in  the  country  at 
that  time,  but  that  sort  of  game  was  left  for  the  old  gentleman 
to  attend  to,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  bear  meat  was  no  rarity  in 
the  old  man's  family."  Abraham  Carlock  was  a  good,  indus- 
trious boy,  and  did  not  neglect  his  "chores."     He  "tended"  the 


m'lean  county.  839 

farm  well,  and  raised  corn,  tobacco  and  sweet  potatoes.  He 
raised  pork,  too,  for  the  Southern  market,  though  his  pigs  had 
a  bad  habit  of  running  wild  and  becoming,  as  his  son  says,  "as 
wild  as  the  wildest  deer."  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  Abraham 
was  married  to  Mary  Goodpasture,  and  in  his  subsequent  pros- 
perity he  might  exclaim  : 

"  She  has  my  faithful  shepherd  heen, 
In  pastures  good  hath  led  me." 

In  the  spring  of  1827  Abraham  Carlock,  with  his  wife  and 
two  children  moved  to  Morgan  County,  Illinois.  They  walked 
nearly  the  whole  distance.  After  remaining  there  three  or  four 
years  he  moved  to  Dry  Grove,  McLean  County,  and  in  1836  he 
moved  to  "White  Oak  Grove.  At  White  Oak  Grove  his  boys 
caught  many  prairie  chickens  close  to  his  house,  even  within 
thirty  yards  of  his  door.  Sometimes  they  would  catch  twenty  or 
thirty  in  a  trap.  They  were  dried  and  hung  on  strings  to  be  pre- 
served. Shortly  after  the  Black  Hawk  war  he  traveled  over  the 
northern  part  of  the  State,  and  especially  over  the  Fox  River 
country,  to  find  land  to  purchase.  While  on  his  travels  he  met 
the  old  Indian  chief,  Shabbona,  who  lived  on  Fox  River  at  the 
grove  which  bears  his  name.  This  chief  had  been  a  warm  friend 
to  the  whites  through  good  and  evil  report,  and  saved  many  lives 
during  the  Indian  troubles  in  early  days,  by  warning  settlers  of 
approaching  danger. 

In  the  fall  of  1833  occurred  the  celebrated  phenomena  called 
the  falling  of  the  meteors.  Mr.  Carlock  was  at  that  time  in  the 
Fox  River  country,  and  the  meteors  fell  at  all  points  of  the  com- 
pass, and  lit  up  the  whole  heavens.  Of  course  this  phenomena 
alarmed  the  superstitious,  as  such  things  always  do,  and  many 
people  thought  the  millenium  was  surely  at  hand. 

In  1836  he  sold  his  property  at  Dry  Grove,  and  moved  to 
White  Oak  Grove.  His  land  at  White  Oak  Grove  lies  partly  in 
McLean  and  partly  in  Woodford  County.  His  house  stands 
about  one  hundred  yards  outside  of  the  line  of  McLean  County. 
Nevertheless  he  considers  himself  a  McLean  County  man,  ae 
nearly  all  his  interests  are  connected  with  it.  Mr.  Carlock  and 
his  careful  wife  have  been  blessed  with  twelve  children.  Ten  of 
these  grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  eight  are  now 
living. 


840  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Old  Mr.  Carlock  will  be  seventy-live  years  of  age  on  the 
seventh  of  April  next.  He  is  nearly  six  feet  in  height,  has  round 
shoulders,  a  fair  complexion  and  a  strong  constitution.  His  hair 
is  perfectly  white.  He  is  very  active,  full  of  life  and  humor,  and 
does  as  much  work  as  any  hand  on  the  farm.  He  is  a  great 
hunter,  and  has  been  known  to  kill  three  or  four  deer  in  a  single 
day.  He  is  now  worth  about  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and 
has  fairly  earned  it  by  patient  toil  and  strict  economy.  He  has 
about  one  thousand  acres  of  choice  land,  finely  improved  and 
under  good  cultivation.  The  old  gentleman  is  jovial,  kind- 
hearted  and  hospitable  by  nature,  and  has  a  great  many  friends. 
In  politics  he  is  an  uncompromising  Democrat,  one  of  the  strict- 
est kind.  There  is  no  milk  and  sugar  about  it;  he  takes  his 
Democracy  clear.  He  cast  his  first  vote  for  Andrew  Jackson, 
and  his  last  for  Horace  Greeley,  because  Mr.  Greeley  was  nom- 
inated at  Baltimore.  He  is  such  a  staunch,  uncompromising 
Democrat  that  many  people  who  are  unacquainted  with  his  name 
know  him  as  the  "Old  Democrat,"  and  his  son  says  his  paper 
would  pass  current  if  signed  with  that  soubriquet. 

In  religion  Mr.  Carlock  is  a  Universalist.  His  son  says  he  has 
"read  the  scriptures  strenuously ',"  and  believes  in  the  salvation  of 
all  mankind.  If  a  traveling  minister  of  any  denomination  comes 
along,  Mr.  Carlock  will  entertain  him  most  hospitably,  but  will 
probably  make  him  sit  up  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  to 
discuss  doctrinal  points.  He  is  full  of  eccentricities.  In  the 
presence  of  his  children  he  pleads  great  poverty,  in  order  to  in- 
duce them  to  study  economy.  He  was  never  known  to  make  a 
visit,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word.  He  is  very  much  attached 
to  his  home,  and  never  gets  into  debt,  and  it  would  be  well  if 
people  generally  had  these  eccentricities.  He  has  never  ridden  in 
a  railroad  car,  a  steamboat  or  even  an  omnibus. 

Mr.  Carlock  is  one  of  the  most  hospitable  of  men,  indeed  this 
seems  to  be  the  case  with  nearly  all  of  the  early  pioneers  ;  his 
"latch-string  is  always  out;"  in  his  home  there  is  good  cheer, 
and  in  his  welcome,  good  feeling. 


m'lean  county.  841 


Stephen  Taylor. 


Stephen  Taylor  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Ohio,  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1814.  His  father's  name  was  Stephen  Taylor,  and  his 
mother's,  before  marriage,  was  Lovisa  Rathbone.  His  parents 
were  Americans,  as  were  their  ancestors,  so  far  as  he  knows. 
His  father  was  born  in  New  York,  and  his  mother  in  Maine. 
Stephen  Taylor,  sr.,  enlisted  during  the  war  of  1812,  at  the  last 
call  for  volunteers,  and  died  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  of  sickness. 
There  were  four  children  in  the  Taylor  family,  and  they  had  left 
to  them  four  hundred  dollars  each.  Their  money  was  put  into 
the  hands  of  Squire  John  Brown,  who  put  it  into  the  hands  of 
some  one  else,  and  it  went  the  way  of  all  money. 

AVhen  Stephen  Taylor  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  started 
out  in  life  for  himself  without  asking  leave  of  any  one,  as  his 
mother  had  married  a  second  time  and  was  provided  for.  He 
went  to  Morgan  County,  on  the  Muskingum  River,  and  began 
chopping  wood  for  twenty  cents  per  cord.  It  was  there  that  he, 
with  two  others,  cut  and  corded  in  one  job  thirty-three  hundred 
cords  of  wood.  For  the  last  wood  he  cut,  on  the  Muskingum 
River,  he  received  sixteen  and  two-thirds  cents  per  cord;  but  it 
was  nearly  all  tree  tops.  He  remained  there  for  some  time,  and 
ran  down  about  three  times  a  year  with  salt  to  Cincinnati.  He 
had  only  one  accident,  that  he  remembers  particularly.  He 
once  had  a  boat  containing  salt  staved  in  on  some  rocks.  It  was 
taken  near  shore  immediately,  but  all  except  a  few  barrels  of 
salt  were  spoiled.  Stephen  Taylor  worked  hard,  and  by  his  in- 
dustry earned  enough  money  to  come  to  Illinois'  and  enter  eighty 
acres  of  land  and  buy  ten  acres  of  timber.  In  1836,  he  came  by 
steamboat  to  Pekin,  and  walked  from  there  to  Bloomington, 
then  back  to  Madison,  Indiana.  On  the  Sangamon  River,  he 
stopped  at  a  hotel,  where  he  was  obliged  to  sleep  in  a  room  with 
fourteen  others,  and  one  of  them,  unfortunately,  had  some  gold 
taken  from  his  person.  All  of  the  company  were  searched,  but 
the  missing  gold  was  not  found.  Mr.  Taylor  wore,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  journey  on  foot,  a  pair  of  calf  boots,  which,  becom- 
ing alternately  wet  and  dry,  shrank  and  blistered  his  feet,  and 
he  was  somtinies  obliged  to  walk  in  his  socks.  At  Danville,  he 
bought  a  parr  of  shoes  and  cut  up  his  boots,  as  they  could  not 


842  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

be  sold.  At  Perrysville,  on  the  Wabash,  he  went  to  a  saloon 
and  called  for  a  pint  of  whisky.  The  barkeeper  asked  for  his 
bottle,  as  a  pint  of  whisky  was  considered  rather  a  "stiff"  drink. 
But  Mr.  Taylor  used  the  fluid  in  a  proper  way,  and  poured  it 
into  his  shoes  to  cure  his  blistered  feet.  He  went  on  to  Craw- 
fordsville,  sometimes  wading  through  water  for  long  distances; 
but  as  the  country  was  new,  he  could  not  stand  upon  trifles.  At 
Madison,  Indiana,  he  went  on  board  of  the  General  Pike,  one  of 
the  fastest  steamboats  on  the  river.  At  Cincinnati,  he  ran  out 
of  funds,  but  found  a  friend,  old  Robert  Fulton,  who  furnished 
the  stamps  required  for  his  journey  home. 

Stephen  Taylor  married,  March  8,  1837,  Betsey  Dearborn, 
and  in  the  fall  came  to  White  Oak  Grove,  McLean  County,  Illi- 
nois. He  started,  October  16,  and  arrived  November  3.  He 
went  first  to  Pekin  by  steamboat  and  there  paid  ten  dollars  to 
be  transported  to  his  new  home.  He  bought  a  little  split  log 
cabin,  about  ten  by  twelve  feet  in  size,  with  a  puncheon  floor, 
and  in  this  he  wintered.  During  that  winter,  he  did  some  hard 
work.  He  made  rails,  stakes  and  ground  chunks  for  a  fence, 
and  hauled  them  two  miles.  He  cut  out  the  framing  for  a  build- 
ing twenty  feet  by  eighteen ;  he  hauled  the  flooring,  siding  and 
sheeting  from  Bloomington,  hewed  the  framing  timber  in  the 
grove,  and  fenced  twenty  acres  of  land,  that  is,  made  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  of  fence.  This  is  usually  considered  a  great  deal 
of  work  for  one  winter;  but  Mr.  Taylor  was  a  practised  wood 
cutter  and  understood  how  to  wield  his  tools  to  advantage. 

In  about  the  year  1839,  the  farmers  all  over  the  country 
became  disgusted  with  the  low  prices  which  they  were  receiving 
for  pork,  and  all  put  their  hogs  together  and  sent  some  of  their 
number  to  take  them  to  Chicago.  Mr.  Taylor  had  eleven  hogs 
in  the  "bunch,"  and  helped  to  drive  them.  On  the  journey,  it 
snowed  and  thawed  and  froze  and  sleeted,  so  that  the  party, 
which  had  just  passed  Big  Sulphur  Springs,  returned  to  that 
place.  It  was  so  slippery  that  some  of  the  hogs  were  carried 
back  to  that  place.  Here  they  remained  twenty-one  days,  and 
here,  too,  Isaac  Funk  was  weatherbound  with  a  lot  of  hogs.  He 
tried  to  harrow  the  ice  and  make  it  rough  for  the  pigs  to  walk, 
but  the  experiment  was  a  failure,  they  slipped  on  the  ice  in  spite 
of  him.    Then  he  tied  the  hind  legs  of  some  of  the  pigs  together 


m'lean  county.  843 

to  keep  them  from  slipping,  but  all  his  experiments  failed.  The 
entire  party  stopped  with  a  man  named  Fuller,  and  in  order  to 
pass  away  the  time,  held  a  lyceum  and  debated  all  the  questions 
of  the  day.  Mr.  Fuller  took  part  and,  as  he  evidently  thought  a 
great  deal  of  himself,  Mr.  Taylor  and  John  Benson,  jr.,  always 
decided  in  his  favor,  whenever  they  happened  to  be  judges. 
The  old  fellow's  vanity  was  so  tickled  that  he  always  refused  to 
debate,  unless  Taylor  and  Benson  were  \o  decide  the  question. 
The  party  was  detained  at  the  springs  for  twenty-one  days,  and 
bought  all  the  corn  they  could  find  in  the  country  to  feed  their 
swine.  They  went  out  hunting,  and  at  one  time  found  sixty- 
three  deer  in  a  drove.  Mr.  Taylor  says,  also,  that  it  was  a  great 
place  for  bee  trees,  and  that  he  saw  from  a  single  spot  thirteen 
trees  which  had  been  cut  down  and  the  honey  taken  out. 

After  waiting  twenty-one  days  at  the  springs,  a  thaw  came 
and  the  pigs  were  enabled  to  travel.  They  were  taken  to*  Chi- 
cago and  sold,  and  when  the  expenses  were  paid,  the  money  was 
divided  among  those  who  had  contributed  to  make  up  the  lot. 
Mr.  Taylor  had  eleven  fine  hogs,  averaging  in  weight  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  pounds  each,  and  he  received  for  them  in 
all  six  dollars  and  fifteen  cents,  which  is  about  twenty-five  cents 
per  hundred  !  The  remainder  received  pay  for  their  hogs  in  the 
same  proportion. 

The  early  settlers  went  often  to  Pekin,  to  do  their  trading 
and  sell  their  pork.  Mr.  Taylor  tells  of  an  incident  that  hap- 
pened while  he  was  once  on  the  road  to  Pekin  with  a  drove  of 
swine.  He  stopped  at  the  house  of  a  man  named  Prowty.  The 
latter  had  a  wife,  who  was  indeed  humorous  to  look  upon.  She 
had  a  long  nose  with  a  bunch  on  the  end  of  it  as  large  as  a  sweet 
potato,  and  her  eyes  might  be  mistaken  for  buckshot.  She  was 
addicted  to  alcoholic  drinks,  and  while  under  the  influence  of  a- 
gentle  stimulant  her  Yankee  pride  swelled  in  her  bosom.  Said 
she:  "Do  you  know  what  Yankee  means?  Yankee  means 
enterprise.  Mr.  Prowty  and  I  are  Yankees."  Mr.  Taylor  was 
charged  twenty-five  cents  for  the  privilege  of  sleeping  on  the 
puncheon  floor,  with  nothing  to  eat.  He  wauted  to  buy  the 
puncheon,  to  be  used  on  some  other  occasion.  Mr.  Taylor  took 
his  hogs  to  Pekin,  and  sold  them  for  little  or  nothing.  Louis 
Stephens  also  took  some  there,  and,  when  asked  what  he  sold 
them  for,  replied :  "  Six  bits  a  cord." 


844  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Mr.  Taylor  remembers  a  great  many  pleasant  incidents  of 
early  days.  He  says  that  when  he  first  came  to  the  country,  he 
saw  Hon.  John  Moore,  who  was  out  electioneering.  The  latter 
asked  for  Taylor's  vote  ;  but  when  Taylor  learned  Moore's  poli- 
tics, and  that  he  supported  Mr.  VanBuren,  the  vote  asked  for  was 
refused.  Seven  years  afterwards,  when  Taylor  was  hunting  a 
stray  horse,  he  met  Moore.  That  gentleman  recognized  Taylor 
instantly,  stopped  him,  jailed  him  into  the  house  and  treated  him 
politely  in  every  respect,  and,  speaking  of  the  electioneering  in- 
cidents, said  :  "You're  the  man  that  wouldn't  vote  for  me."  Mr. 
Taylor  says  that  if  he  had  known  Moore  at  first  as  well  as  he  did 
afterwards,  he  would  have  voted  for  him,  regardless  of  party. 

Mr.  Taylor  has  done  some  hunting,  but  never  had  any  very 
dangerous  adventures.  He  once  killed  an  enormous  lvnx,  after 
shooting  it  four  times ;  nothing  was  effectual  except  a  shot 
through  the  head.  Very  many  hunters  have  had  contests  with 
wounded  deer,  and  Mr.  Taylor  once  shot  a  deer  which  turned  on 
him,  with  its  hair  all  bristling  up  and  pointing  forward  ;  but  the 
animal  was  so  badly  wounded  that  it  made  very  little  of  a  fight. 
In  1851  Stephen  Taylor  killed  thirty-one  wild  turkeys,  some  of 
which  he  shot  while  standing  in  his  door.  Mrs.  Taylor  also  shot 
at  wild  turkeys,  but  never  killed  any. 

Mr.  Taylor  tells  a  circumstance,  showing  the  honest  simplicity 
of  John  Magoun.  In  about  the  year  1835,  while  Mr.  Taylor  was 
riding  on  a  steamboat  from  Cincinnati  to  Pittsburg,  a  man  came 
on  board,  who  was  eloping  with  a  young  lady.  .  For  the  purpose 
of  amusement  a  mock  court  was  organized  to  try  the  man.  The 
witnesses  were  examined,  and  thev  o-ave  contradictory  testimony, 
as  some  of  them  thought  the  girl  was  running  away  with  the 
man.  But  at  last  the  man  was  convicted  and  sentenced  to  be 
hung,  and  his  anxious  lady  set  up  a  succession  of  shrieks.  But 
the  convicted  man  took  the  matter  coolly,  and  was  hung,  the 
rope  passing  around  the  body.  .  Stephen  Taylor  and  Palmer 
Storey  saw  this  performance.  Thirty  years  afterwards,  when 
they  met  in  Bloomington,  in  company  with  John  Magoun,  Mr. 
Storey  alluded  to  the  hanging,  but  Taylor  spoke  in  a  mysterious 
way,  and  said  they  had  better  keep  quiet  about  that.  Then 
honest  Magoun  wished  to  know  whether  Taylor  and  Storey  had 
really  committed  murder. 


m'lean  county.  845 

Mr.  Taylor  has  had  ten  children,  of  whom  seven  are  living. 
They  are : 

Otis  L.  Taylor  was  a  soldier  in  the  Thirty-third  Illinois  Vol- 
unteers. He  was  at  Cache,  Black  River  Bridge,  Champion  Hills, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Spanish  Fort,  Fredericktown,  Port  Gibson 
and  Fort  Esperanza.  He  now  lives  in  Hardin  County,  Iowa,  near 
Steamboat  Rock. 

Mrs.  Anna  Leys,  wife  of  John  Leys,  lives  two  miles  and  a  half 
north  of  her  father's,  in  "Woodford  County. 

Zach  W.  Taylor  is  teaching  school  about  three  and  a  half  miles 
from  his  father's,  in  Woodford  County. 

Mrs.  Elsina  Morgan,  wTife  of  Dr.  Morgan,  lives  in  Lawndale. 

Laura  L.  Taylor,  I.  D.  Taylor  (a  girl)  and  John  Taylor  live  at 
home. 

The  eldest  son,  Isaac  Taylor,  is  now  dead.  He  was  born  Jan- 
uary 27,  1839,  and  served  in  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, and  died  September,  1863.  His  regiment  was  stationed  at 
Xew  Orleans  ;  but  as  he  became  sick  he  was  allowed  a  furlough, 
and  on  the  way  home  died  in  a  hospital  at  Memphis.  His  father 
went  down  to  him  and  brought  his  body  home  and  buried  it  at 
White  Oak  Grove. 

Stephen  Taylor  is  six  feet  and  one  and  a  half  inches  in  height. 
He  is  slenderly  built,  has  a  sharp  eye  and  a  Roman  nose.  He 
loves  humor,  as  the  stories  in  this  sketch  indicate.  He  is  a 
plucky  man,  and  is  not  likely  to  be  frightened  by  nonsense.  He 
is  perfectly  straightford  in  all  of  his  dealings,  and  wishes  to  meet 
all  of  his  neighbors  upon  the  level  and  part  upon  the  square.  He 
thinks  he  has  the  best  of  neighbors,  and  that  no  other  place  is  so 
peculiarly  blessed  in  this  respect  as  White  Oak  Grove.  He  has 
been  a  justice  of  the  peace,  but  has  had  little  or  nothing  to  do, 
as  scarcely  anybody  there  meddles  with  the  law. 


PERSONS  HOLDING  POSITIONS  OF  HONOR  OR  TRUST. 


Thomas  Pierce  Rogers,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Thomas  Pierce  Rogers  was  born  December  4,  1812,  in 
Columbiana  County,  Ohio.  His  ancestors  came  from  the  north 
of  Ireland.  His  grandfather,  George  Augustus  Rogers,  was  born 
about  the  year  1735,  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  was  educated  at 
Oxford  for  the  ministry,  but  after  much  thought  he  decided  not 
to  contend  against  sin  in  general,  but  to  fight  against  the  enemies 
of  England  in  particular,  and  accepted  a  commission  in  the 
British  armv.     He  came  to  this  country  as  a  Colonel  in  the  army 

ml  %/  i 

under  General  Braddock,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Bloody  Run, 
(or  Braddock's  defeat,)  where  the  army  was  drawn  into  an  am- 
buscade by  the  Indians,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  soldiers  were 
killed.  General  Braddock  himself  being  mortally  wounded.  This 
was  the  battle  in  which  Colonel  Georsre  Washington  first  tried 
his  mettle,  and  where  he  showed  the  skill  and  daring  which  were 
so  conspicuous  in  his  management  of  armies  in  later  life.  The 
career  of  Colonel  Rogers  was  quite  full  of  adventures.  He  was 
with  General  Wolfe  when  his  army  climbed  the  Heights  of  Abra- 
ham  and  stormed  Quebec,  and  was  in  various  fights  and  skirmishes 
of  the  French  war.  After  peace  was  declared  he  returned  to 
England,  resigned  his  commission,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  about  the  year  1774.  His  son,  Alexander  Rogers,  the  father 
of  Dr.  Rogers,  whose  sketch  we  are  writing,  was  born  in  1773, 
the  year  previous  to  the  emigration  of  his  father  to  x\merica. 
The  family  first  settled  in  Frederick  County,  Maryland,  where  it 

mj  %]    3  v 

stayed  until  the  year  1786,  when  it  moved  to  Fayette  County, 
Pennsylvania,  on  the  extreme  frontier.  In  order  to  reach  their 
new  home,  they  were  obliged  to  travel  across  the  Allegheny 
Mountains  on  pack  horses.  Such  a  journey  would  now  be  con- 
sidered more  picturesque  than  agreeable.     There  Mr.  Alexander 


m'lean  county.  847 

Rogers  married  Catherine  Wallahan,  who  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Carlisle,  Pa.     Her  parents  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland, 
and  thus  it  is  that  Dr.  Rogers  has  sprung  from  the  genuine  old 
North  Irish  stock.     In  the  year  1798,  his  grandfather,  his  father, 
and  all  of  their  connection,  moved  on  the  extreme  frontier,  which 
was  then  the  wilderness  of  Ohio,  called  the  Northwestern  Terri- 
tory.    There  his  father  settled   on    a  farm,  where  he  remained 
thirty-six  years,  and  raised  a  family  of  eleven  children,  eight  sons 
and  three  daughters.     All  of  these  children,  except  four,  are  now 
living.     The  farm  consisted  of  four  hundred  acres,  and  lay  in  a 
heavily  timbered  country.     The  four  youngest  of  the  children, 
including  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  chose  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine for  their  profession  in  life.     Nothing  of  importance  occurred 
during  the  childhood  of  Dr.  Rogers  worthy  of  being  celebrated 
in  poetry  or  song,  except  that  when  about  four  years  old  he  fell 
from  a  split  plank  bridge  into  a  creek.     This  was  infant  baptism. 
The  doctor  received  such  an  education  as  could  be  obtained  in  a 
new  country.     He  was  obliged  to  go  two  or  three  miles  to  school, 
which  was  kept  in  a  little  round-log  school-house  during  the  win- 
ter.    At  the  a«;e  of  seventeen  he  went  to  a  select  school  at  New 
Lisbon,  and  finished  his  education   at   a   Quaker  institution  at 
Salem.     He  then  returned  home  where  he  worked  one  or  two 
years,  continuing  his  course  of  study.     He  chose  the  profession 
of  medicine,  and  began  his   study  in   Tuscarora  County,  Ohio. 
He  taught  school  winters  and  studied  summers.     He  finished  his 
course  of  study  in  Philadelphia,  and  returned  to  Tuscarora  Coun- 
ty, where  he  practiced   medicine   in   company  with   Dr.  Lewis. 
After  practicing  one  year  he  earned  enough  to  pay  the  expenses 
of  his  previous  course  of  study,  and   to   bring   him  West,  and 
leave  one  hundred  dollars  in  his  pocket  for  working  capital.     In 
the  spring  of  1838,  he  started  for  Illinois  on  horseback,  and  came 
to  Marshall  County.     He  examined  the  country  from  La  Salle  to 
the  Sangamon  River,  passing  through  Bloomington  on  his  way 
south ;  the  latter  place  contained  about  four  hundred  inhabitants, 
living  principally  south  and  west  of  the   court-house.     At  that 
time  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  James  Allin,  General  Gridley, 
Jesse  W.  Fell,  Dr.  Charles  and  Dr.  Anderson.     In  the  month  of 
March  he  located  at  Decatur,  Macon  County.     Dr.  Rogers  has  a 
very  large  bump  of  what  the  phrenologists  call  locality.    He  likes 


848  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

to  look  over  the  country  and  see  what  it  amounts  to  and  what  it 
contains.  He  traveled  over  the  greater  part  of  Central  Illinois, 
and  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  distinguished  men  who  then 
were  political  lights  in  the  State,  such  as  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
Abraham  Lincoln,  Judge  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Judge  Treat  of  the 
United  States  District  Court  for  the  southern  district  of  Blinois, 
Edward  Baker,  afterwards  Senator  Baker,  who,  while  Colonel  of 
a  regiment,  was  killed  at  Ball's  Bluff  during  the  early  part  of 
the  rebellion,  John  J.  Hardin,  who  fell  at  Buena  Vista,  Hon. 
David  Campbell,  Lyman  Trumbull  and  Hon.  John  Moore, 
afterwards  lieutenant  governor  of  the  State.  The  friendships  he 
then  formed  were  life  long,  and  indeed  these  gentlemen  were  all 
men  of  warm  feeling  and  ever  ready  to  greet  their  friends. 

Soon  after  coming  to  Decatur,  Dr.  Rogers  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Reed,  from  Nashville,  Tennessee,  a 
very  estimable  gentleman,  who  is  yet  living.  The  practice  of 
these  young  men  became  very  lucrative  indeed.  Dr.  Rogers  soon 
made  the  acquaintance  of  many  young  men  in  Decatur,  and 
among  them  was  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  a  genial  young  man,  with 
a  manner  as  hearty  and  kind  as  at  present.  Dr.  Rogers  moved 
from  Decatur  to  Washington,  Tazewell  County,  and  formed  a  co- 
parnership  with  Dr.  G.  P.  Wood.  They  never  had  any  written 
agreement  or  special  understanding  for  seven  years.  Dr.  Wood 
was  a  Christian  gentleman,  and  one  of  the  purest  men  living. 
He  had  the  confidence  of  the  entire  community  and  was  a  very 
successful  practitioner.     He  died  about  one  year  since. 

In  June,  1840,  Dr.  Rogers  married  Harriet  Wilcox,  of  North 
Bergen,  Genesee  County,  Xew  York.  This  lady  had  been 
principal  of  a  seminary,  and  her  graces  of  person  were  equal  to 
her  intellectual  acquirements.  Her  death  occurred  four  years 
after  her  marriage.  One  child,  Harriet  Julia,  born  of  this 
happy  marriage — died  at  the  age  of  nine  months.  Dr.  Rogers 
continued  his  practice  with  his  usual  success.  In  May,  1846,  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  amiable  and  accomplished  woman, 
who  became  his  wife.  She  was  Mrs.  Minerva  Burhance,  a  widow 
lady  with  one  daughter.  Her  fine  sense  and  cultivated  mind  have 
had  much  to  do  with  Dr.  Rogers'  subsequent  success. 

In  1848,  Dr.  Rogers  learned  from  Stephen  A.   Douglas,  in 
1'eoria,  that  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  would  surely  be  built, 


m'lean  county.  849 

and  this  decided  him  to  move  to  Blooming-ton  for  a  permanent 
location.  As  the  building  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  was  a 
matter  of  national  importance,  and  was  the  object  of  much 
scheming,  a  little  bit  of  history  may  not  be  out  of  place  in  this 
connection.  It  was  in  1848  that  the  conversation  between  Dr. 
Rogers  and  Senator  Douglas  occurred  in  the  parlor  of  a  hotel  in 
Peoria.  For  twelve  years  various  parties  had  been  working  to 
get  a  bill  through  congress  donating  lands  to  build  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  but  were  unable  to  accomplish  their  purpose, 
as  it  was  contended  that  the  matter  was  one  of  only  local  import- 
ance. In  the  conversation  alluded  to,  Judge  Douglas  spoke  of 
this,  and  told  his  plan  to  efteethis  object.  He  said :  "  I  am  going 
to  introduce  a  bill  giving  the  alternate  sections  of  land  to  the 
State  of  Elinois  to  build  a  railroad,  and  allowing  the  general 
government  to  charge  $2.50  per  acre  for  the  remaining  sec- 
tions, instead  of  .$1.25,  and  by  this  means  it  will  not  only, 
lose  no  money,  but,  on  account  of  the  railroad,  will  sell 
its  land  faster  and  help  to  build  up  the  State  and  develop 
its  resources.  I  am  going  to  make  it  a  national  question, 
and  introduce  an  amendment  extending  the  road  from  Cairo  to 
Mobile ;  also  an  amendment  extending  it  from  opposite  Cairo  by 
Little  Rock  to  Texas  by  wxay  of  the  Red  River  Raft ;  also  an 
amendment  extending  it  from  Galena  to  a  point  opposite  Du- 
buque, Iowa,  (Dunleith),  a  branch  will  also  be  proposed  to  Chicago 
and  a  branch  to  Mineral  Point,  "Wisconsin.  By  so  doing  I  secure 
the  support  of  the  senators  from  Iventucl<w,  Henry  Clay  and  Sen- 
ator Underwood,  the  two  senators,  Bell  and  Jones,  from  Ten- 
nessee, Clay  and  Clements,  of  Alabama,  the  two  senators,  Soule 
and  Slidell,  from  Louisiana,  Senators  Johnson  and  Sevier  from 
Arkansas,  and  also  the  senators  from  Texas.  By  an  appropria- 
tion to  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe  Railroad,  I  secure  the  support  of 
senators  Atkinson  and  Benton,  of  Missouri ;  by  extending  the 
road  to  a  point  opposite  Dubuque,  Iowa,  I  secure  the  friendship 
of  senators  Jones  and  Dodge  of  that  State ;  by  means  of  the 
branch  to  Mineral  Point,  Wisconsin,  I  secure  the  co-operation  of 
the  senators  from  that  State;  by  an  understanding  that  something 
shall  be  done  for  a  road  in  Michigan,  extending  from  Detroit  up 
to  the  lumber  regions,  I  obtain  the  support  of  senators  Cass  and 
Stewart  from  that  State."  Mr.  Douglas  was  sure  that  his  plan 
54 


850  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

would  be  successful.  At  that  time  lie  was  serving;  his  first  term 
in  the  Senate,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  was  serving  his  first  term  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and  by  their  united  exertions  the  bill 
was  carried  triumphantly  through.  The  United  States  gave  the 
required  land  to  Illinois,  and  Illinois  gave  it  to  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  on  condition  that  the  latter  should  always  pay  into  the 
State  treasury  seven  per  cent,  of  its  gross  earnings.  Ground  was 
first  broke  in  1852,  and  cars  were  running  from  LaSalle  to 
Bloomington  in  1853. 

In  Dr.  Rogers'  travels  over  the  State  he  had  found  no  land 
equal  to  McLean  County,  and  had  always  wished  to  make  it  his 
home.  He  moved  to  Bloomington  im-March,  1849,  and  continued 
the  practice  of  medicine  up  to  1867,  when  he  retired  from  his 
profession,  having  been  a  successful  practitioner  for  thirty  years. 
He  then  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  While  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  Dr.  Rogers  was  three  times  chosen  a  delegate 
to  National  Medical  Conventions,  which  were  held  at  St.  Louis, 
Philadelphia  and  San  Francisco,  and  was  in  attendance  at  the 
two  former.  He  was  twice  chosen  a  delegate  to  State  Medical 
Conventions.  _...■' 

Dr.  Rogers  has  been  more  or  less  connected  with  politics  since 
coming  to  the  "West.  While  at  Decatur  he  held  the  office  of 
postmaster  for  two  years,  one  year  under  Van  Buren  and  one  year 
under  Harrison  and  Tyler.  He  resigned  his  office,  partly  because 
his  medical  duties  gave  him  very  little  time  to  look  after  it,  and 
partly  because,  being  a  Democrat,  he  did  not  wish  to  continue  to 
hold  office  under  a  Whig  administration.  The  situation  was  not 
very  lucrative,  and  the  business  was  done  in  the  office  of  the  cir- 
cuit clerk.  In  1848  the  doctor  was  selected  by  his  party  friends 
at  the  convention  at  the  village  of  Waynesville,  to  be  their  can- 
didate for  State  Senator,  and  Edward  0.  Smith,  of  Macon  Coun- 
ty, was  selected  in  the  same  village  as  his  opponent.  The  district 
then  embraced  Tazewell,  McLean,  Logan,  DeWitt  and  Macon 
Counties.  The  Whig  majority  for  General  Taylor  was  about 
eleven  hundred,  but  the  doctor  was  only  beaten  by  one  hundred 
and  sixty-three  votes.  In  1862  he  again  received  the  nomination 
of  his  party  for  State  Senator,  the  district  embracing  McLean, 
DeWitt,  Macon,  Piatt  and  Moultrie  Counties.  His  opponent  was 
the  Hon.  Isaac  Funk.     The  majority  for  Mr.  Lincoln  in  1860  was 


m'lean  county.  851 

about  seventeen  hundred  in  this  district,  but  the  majority  against 
Dr.   Rogers  was  only  two  hundred  and  sixty.     The  doctor  has 
been  honored  by  his  party  by  being  made  a  member  of  every 
Democratic  State  Convention,  except  one,  since  1844  ;  he  has 
been  chairman  of  the  Democratic  Central  Committee  of  McLean 
County  for  eighteen  years  out  of  twenty-four  ;  was  appointed  a 
delegate  from  Illinois  to  the  convention  at  Baltimore  which  nom- 
inated Franklin  Pierce ;  he  was  an  alternate    delegate   to   the 
Charleston  convention  ;  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Baltimore  con- 
vention, when  Douglas  was  nominated,  saw   the  division  in  the 
party,  saw  Caleb  dishing  leave  the  chair,  saw  Ben  Butler  secede 
from  the  convention  with  the  Massachusetts  delegation,  and  saw 
that  break  in  the  Democratic  party,  which  resulted  in  the  elec- 
tion of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  precipitated  the  great  rebellion. 
The  seceders  organized  their  convention  in  the  city  of  Baltimore, 
and   nominated  Mr.  Breckenridge.     The  doctor  had  free  inter- 
course with  the  Southern  delegates,  and  saw  that  a  civil  war  was 
inevitable,  unless  a  compromise   was  agreed  upon.      When  the 
Avar  eame  the  doctor  took  strong  ground  for  the  Union,  of  course, 
and  did  much  work  in  getting  volunteers ;  and  in  the  early  days 
of  the  rebellion,  when   many  were  hesitating  and  doubting,  he 
took  the  stump  and  advocated  crushing  the  rebellion  out  by  the 
power  of  arms.     In  1864  the  doctor  was  a  delegate  to  the  con- 
vention which  nominated  McClellan  for  president ;  he  was  on  the 
committee  of  organization,  and  during  the  campaign  took  an  ac- 
tive part  in  the  canvass.    This  wound  up  his  political  career  until 
the  Liberal  movement  was  inaugurated.     Dr.  Rogers  then  moved 
actively  and  efficiently  in   the  matter,  and  by  his  influence  pre- 
served harmony  and  strength  in  the  movement.     So  efficient  was 
he,  and  so  alive  to  the  issues  of  the  hour,  that  the  Liberal  party 
placed  him  in  nomination  as  its  candidate  for  the  legislature  un- 
der the  minority  representation  system.  He  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  lower  house  of  the  Assembly,  and  is  at  present  serving  in 
that  capacity.     He  has  been  made  a  member  of  the  committee  on 
finance,  the  committee  on  education,  and  the  committee  on  coun- 
ty and  town  organization,  which  shows  the  high  regard  in  which 
he  is  held  bv  the  members  of  the  house.     He  is  recognized  in 
the  legislature  'as  one  of  the  most  active  and  far-sighted  of  the 
members  ;  in  the  heat  of  debate  he  never  loses  his  self-command. 


852  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

He  understands  parliamentary  law  and  practice,  and  in  the  hurry 

of  business  his  mind  is  ever  clear.  Tt  is  well  known  that  in  the 
hurrv  and  confusion  many  members  cannot  keep  track  of  what 
is  going  on,  and  sometimes  become  very  much  confused,  and  it 
thus  becomes  necessary  to  have  some  persons  who  shall  be  rec- 
ognized as  leaders,  who  are  able  to  guide  and  direct  the  forces 
of  the  party  efficiently.  In  this  capacity  Dr.  Rogers  does  excel- 
lent service,  and  indeed  his  presence  and  influence  have  on  many 
ocasions  turned  the  tide  of  victory  in  favor  of  the  Liberals  in  the 
Assembly. 

Dr.  Rogers  is  a  man  of  commanding  presence,  and  every  line 
of  his  countenance,  every  motion,  shows  him  to  be  a  cultivated 
gentleman  ;  his  hair  is  whitened  by  many  years  of  labor.  In 
political  matters  he  is  certainly  possessed  of  those  qualities 
which  bring  success  ;  he  has  great  energ}-  and  resolution,  and  is 
a  fine  speaker.  He  possesses  great  tact  and  skill  in  the  manage- 
ment of  men,  and  has  a  happy  faculty  of  uniting  all  forces  effect- 
ively and  carrying  his  point.  He  has  many  friends  among  all 
political  parties,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  he  ma}7  live  yet  many 
years  to  enjoy  their  friendship  and  regard. 

Judge  Thomas  F.  Tipton. 

Thomas  F.  Tipton  was  *bom  August  29,  1833,  in  Franklin 
County,  Ohio.  His  father's  name  was  Hiram  Tipton,  and  his 
mother  was  Deborah  Ogden.  Both  of  English  descent.  Hiram 
Tipton  was  a  farmer.  In  1844  the  Tipton  family  moved  to  Money 
Creek  township,  McLean  County,  Illinois,  and  settled  down  near 
where  Towanda  now  stands.  Hiram  Tipton  died  within  a  year 
after  his  arrival  in  Illinois,  leaving  three  children,  John  Tipton, 
who  is  a  farmer,  living  in  Money  Creek  township :  Jane,  wife  of 
William  S.  Tuttle,  living  in  Saybrook,  and  Thomas  F.  Tipton, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  Thomas  at- 
tended school  at  Lexington,  taught  at  that  time  by  Colonel  Coler. 
The  latter,  who  was  a  fine  teacher,  is  the  same  gentleman  who 
afterwards  made  a  donation  of  five  thousand  dollars  to  the  "Wes- 
leyan  Universit3T,  on  condition  that  the  chapel  of  that  institution 
should  be  called  "  Amie,"  after  his  mother.  After  studying  for 
a  year  at  Lexington,  Thomas  F.  Tipton  commenced  reading  law 
in  the  mornings  and  evenings.     At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  read 


m'lean  county.  853 

law  for  a  short  time  in  the  office  of  a  Mr.  Keightley,  at  Ivnox- 
ville,  Illinois.  Shortly  after  this  he  returned  to  Bloomington, 
where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 

On  the  23rd  of  October,  1856,  he  married,  in  Bloomington, 
Miss  Man-  J.  Strayer,  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Esther  Strayer. 

He  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law  at  Lexington,  in  the 
spring  of  1854;  in  January  of  1862,  he  moved  to  Bloomington  ; 
and  in  April,  1863,  formed  a  law  partnership  with  R.  M.  Benja- 
min, the  present  judge  of  the  county  court.  This  partnership 
lasted  until  1870,  when  Mr.  Tipton  was  elected  judge  of  the  Mc- 
Lean circuit  court,  to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  election  of 
Judge  Scott  to  the  supreme  court.  In  June,  1873,  Judge  Tipton 
was  re-elected  judge  of  the  McLean  circuit  court,  for  the  full 
term  of  six  years.  Since  his  accession  to  the  bench,  even  more 
than  before  that  time,  he  has  been  a  close  student  and  a  laborious 
worker.  Having  the  administration  of  the  most  important  judi- 
cial circuit  in  the  State,  he  is  called  upon  at  every  term  of  court 
to  decide  a  numberless  variety  of  intricate  legal  questions,  re- 
quiring diligent  study  and  accurate  reasoning.  He  meets  all 
such  questions  with  a  ripe  mind,  and  a  breadth  of  thought,  that 
have  made  him  the  most  prominent  circuit  judge  in  the  State, 
and  a  man  who  is  personally  admired  and  beloved. 

In  personal  appearance,  Judge  Tipton  is  five  feet  ten  inches 
in  height,  strongly  built,  with  broad  shoulders,  and  weighs  some- 
what over  two  hundred  pounds.  He  has  light  hair,  fair  com- 
plexion, and  a  face  strongly  indicative  of  intelligence,  virtue  and 
justice. 

Amasa  J.  Merriman. 

Amasa  J.  Merriman  was  born  December  1, 1818,  in  Stanstead, 
Canada  East,  about  seventy-five  miles  from  Montreal.  His  an- 
cestors were  English.  His  father,  Isaac  H.  Merriman,  was  a 
farmer.  Amasa  J.  Merriman  was  one  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  six  lived  to  be  grown.  He  received  his  education 
at  a  common,  subscription  school,  which  he  attended  during  the 
winter  months  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Merriman  taught  school  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  con- 
tinued for  two  years,  with  a  compensation  of  twelve  dollars  a 
month  and  board.     He  "boarded  around,"  according  to  the  cus- 


854  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

torn  in  those  days.  During;  the  summer  months  he  worked  on 
a  farm.     "While  he  tausrht  school  he  was  also  a  clerk  in  a  store 

CD 

hefore  and  after  school  hours,  showing  that  he  was  an  industrious 
young   man.     In  1839,  when   he   was   twenty  years  of  ag-e,  he 

*  CD  i        *  D       7 

started  for  the  West.  From  Chicago  he  went  to  Peoria  by  steam- 
boat to  St.  Louis.  At  the  latter  place  he  heard  of  Bloomington, 
and  on  coming  here,  (in  November,  1839,)  found  a  place  as  clerk 
in  the  store  of  B.  C.  Haines.  In  1842,  Mr.  Merriman  bought 
out  Owen  Cheney,  and  commenced  business  on  his  own  account. 
He  continued  until  1856,  when  he  sold  out  to  a  man  named 
Augustus.  During  that  year  Mr.  Merriman  was  chosen  county 
judge,  and  this  office  he  still  holds.  He  was  chosen  first  to  fill 
a  vacancy  by  the  resignation  of  B.  H.  Coffey.  "When  the  office 
became  elective,  he  was  elected  first  without  opposition,  and  was 
afterwards  elected  four  times  by  the  Republican  party.  Shortly 
after  Judge  Merriman  was  appointed  to  office,  the  question  came 
up  as  to  the  location  of  the  Normal  school,  which  the  State  pro- 
posed to  build.  It  was  to  be  located  where  the  greatest  induce- 
ments were  held  out.  Mr.  Jesse  "W.  Fell  was  anxious  to  have  it 
located  in  or  near  Bloomington,  and  worked  for  this  object  un- 
ceasingly. The  county  judges  or  commissioners  then  did  all  the 
business  of  the  county,  and  had  the  authority  now  possessed  by 
the  board  of  supervisors.  They  appropriated  seventy  thousand 
dollars  to  be  raised  from  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  swamp 
lands,  as  an  inducement  to  locate  the  Normal  here.  In  addition 
to  this,  many  private  contributions  were  made,  and  the  effort  to 
obtain  the  institution  was  successful.  Since  the  year  1857,  Judge 

v  'CD 

Merriman  has  been  special  commissioner  for  the  sale  of  swamp 
lands.  During  his  term  of  office,  he  paid  £70,000  to  the  Normal 
school,  and  $53,000  to  the  school  fund  for  the  different  town- 
ships. 

On  the  first  of  November,  1842,  Judge  Merriman  married 
Miss  Clara  C.  I.  Bullock,  in  Stan  stead,  Canada  East.  He  has 
had  a  family  of  four  children,  of  whom  two  are  living. 

Judge  Reuben  M.  Benjamin. 

Judge  R.  M.  Benjamin  was  born  June  29th,  1833,  at  Chatham 
Centre,  in  the  County  of  Columbia,  and  State  of  New  York.  His 
father  and  maternal  grandfather  were  both  of  English  descent. 


m'lean  county.  855 

but  Ins  maternal  grandmother  was  of  "Welch  descent.  His  grand- 
father, Ebenezer  Benjamin,  was  a  Captain  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  removed  from  Norwich,  Connecticut,  to  the  town  of 
Chatham,  New  York,  where  he  died  December  22,  1789,  aged 
55  years.  His  father,  Darius  Benjamin,  was  a  private  in  the  war 
of  1812,  and  died  at  Chatham  Centre,  New  York,  April  24, 1850, 
aged  69  years.  His  maternal  grandfather,  Timothy  Rogers,  was 
born  at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  and  moved  in  early  life  to  the 
town  of  Chatham,  New  York,  where  he  died  June  24th,  1850, 
aged  84  years.  His  mother,  Martha  Benjamin,  is  living  at  Ben- 
jaminville,  in  this  county,  and  is  in  her  80th  year. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  Judge  R.  M.  Benjamin,  was 
brought  up  on  a  farm,  attending  the  district  school  in  the  winter 
time,  until  he  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  was  prepared 
for  college  at  Kinderhook  Academy,  New  York,  and  was  grad- 
uated at  Amherst  College,  Massachusetts,  in  1853.  For  the 
ensuing  year  he  was  principal  of  Hopkins  Academy,  Hadley, 
Mass.  He  next  attended  the  lectures  of  Parker,  Parsons  and 
Washburn,  at  the  Law  Institution  in  Harvard  University,  two 
terms,  and  then  in  1855-6,  was  tutor  in  Amherst  College. 

Judge  Benjamin  came  to  Bloomington  in  the  spring  of  1856, 
was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  the  law  upon  the  examination 
and  certificate  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  on  September  5,  1856.  He 
was  married  at  Chatham  Village,  New  York,  September  15, 1856, 
to  Miss  Laura  E.  Woodin,  the  daughter  of  David  G.  AVoodin, 
who  for  many  years  was  county  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Columbia  County,  New  York. 

In  the  fall  of  1856,  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Messrs. 
Gridley  and  "Wickizer,  and  remained  with  them  until  the  former 
retired  from  the  practice  of  the  law,  and  the  latter  entered  the 
army.  In  the  spring  of  1863,  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Thomas  F.  Tipton,  now  circuit  judge.  In  January,  1867,  Cap- 
tain J.  H.  Rowell  became  a  member  of  their  firm,  and  remained 
such  until  he  was  elected  State's  Attorney  in  1868.  In  May,  1869, 
Hon.  Lawrence  Weldon  became  a  member  of  the  firm,  and  since 
the  election  of  Mr.  Tipton  to  the  office  of  circuit  judge,  in  1870, 
the  firm  has  consisted  of  Messrs.  A\Teldon  &  Benjamin.  In  Nov- 
ember, 1869,  Mr.  Benjamin  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  Consti- 
tutional Convention  of  this  State,  and  was  appointed  a  member 


856  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

of  the  Committee  on  Bill  of  Rights,  Municipal  Corporations, 
State  Institutions  and  Public  Buildings,  Accounts  and  Expendi- 
tures, and  Schedule.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  preparation 
and  discussion  of  some  of  the  most  important  articles  of  the 
Constitution  of  1870.  Referring  to  his  speech  on  the  Railroad 
article,  Mr.  Ross,  the  member  from  Fulton  County,  remarked : 
"  I  cheerfully  subscribe  to  the  views  of  the  gentleman  from  Mc- 
Lean. I  think  the  Convention  and  the  people  of  the  State  owe 
him  a  debt  of  gratitude.  It  has  the  true  ring  of  the  doctrine 
that  should  be  inculcated  by  all  our  statesmen."  And  Mr.  Brom- 
well,  the  member  from  Coles  County,  remarked:  "  I  agree  with 
the  gentleman  from  Fulton  that  the  community  at  large  owe  the 
gentleman  from  McLean  thanks  for  the  masterly  manner  in  which 
he  has  demonstrated  the  right  and  the  power  of  the  people,  in- 
hering in,  ever  living,  and  ever  present,  to  command  in  the  name 
of  and  for  the  people,  the  creatures  which  they  have  put  on  foot, 
the  corporations  which  they  have  organized,  in  respect  to  the 
terms  upon  which  they  shall  enjoy  those  invaluable  franchises 
which  they  are  lawfully  permitted  to  enjoy." — Debates  of  Con- 
stitutional Convention,  vol.  2,  p.  1G43. 

Judge  Benjamin  was  one  of  the  counsel  for  the  people  in  the 
celebrated  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  case,  involving  the  question 
as  to  the  right  of  railroad  corporations  to  charge  more  for  a  less 
than  a  greater  distance,  and  since  then  he  has  been  employed  as 
special  counsel  for  the  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commission.  In 
November,  1873,  he  was  elected  without  opposition  to  the  office 
of  County  Judge  of  McLean  County,  which  shows  the  great 
popularity  among  the  people  and  the  great  confidence  the  people 
of  McLean  County  have  in  him.  He  ranks  among  the  first  law- 
yers of  the  State.  His  term  of  office  is  for  the  period  of  four 
years  from  the  first  of  December  last. 

In  his  personal  appearance,  Judge  Benjamin  bears  the  impress 
of  the  student.  His  demeanor,  countenance,  language  and  pose, 
are  those  of  a  delver  into  the  mines  of  knowledge  that  are  accu- 
mulated in  libraries  and  law  offices.  Of  medium  stature  and 
light  build;  with  hair,  eyes  and  complexion,  darker  than  those 
of  a  blonde,  yet  lighter  than  those  of  the  swarthy  Southern  type ; 
his  presence  is  one  that  indicates  a  man  accustomed  to  coolly 
and  carefully  consider  all  the  bearings  of  a  case,  and  from  an 


m'lean  count?.  857 

impartial  standpoint  to  decide  it  fairly  on  its  merits,  regardless 
of  its  pecuniary  results  on  contending  claimants.  During  his 
brief  career  as  judge  of  the  County  Court,  he  has  won  the  admi- 
ration of  the  barand  the  people,  by  reason  of  the  rapidity  and 
accuracy  with  which  he  dispatches  business.  The  recent  import- 
ant increase  in  the  jurisdiction  of  the  County  Court,  has  more 
than  quadrupled  its  work,  but  it  is  a  satisfaction  to  the  people 
that  they  have  an  able  jurist  at  the  head  of  that  tribunal — one 
who  is  thoroughly  competent  to  administer  its  affairs  with  honor 
to  himself  and  to  the  county. 

General  John  McNulta. 

The  following;  sketch  of  General  John  McNulta  is  taken  from 
the  Bloomington  Pantagraph,  of  May  31,  1872 : 

"  General  John  McNulta  was  born  in  November,  1837,  in 
New  York  city.  His  father  was  of  Irish  birth,  and  was  of  that 
extraction  known  as  Scotch-Irish.  His  mother  was  of  French 
descent.  He  resided  in  New  York  and  the  immediate  vicinity 
until  about  the  year  1850.  At  that  time,  having  an  inclination 
for  travel,  although  quite  young,  under  the  patronage  of  relatives, 
he  visited  the  Southern  States  and  the  West  India  Islands,  and 
made  one  voyage  to  England.  In  1853  he  came  to  Attica,  Indi- 
ana, arul,  placing  himself  under  the  care  of  General  George  F. 
Dick,  (now  of  this  city)  he  learned  the  trade  of  cigar  maker.  In 
May,  1859,  he  located  in  Bloomington,  and  commenced  the  same 
business,  under  the  firm  of  Dick  &  Co.  Having  an  inclination 
for  the  law,  he  was  permitted  to  use  the  library  of  the  late  Gene- 
ral W.  W.  Ormc,  and  devoted  his  time  in  the  intervals  of  business 
to  reading  law.  This  continued  until  April,  1861.  At  this  time 
he  enlisted  in  the  army,  and  was  made  captain,  May  3,  1861,  of 
company  A.  of  the  First  Illinois  Cavalry,  or  the  first  company  of 
the  first  regiment  of  cavalry  from  the  State  of  Illinois.  This 
regiment  was  assigned  for  duty  in  Missouri,  where,  after  a  suc- 
cession of  fights  and  skirmishes,  they  participated  in  the  memor- 
able nine  days  battle  at  Lexington,  in  September,  1861,  which 
terminated  in  the  surrender  of  the  Union  forces  to  General  Price. 
He,  with  the  other  troops  of  the  command,  were  paroled  and  re. 
turned  home.  He  was  exchanged  in  November  for  Captain  J. 
Thomas  Whitfield,  a  confederate   officer,  who  was   one  of  our 


858  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

prisoners.  Captain  McXulta  then  reorganized  his  company  and 
was  assigned  for  duty  in  Southwestern  Missouri.  But  as  the 
regiment  had  so  many  of  its  members  captured,  it  was  mustered 
out  of  service  July  17, 1862.  Captain  McNulta  was  tendered,  by 
Governor  Yates,  a  commission  as  lieutenant  colonel,  of  what 
afterwards  became  the  91st  Illinois  Infantry.  This  he  declined. 
About  the  same  time  President  Lincoln  issued  authority  to  him 
to  raise  a  regiment  of  cavalry.  Just  prior  to  the  receipt  of  this 
authority  he  had,  however,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  D, 
94th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  mustered  into  service.  He  was 
soon  elected  lieutenant  colonel,  and  on  the  promotion  of  Colonel 
Orme,  McXulta  was  commissioned  as  colonel  of  the  94th,  and 
much  of  the  time  during  the  remainder  of  the  war  he  was  in 
command  of  the  Second  Brigade,  Second  Division,  Thirteenth 
Army  Corps.  On  the  9th  of  April,  1865,  he  was  commissioned 
brevet  brigadier  general  'for  gallant  and  meritorious  services 
in  the  Held.'  He  returned  home  August  9th,  1865,  was  soon 
after  admitted  to  the  bar  and  commenced  the  practice  of  law. 

"In  1868  he  received  the  Republican  nomination  for  the  State 
Senate,  and  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  about  2,700.  He  rep- 
resented the  district  with  marked  ability  for  four  years. 

"In  1870  he  was  a  candidate  in  the  triangular  contest  for 
Congress  in  the  Republican  convention,  which  resulted  in  the 
nomination  of  Colonel  Merriam." 

In  1872  he  was  successful  in  receiving  the  unanimous  nomina- 
tion for  Congress  at  the  hands  of  the  Republicans  of  the  new 
Thirteenth  District,  and  was  triumphantly  elected. 

General  McNulta  is  of  medium  stature,  is  well  formed,  has 
broad  shoulders,  has  great  courage  and  resolution,  is  very  quick- 
sighted,  understands  human  nature,  and  sees  a  person's  thoughts 
instantly.  He  is  very  polite  to  all,  and  particularly  agreeable  to 
ladies.  Ho  is  exceedingly  humorous,  and  it  appears  perfectly 
natural  for  him  to  interest  people  by  his  manner  and  canversa- 
tion.     He  has  many  friends,  and  himself  has  warm  attachments. 

Hox.  John  L.  Routt. 

John  L.  Routt  was  born  April  25,  1827,  in  Eddyville,  the 
county  seat  of  Lyon  County,  Kentucky.  While  he  was  an  in- 
fant, his  father,  who  was  a  farmer,  died,  leaving  Mrs.  Routt  with 


m'lean  county.  859 

four  children,  in  rather  straightened  circumstances.  Mrs.  Routt 
moved  to  Trigg  County,  Kentucky,  where  she  lived  a  widow  until 
1834,  when  she  was  again  married.  In  1840  John  Routt  was  ap- 
prenticed to  his  cousin,  Samuel  B.  Haggard,  of  Bloomington, 
Illinois,  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade.  The  lad  applied  himself 
industriously  to  his  trade  for  two  years  and  a  half.  But  at  this 
time  Mr.  Haggard  wished  to  become  a  farmer,  and  young  Routt 
was  left  free  to  work  on  his  own  account.  He  was  very  success- 
ful, and  soon  received  the  highest  wages  paid,  which  were 
seventy-five  cents  per  day,  and  board  himself.  He  worked  for 
Mr.  O.  Covel'in  building  a  mill,  for  carding  and  cloth  dressing. 
The  latter  became  interested  in  the  lad  and  induced  him  to  learn 
the  carding  and  cloth-dressing  business.  Mr.  Covel's  establish- 
ment consisted  of  a  gristmill,  a  saw  mill  and  complete  cloth 
dressing  machinery.  At  the  end  of  one  year  Routt  could,  in  the 
absence  of  the  proprietors,  take  charge  of  the  establishment  in 
all  its  details.  The  mill  was  in  a  great  measure  the  center  of 
local,  political  and  social  interest,  and  young  Routt  soon  became 
familiar  with  the  ways  of  the  world.  But  he  soon  saw  the 
necessity  of  an  education.  He  went  to  school  during  three 
months  in  the  year,  and  in  addition  to  this  employed  all  his  leis- 
ure time  in  study.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  married  Hester 
A.  Woodson,  one  of  the  noblest  and  gentlest  of  women,  who 
died  two  years  since.  The  stock  of  worldly  goods  belonging  to 
these  juvenile  "old  folks"  consisted  of  twenty  dollars  in  money 
and  a  few  clothes  suited  to  their  station.  They  married  because 
they  thought  themselves  suited  to  each  other,  an  old  fashioned 
reason  somewhat  fallen  into  disuse.  Mr.  Covel's  mill  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  Routt  returned  to  his  trade  as  carpenter  and 
machine  worker.  In  1854  he  was  elected  alderman  of  Bloom- 
ington. About  this  time  he  borrowed  twenty-five  dollars  from 
his  friend,  Lyman  Ferre,  and  purchased  a  quarter  of  a  block  of 
ground  and  built  on  it  a  small  house.  He  tried  the  life  of  a 
farmer  for  a  short  time,  but  returned  to  his  trade.  Pie  took  a 
lively  interest  in  politics,  was  originally  a  Whig,  but  upon  a  re- 
arrangement of  parties  in  1856,  became  a  Republican,  and  has 
remained  so  ever  since. 

In  1856  Mr.  Routt  had  accumulated  a  little  money,  and  in 
common  with  many  others  began  to  speculate  in  Western  lands. 


860  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

In  1856  and  '57  the  great  financial  crash  came.  But  a  more 
serious  disaster  resulted  to  Mr.  Routt.  He  had  purchased  land 
on  the  bank  of  the  Missouri  River,  but  the  shifting  current 
changed  its  course  and  all  of  Mr.  Routt's  domain  became  the 
bed  of  the  river,  and  his  rich  soil  was  washed  away  to  be  added 
to  the  accretions  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi. 

In  1858,  when  township  organization  was  effected  in  McLean 
County,  Mr.  Routt  was  elected  collector,  and  as  the  office  was 
entirely  new,  the  work  required  much  skill.  He  was  re-elected 
without  opposition.  In  1860,  Mr.  Routt  thought  of  being  a  can- 
didate for  sheriff,  and  while  he  was  hesitating,  it  came  to  his 
knowledge,  that  one  of  his  opponents  had  said :  "  It  would  be 
folly  for  little  Routt  to  run,"  and  he  immediately  determined  to 
make  the  canvass.  He  was  materially  assisted  by  William  Mc- 
Cullough,  who  was  candidate  for  circuit  clerk.  The  convention 
met,  and  while  it  was  in  session,  Judge  Davis,  then  circuit  judge, 
and  now  associate  justice  of  the  United  States  supreme  court,  said 
to  Routt  in  his  peculiar  way :  "  Look  here,  John,  McCullough 
tells  me  that  you  are  going  to  get  this  nomination.  How  is  it, 
John  ?  You  are  going  to  get  it,  ain't  you  ?  Of  course  you  are 
going  to  get  it;  McCullough  says  so  and  that  is  enough."  Mr. 
Routt  was  nominated  on  the  second  ballot  and  elected. 

In  1862,  when  the  second  call  for  volunteers  was  made,  John 
Routt  decided  to  go  to  the  war.  He  assisted  in  recruiting  and 
organizing  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois,  and  was  chosen  captain  by 
acclamation.  Judge  Davis  presided  at  the  organization  of  the 
company  in  the  old  Phoenix  Hall,  and  it  was  made  the  color  com- 
pany of  the  Ninety-fourth.  Captain  Routt  left  the  sheriff's  office 
in  charge  of  a  deputy,  and  went  to  the  war.  In  the  fall  of  1862, 
the  regiment  made  the  most  wonderful  march  on  record,  from 
Wilson's  Creek  battle-ground  to  the  battle-ground  of  Prairie 
Grove,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  in  a  little  more 
than  three  days.  There  the  army  of  General  Herron,  to  which 
the  regiment  belonged,  fought  the  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  one 
of  the  sharpest  contests  of  the  war.  After  this,  Captain  Routt 
and  many  others  were  sent  home  to  recruit  soldiers  for  the  regi- 
ments.  In  the  spring  of  1863,  he  went  back  to  the  army.  In  the 
meantime,  Colonel  W.  W.  Orme  had  been  made  a  brigadier 
general  for  his  services  at   the  battle   of  Praire   Grove,  and  the 


m'lean  county.  861 

army  went  into  camp  at  Lake  Spring.  Here  Captain  Routt  was 
detailed  to  act  as  quartermaster,  and  held  the  position  until  after 
the  capitulation  of  Vicksburg.  After  this  he  was  commissioned 
as  quartermaster,  and  served  as  chief  quartermaster  in  the  army 
of  the  Rio  Grande,  commanded  by  General  Herron.  After  the 
disastrous  Red  River  expedition  of  General  Banks,  Colonel  Routt 
was  assigned  as  post  quartermaster  at  Baton  Rouge,  and  continued 
in  this  position  until  he  left  the  army  in  1865.  On  arriving  home 
he  was  made  treasurer  of  McLean  County,  and  immediately  began 
the  payment  of  the  county  bonds  and  interest  as  they  became 
due,  and  in  a  short  time  the}T  rose  to  par  in  the  market  and  re- 
mained so.  At  the  expiration  of  two  years  he  was  nominated  by 
a  decided  majority  and  re-elected. 

At  the  commencement  of  President  Grant's  administration, 
General  Giles  A.  Smith,  of  Bloomington,  was  appointed  second 
assistant  postmaster  general,  and  Colonel  Routt  was  selected  as 
chief  clerk  of  this  bureau,  but  did  not  accept  the  position  until 
his  term  of  office  as  treasurer  had  expired.  He  filled  the  place 
with  credit  until  he  was  appointed  U.  S.  Marshal  for  the  southern 
district  of  Illinois.  The  duties  of  the  office  during  that  }7ear 
were  especially  difficult  as  the  census  was  then  taken.  This  work 
was  one  of  great  difficulty,  and  required  the  best  judgment;  but 
his  returns  were  accurately  and  speedily  made  out,  and  he  re- 
ceived a  well  merited  compliment  from  the  Commissioner  of  the 
census.  In  the  fall  of  1871,  General  Giles  A.  Smith  was  obliged 
to  resign  his  position  on  account  of  failing  health,  and  Postmaster 
General  Cresswell  immediately  selected  Colonel  Routt  as  Smith's 
successor.  Col.  Routt  resigned  his  office  as  marshal,  and  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  office  as  second  assistant  postmaster  gene- 
ral, October  17,  1871.  To  his  office  belongs  the  charge  of  all  the 
mails  throughout  the  country,  and  he  has  performed  his  duties 
with  marked  ability.  He  comes  in  immediate  contact  with  all 
the  great  corporations,  and  in  dealing  with  them  he  is  firm  and 
decided.  When  the  railroads  threatened  to  throw  off  the  mails, 
if  the  former  did  not  receive  increased  compensation,  Col.  Routt 
was  determined  that  the  postffice  department  should  not  be  in- 
timidated by  these  giant  monopolies. 

Col.  John  L.  Routt  tells  the  following  anecdote  of  our  citizen, 
John  E.  McClun.     He  says  that  he  recently  met  a  Col.  McCleave 


862  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

in  his  office  in  Washington  City,  who,  as  soon  as  he  learned  that 
Col.  Routt  was  from  Bloomington,  Illinois,  enquired  after  his 
former  schoolmate,  John  E.  McClun,  saying  that  they  had  heen 
hoys  together,  and  without  any  further  ado  related  to  him  the 
following  anecdote.  He  said:  "  Young  John  was  often  sent  to 
'Winchester  market  by  his  energetic  and  excellent  mother,  with 
the  products  other  dairy,  garden  and  poultry-yard,  and  he  opened 
out  his  butter,  eggs,  chickens,  etc.,  generally  with  fine  success, 
and  became  very  expert  in  selling.  One  day,  however,  the  young- 
marketer  was  at  his  wit's  end,  for  among  other  articles  in  his 
stock  was  a  pair  of  dressed  geese,  which  remained  on  his  hand 
long  after  everything  else  was  disposed  of.  At  length,  when  he 
almost  despaired  of  getting  rid  of  this  remnant  of  his  cargo — for 
the  geese  were  evidently  old  and  tough — an  old  lady  offered  him 
a  certain  price  for  one  of  them;  but  John,  after  making  her  a 
polite  bow,  and  thanking  her  for  the  offer,  assured  her  that  he 
was  opposed  upon  principle  to  selling  one  without  the  other,  for. 
said  he,  with  seeming  earnestness :  '  My  dear  madam,  these  poor 
old  o-eese  have  been  united  together  in  life  in  the  most  amicable 
relationship  for  twenty  years,  and  it  would  be  sad  to  part  them 
now.'  This  shrewd  statement — which  linked  a  financial  effect 
with  a  humanitarian  thought — had  the  desired  result  on  the  old 
lady,  for  she  at  once  bought  both  geese :  but  how  much  boiling 
and  roasting  she  afterwards  bestowed  upon  the  venerable  pair, 
John  never  learned." 

Col.  Routt,  after  having  related  this  incident  to  me,  added,  in 
a  humorous  way  :  "  As  Judge  McClun  for  many  years  sold  goods 
in  Bloomington,  in  early  times,  I  have  no  doubt  many  old  set- 
tlers here  could  be  found  to  testify  that  he  was  as  successful  in 
many  instances  in  disposing  of  ancient  articles  of  merchandize 
in  McLean  County,  as  he  was  in  the  sale  of  the  tough  old  geese 
at  Winchester." 

In  personal  appearance  Col.  Routt  is  slightly  below  the  me- 
dium height,  stoutly  built,  has  a  large,  well-shaped  head  with 
prominent  forehead,  black  hair,  dark  hazel  eyes,  and  strongly 
marked  features.  He  is  courteous  and  affable,  though  firm  and 
decided,  and  has  a  pleasing  address,  which  wins  him  friends 
wherever  he  goes.  His  political  common  sense  enables  him  to 
grasp  a  subject  and  comprehend  it  at  once  in  all  its  bearings,  and 


m'lean  county.  863 

his  decisions  always  promptly  made,  are,  nevertheless,  more  than 
usually  safe  and  correct.  He  reads  human  nature  with  remark- 
aide  accuracy,  and  seldom  has  occasion  to  revise  his  first  estimates 
of  character.  He  is  ever  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  the 
worthy  and  deserving,  but  has  a  thorough  contempt  for  all  pre- 
tenders and  shams,  whether  the  shams  be  men  or  measures. 
There  is  not  in  Illinois,  perhaps,  among  our  active  politicians,  a 
more  outspoken  man  or  sincere  friend,  than  John  L.  Routt. 

Col.  J.  L.  Routt  married,  May  21,  1874,  Miss  Lila  Pickerell, 
of  Decatur,  Illinois. 

Henry  Honscheidt. 

Henry  Honscheidt  was   born   in   Cologne,  on   the  Rhine,   in 
Germany,  and  there  received  his  early  education.     When  he  was 
nineteen  years   of  age  he  emigrated   to  America,  having  been 
drawn  here  by  the  attraction  of  a  new  country  and  a  free  and 
generous  government,  and  the   opportunity  of  growing  up  with 
a  new  community.     He  was  then  a  cabinet  maker  by  trade.     In 
the  fall  of  1854  he  landed  at  New  York  city,  and  there  worked 
at  his  trade  for  three  years.     In  1857  he  started  for  Indiana,  be- 
cause of  the  great  financial   crisis  of  that  year.     He   came   to 
Bloomington  in  May,  1861,  and  in  August  of  the  following  year 
he  enlisted  to  fight  in  the   service  of  his  adopted  country.     He 
served  in  the  Ninety-fourth  Illinois  Volunteers,  entering  the  ser- 
vice as  a  private,  and  being  mustered  out  as  a  first  lieutenant 
and  was  afterwards  breveted  a  captain.     He  was  at  the  battle  of 
Prairie   Grove,  at  the   siege   of  Vicksburg,   at  the   capture   of 
Brownsville,  Texas,  and  at  the   siege  of  Fort  Morgan  and  Span- 
ish Fort,     He  served   under  General  McNulta,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  war  was   discharged  with  his   regiment,  after  which  he 
worked  for  a  while  at  his  trade.     In  the  fall  of  1868  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  assessor  of  internal   revenue.     He  was  elected 
sheriff  of  McLean  County  November  5,  1872,  by  the  Republican 
party,  and  has  filled  his  position  most  acceptably.     On  the  5th  of 
April,   1874,  Colonel  E.  R,  Roe,  United  States   Marshal  for  the 
Southern    District  of    Illinois,    appointed   Captain    Honscheidt 
deputy  marshal,  which  position  he  also  fills  with  credit  to  him- 
self and  to  the  satisfaction  of  those  with  whom  he  has  business 
relations. 


804  OLD    SETTLERS    OF 

Captain  Honscheidt  is  a  man  of  good  muscular  development, 
and  is  heavily  built.  Added  to  this  is  a  certain  genial  and  win- 
ning good  humor,  that  is  a  part  of  his  nature,  making  him  per- 
sonally popular  with  everybody  who  meets  him.  He  has  brought 
to  the  office  of  sheriff  such  efficiency  and  industry,  that  the  in- 
terests of  the  county  have  been  admirably  cared  for  during  his 
management  of  this  important  trust.  While  he  has  the  tenderest 
feelings  for  the  land  of  his  birth,  he  has  shown  his  love  for  the 
country  of  his  adoption  by  fighting  for  three  years  in  her  ser- 
vice. 

John  Hull. 

The  author  is  under  obligations  for  many  of  his  statistics 
relating  to  the  schools  to  Mr.  John  Hull,  the  present  superin- 
tendent of  schools  in  McLean  County,  and  a  personal  sketch  of 
the  suberintendent  may  be  desired  by  those  interested  in  the 
schools. 

John  Hull  was  born  February  6,  1839,  in  Marion  County, 
Illinois.  His  father,  Mr.  Samuel  Hull,  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, but  has  been  a  citizen  of  Illinois  for  more  than  fifty  years. 
Mr.  John  Hull  is  a  graduate  of  the  Normal  School.  He  seems 
to  have  faith  in  the  sufficiency  of  the  public  schools,  as  he  has 
attended  no  other.  He  carefully  educated  himself  for  a  teacher 
and  caught  the  spirit  of  the  profession. 

He  entered  the  Normal  school  in  1857,  and  graduated  from  it 
with  the  first  class,  in  1860.  He  was  principal  of  the  school  of 
Salem  for  the  year  1860-61 ;  teacher  of  mathematics  in  the  Illi- 
nois Normal  University,  1861-62 ;  and  principal  of  the  High 
School  in  Bloomington,  1862-64.  The  following  year  was  oc- 
cupied among  the  schools  of  this  and  adjoining  States.  During 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  from  1865  until  1869  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  of  Bloomington,  and  of  the 
committee  of  school  examiners  for  the  city  schools. 

In  1869  Mr.  Hull  was  elected  Superintendent  of  Schools  of 
McLean  County;  indeed  it  seems  that  his  entire  attention  has 
been  directed  to  the  interests  of  education.  In  1862  he  was 
married  to  Mary  Frances  Washburn,  the  daughter  of  A.  C. 
Washburn,  Esq.,  an  old  school  teacher,  and  it  is  expected  that 
his  two  promising  children  will,  in  the  course  of  time,  follow  in 


m'lean  county.  <SG5 

the  footsteps  of  their  father  and  become  school  teachers  too  ! 

Mr.  Hull  found  the  schools  of  McLean  County  in  pretty  good 
condition,  and  he  lias  worked  faithfully  not  only  to  keep  them 
up  to  their  old  standard,  but  improve  them ;  and  has  succeeded 
in  arousing  among  the  teachers  a  feeling  of  enthusiasm  for  the 
profession  in  which  they  are  engaged.  This  leads  to  thorough 
preparation  and  fitness  for  their  work. 

Mr.  Hull  is  an  active  young  man,  with  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  before  him,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  he  will  continue  to 
devote  himself  as  heretofore  to  the  cause  of  education.  His 
labors  seem  to  be  appreciated  by  his  fellow-teachers.  At  the 
County  Teachers'  Institute,  in  1873,  the  members  took  occasion 
to  present  him  with  a  fine  cane,  upon  which  was  the  inscription 
"John  Hull,  by  Institute,  August  8,  1873."  The  State  Teachers' 
Association  honored  him  with  the  chairmanship  of  its  executive 
committee  in  1872,  and  with  the  presidency  in  1873. 


55 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


J.  CAMPBELL,  D.  D.  S., 

208  N.  CENTRE  ST.,  WEST  OF  SQUARE, 

BLOOM1NGTON,    ILLINOIS. 


Dr.  Campbell  has  had  great  experience  in  dentistry  and  is  thoroughly 
educated  for  the  profession.  His  workmanship  is  of  the  best,  and  his  skill 
has  already  gained  for  him  great  notoriety. 

His  instruments  are  of  the  best  kind  and  he  is  always  on  the  alert  to 
obtain  the  latest  improvements. 

Dr.  Campbell  makes  the  treating  and  filling  of  decaying  teeth  a  spe- 
cialty, and  practices  the  profession  in  all  its  branches.  His  work  stands 
the  test  of  time  perfectly,  and  we  judge  this  to  be  the  cause  of  the  great 
business  activity  at  the  Doctor's  office. 

To  those  who  are  troubled  with  their  teeth,  we  consciensciously  recom- 
mend the  office  of  Dr.  Campbell,  No.  208  Centre  St.,  West  of  the  Square, 
as  the  place  of  their  immediate  relief. 

A.  B.  GILLETT.  M.  F.  CASE. 

GILLETT  &  CASE, 

WHOLESALE  DEALERS   IN 

WATCHES,  FINE  JEWELRY  AND  SILVBRW ARE, 

Next  Door  South  of  Post  Office,  No,  219  Mam  St, 

The  firm  of  Gillett  &  Case  commenced  business  in  Bloomington  in 
the  winter  of  1857-58.  Mr.  A.  B.  Gillett  had  previously  to  this  time 
been  engaged  for  about  eight  years  in  Warren,  Ohio,  in  the  retail  trade. 
And  in  the  winter  of  1857-58  he  was  attracted  by  the  situation  of  our 
"  Evergreen  City,"  and  especially  by  its  enterprising  people,  and  com- 
menced business  here  with  Mr.  E.  B.  Steere,  under  the  style  of  Gillett  & 
Steere.  In  1869  Mr.  M.  F.  Case  purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Steere,  and 
the  firm  was  changed  to  Gillett  &  Case.  The  wholesale  business  was  add- 
ed in  1872.  By  strict  attention  to  business  and  straightforwardness  in  all 
their  dealings,  the  firm  has  gained  an  enviable  reputation,  and  is  looked 
upon  as  No.  1  throughout  Illinois.  At  their  storeroom  may  be  seen  the 
finest  display  of  diamonds,  gold  and  silver  watches,  gold  chains,  bracelets, 
silver  table  sets  and  silver  ware  of  every  description  ;  also  heavy  plated 
goods  and  every  other  article  belonging  to  a  first-class  jewelry  store.  They 
also  keep  a  good  assortment  of  clocks  and  watch  material  tor  the  whole- 
sale trade.  The}'  have  traveling  salesmen  for  this  branch  of  their  trade, 
who  call  on  customers  far  and  wide  in  the  interests  of  the  house.  Messrs. 
Gillett  &  Case  are  both  practical  business  men  of  long  experience,  and 
employ  Mr.  Piatt  for  repairing  and  engraving,  who  is  considered  to  be 
the  first  mechanic  in  that  line  in  the  country.  Mr.  A.  Froehlich,  their 
German  salesman,  has  been  with  them  some  timp.  The  prices  of  Gillett 
&  Case  are  uniform,  and  they  offer  goods  at  such  low  prices  that  we 
strongly  advise  every  purchaser  to  call  at  their  establishment,  No.  219 
Main  Street,  next  door  south  of  the  Post  Office,  Bloomington,  111. 


APPENDIX.     " 

HAYES  &  EVANS. 


The  firm  of  Haves  &  Evans,  contractors  and  builders,  is  widely 
known.  Their  establishment  is  situated  on  Centre  Street,  third  block 
north  of  the  Court  House,  Bloomington,  Illinois. 

The  firm  has  gained  an  enviable  reputation.  Good  work,  straightfor- 
wardness in  all  transactions,  and  the  fulfillment  of  any  work  contracted 
for,  has  been  its  motto  ;  and  when  such  principles  are  the  guide  to  busi- 
ness, success  is  sure  to  follow. 

The  firm  commenced  the  business  of  contracting  and  building  in  the 
spring  of  1S56  with  a  united  capital  of  about  $500.  The  first  contract  they 
undertook  was  the  building  of  what  was  known  as  the  Landon  House, 
which,  (with  the  exception  of  the  residence  of  Jesse  W.  Fell,  Esq.,)  was 
the  first  dwelling  house  of  any  considerable  worth  erected  within  the 
limits  of  Normal.  In  the  same  year,  Hayes  &  Evans  built  Major's  Col- 
lege, and  the  second  Presbyterian'Church ;  the  latter  building  was  finished 
in  the  early  part  of  1S57.  In  1857,  as  is  well  known,  a  financial  panic 
broke  out,  but  Hayes  &  Evans  prospered  in  business  in  '57  and  '58,  for  all 
that.  In  the  spring  of  1859  Mr.  S.  S.  Parke  entered  the  firm  as  partner, 
and  a  new  planing  mill  (a  frame  building)  was  put  up  on  the  site  of  the 
present  mill,  and  a  general  planing-mill  business,  and  the  manufacture 
of  doors,  sash  and  blinds,  was  added  to  the  former  business  of  contracting 
and  building. 

In  1859  the  firm  had  the  contract  for  building  the  fine  residence  of 
General  Gridley,  which  is  an  ornament  to  the  city  of  Bloomington  ;  and 
also  a  number  of  other  contracts  for  stores  and  residences. 

In  April,  1860,  the  planing-mill  was  destroyed  by  fire,  after  having  been 
occupied  one  week  less  than  a  year,  and  by  this  fire  were  swept  away,  in 
a  few  minutes,  all  the  earnings  accumulated  by  four  years  of  previous 
hard  work,  including  a  large  amount  of  costly  work  prepared  during  the 
winter  for  buildings  under  contract.  Notwithstanding  all  these  discour- 
agements and  misfortunes,  the  firm  soon  commenced  building  their  pres- 
ent planing-mill,  a  larger  and  much  better  structure  of  brick,  and  had  it 
all  completed  and  in  running  order  before  the  summer  was  over.  Since 
then,  the  business  of  this  establishment  has  prospered  and  increased  grad- 
ually and  steadily  until  it  has  become  the  leading  firm  of  Bloomington 
in  this  branch  of  industry. 

In  1865  Mr.  Parke  sold  out  his  interest  to  the  original  firm  of  Hayes  & 
Evans,  and  the  business  has  been  conducted  by  these  gentlemen  from  that 
time  till  now. 

In  lt>66  a  general  assortment  of  building  lumber  wasadded  to  the  busi- 
ness for  the  purpose  of  supplying  all  those  who  might  feel  inclined  to 
give  their  patronage  in  that  department.  A  survey  of  the  stock  will  con- 
vince any  one  at  once  what  the  firm  has  done  in  this  respect.  Every  foot 
of  lumber  is  of  the  best  quality,  and  well  seasoned. 

Besides  the  residences  heretofore  mentioned,  Hayes  and  Evans  have 
been  the  contractors  for  a  large  number  of  the  finest'dwellings  in  Bloom- 
ington and  in  the  neighboring  towns,  including  many  public  buildings. 
We  will  refer  only  to  the  residences  of  Messrs  Chas.W.  Holder,  J  V.  Mil- 
ner.  Dr.  T.  P.  Rogers,  Dwight  Harwood,  R.  E.  Williams  and  Mrs.  Julia 
Allen.  Of  business  houses,  we  may  mention  Royce's  Block,  Schroder's 
Opera  House,  four  out  of  the  five  stores  in  Minerva  Block,  and  a  host  of 
others,  too  numerous  to  be  particularly  mentioned.  Of  public  buildings 
they  have  erected  two  of  the  school  buildings  of  Bloomington.  also  a  very 
fine  school  building  in  Atlanta,  Logan  County,  and  one  in  Delavan,  Taze- 
well County,  a  fine  court  house  for  Warren  County,  Indiana,  and  the 
Wesleyan  University,  which  is  aw  ornament  to  the  city  of  Bloomington. 
They  have  contracted  for  the  new  Catholic  Church,  Gothic  in  architecture. 

It  will  be  seen  that  these  gentlemen  have  enjoyed  in  the  highest  degree 
the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  public,  and  still  continue  so  to  do. 

B 


APPENDIX. 


INSURANCE-LIFE  AND  FIRE 


After  many  years  of  experience  people  now  see  clearly  the  importance 
of  insuring  their  property.  A  leading  newspaper  while  commenting  on 
the  business  of  insurance  says :  "Insurance  distributes  over  the  multi- 
tude a  loss  that  would  crush  the  individual.  Many  who  read  these  lines 
will  be  able  to  recall  the  time  when  men  argued  that  if  it  was  a  profitable 
business  for  companies,  it  might  be  the  same  for  individuals,  forgetting 
that  the  companies'  risks  are  widely  scattered,  that  the  average  could  be 
predicted  with  tolerable  certainty,  and  that  the  individual  had  no  means 
of  calculating  chances,  while  his  loss  would  in  all  probability  prove  his 
utter  ruin."  Persons  engaged  in  the  business  of  insurance  calculate  the 
losses  by  Are  with  the  greatest  accuracy  and  govern  their  rates  for  premi- 
ums accordingly.  An  active  competition  keeps  the  premiums  as  low  as 
safety  allows. 

GREAT   CARE 

should  be  taken  never  to  take  a  policy  from  a  company  which  insures  too 
cheaply,  for  exceeding  low  rates  indicate  either,  that  a  first-class  swindle 
is  intended  or  that  the  company  taking  such  policies  is  not  doing  business 
on  a  safe  basis. 

J.  A.  Guernsey  &  Co.,  Insurance  and  Loan  Agents,  represent  relia- 
ble and  well  established  companies,  and  the  rates  of  insurance  are  as  low 
as  they  can  be  placed  on  a  sound  basis      They  represent 

The  Northwestern  Life  Insurance 'Company  of  Milwaukee. 
The  cash  assets  of  this  company  are  fifteen  million  dollars,  and  its  respons- 
ibility and  standing  are  unquestioned.  Every  lather  of  a  family,  every 
man  who  cares  for  the  welfare  of  his  wife  and'children  should  be  insured. 
Even7  young  man  who  wishes  to  make  a  profitable  investment  of  his 
earnings  and  who  wishes  to  look  out  for  the  future,  should  Vie  insured. 
The  man  who  is  in  moderate  circumstances  should  be  insured,  and  the 
man  of  wealth  should  be  insured,  for  he  cannot  know  how  soon  the  wheel 
of  fortune  may  turn  and  leave  him  penniless. 

J.  A.  Guernsey  &  Co.  represent  the  Lycoming  Fire  Insurance 
Company  of  Muncy,  Pa.,  whose  cash  assets  are  six  millions.  The  Lv- 
OOMING  has  been  in  existence  for  thirty-four  years  and  has  always  been 
noted  for  its  prompt  and  honorable  settlement  of  losses.  Just  after  the 
Chicago  fire  the  Pittsburg  Real  Estate  Register  said  : 

"Although  the  Eastern  States  contain  splendid  examples  of  strong 
companies,  yet  in  the  whole  country  a  prouder  and  more  consummate 
strength  was  never  shown  in  a  national  financial  strain  than  Pennsylvania 
gave  in  the  golden  soundness  of  that  company,  the  LYCOMING  of  Muncy." 

J.  A.  (Guernsey  &  Co.  represent  the  Farmers'  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  York,  Pa.  Its  cash  assets  are  $900,000.  It  was  organized 
twenty-one  years  ago  and  by  the  most  careful  and  safe  management  it 
has  obtained  its  present  standing.  While  many  others  have  gone  down 
and  sunk  beneath  financial  disaster  it  has  stood  firm  and  strong. 

J.  A.  (  Guernsey  &  Co.  are  agents  for  the  Lancaster  Fire  Insurance 
Company  of  Lancaster,  Pa.  This  company  was  organized  thirty-six 
years  ago.  Its  age  and  prosperity  tell  the  story  of  its  careful  management 
and  perfect  soundness.     Its  cash  assets  are  $350,000. 

J.  A.  Guernsey  &  Co.  represent  the  Penn  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  Philadelphia,  a  strong  company,  having  capital  and  assets 
amounting  to  over  $450,000. 

J.  A.  Guernsey  &Co.  represent  the  People's  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany, and  the  Planters'  Fire  Insurance  company,  of  Memphis, 
Tennessee,  the  leading  companies  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  These  are 
all  reliable  companies.  Persons  dealing  with  us  may  be  sure  of  honor- 
able treatment.  3.  A.  GUERNSEY  &  Co., 

No.  18,  P.  O.  Building,  Bloomington,  111. 

c 


APPENDIX. 


J.  A  GUERNSEY. 


CHAS.  HENMECKE. 


J.  A.  GUERNSEY  &  CO., 


GENERAL 


pfc  <ii|i(  fin  ^nmumt  ami  "Joan  ^jt** 

Money  to  loan  in  sums  of  $2000  and  upwards  at  10  per  cent,  interest  on 

common  Bonds  and  Mortgages. 

REPRESENT 

The  Northwestern  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of 
Milwaukee,  Cash  Assets,  $15,000,000,00. 

The  largest  life  company  west  of  the  seaboard  cities.     Seventh  in  financial 

standing  on  the  continent. 


ESTABLISHED  1840. 

LYCOMING  FIEE  INS.  CO., 

MUNC    Y,  PA. 

Capital  and  assets,  Jan,  1st,  '74. .. $5,770. 154. 54 

Surplus 5,365,011.54 

Liabilities,  including  reinsur- 
ance at  50  per  cent 405,143.00 

Losses  paid  up  to  Jan.  1st,  '74....  5,022,143.38 

ESTABLISHED   1853. 

FARMERS'  FIRE  INS.  CO., 

YORK,  PA. 

Capital  and  assets,  Jan.  1st,  '74...  $831,394.91 

Surplus 675,939.91 

Liabilities,   including  reinsur- 
ance at  50  per  cent 155,455.00 

Losses  paid  up  to  Jan.  1st,  "74....  980,289.95 

ESTABLISHED  1872. 

PENN  FIRE  INS.  C0MPY, 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 

Capital  and  assets,  Jan.  1st,  '74..  $413,298.97 

Surplus 226,1  53.97 

Liabilities,  including  reinsur- 
ance at  50  per  cent 187,1 15.00 

Income  during  tlie  year 373,933.00 

Expenditures  during  the  year..     268,265.00 


ESTABLISHED  1838. 

LANCASTER  FIRE  INS.  CO. 

LANCASTER,  PA. 

Capital  and  assets,  Jan.  1st,  '74...  $337,197.94 

Surplus 232,905,26 

Liabilities,  including  reinsur- 
ance at  50  per  cent 104,292.68 

Income  during  the  year 199,654.00 

Expenditures  during  the  year..  145,447.00 


ESTABLISHED   1867. 

PEOPLE'S  FIRE   INS.  CO., 

MEMPHIS,  TENN. 

Capital  and  assets,  Jan.  1st,  '74...  §408,760.43 

Surplus 362,495.71 

Liabilities,   including   reinsur- 
ance at  50  per  cent 46,264,72 

Income  during  the  year 122,318.40 

Expenditures  during  the  year..  67,444.00 


ESTABLISHED  1869. 

PLANTERS'  FIRE  INS.  CO., 

MEMPHIS,  TENN. 

Capital  and  assets,  Jan.  1st, '74...  $307,250.28 

Surplus 227,209.83 

Liabilities,  including    reinsur- 

ance  al  50  per  cent 9,940.45 

Income  during  the  year 212,297.00 

Expenditures  dining  the  year..  133,726.62 


CAPITAL    REPRESENTED, 

$23,078,0B7.07. 

Insurance  placed  at  reasonable  rates  and  losses 

paid  promptly. 


a 


Facilities  for  placing  Larue  Lines  at  Short  Notice. 


APPENDIX. 


THE    HALDEMAN    MARBLE    WORKS, 

S.  W.  COR.  MAIN  AND  OLIVE  STS. 

Bloomington,        -        -        Illinois. 

This  old  and  reliable  house  was  established  iu  Bloomington,  Illinois, 
by  the  Haldeman  Bros,  in  the  spring  of  1851,  in  a  little  one-story  frame 
building  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  Court  House  Square,  but  was  re- 
moved in  '52  to  northeast  corner  of  Front  and  East  Streets,  and  in  '53  to 
223  E.  Front  St.,  but  owiug  to  the  steady  increase  of  business  were  soon 
outgrown  and  another  removal  became  necessary  >  and  it  was  decided  to 
purchase  the  old  Catholic  Church  and  grounds  on  the  southwest  corner  of 
Main  and  Olive  Streets,  to  which  the  works  Avere  removed  in  June,  1873, 
after  having  been  fitted  up  in  fine  style  with  office,  two  mantle  rooms, 
monumental  rooms,  cutting  and  jjolishing  rooms,  together  with  a  large 
show  yard,  completing  one  of  the  finest  and  most  extensive  factories  in 
the  Nortrnvest. 

The  work  from  this  establishment  is  unsurpassed  in  elegance  and  beau- 
ty of  design,  symmetry  of  proportion,  and  excellence  of  finish. 

The  McLean  County  Soldiers'  Monument,  the  finest  county  monument 
in  the  Union,  is  from  these  works,  together  with  many  of  the  finest  in 
the  Bloomington  Cemetery,  among  which  might  be  mentioned  those  of 
Col.  Gridley,  Judge  J.  E.  McClun  and  Messrs.  Dance,  Townsend,  McLean, 
Lowry,  Smith,  and  Miss  Jennie  Rice  and  many  others. 

Many  fine  monuments  from  this  house  and  to  the  beauty  of  the  Cath- 
olic Cemetery  near  Bloomington,  perhaps  the  one  foremost  in  beauty  of 
finish  and  design,  is  erected  to  the  Lady  Superior,  M.  Regina  Farrell.  At 
Funk's  Grove  stand  two  massive  monuments,  one  to  the  memory  of  the 
late  Isaac  Funk  and  wife,  the  other  to  Robert  Stubblefield.  At  Delavan 
stands  a  fine  soldiers'  monument;  at  Eureka,  one  at  the  grave  of  Caleb 
Davidson;  in  Leroy,  one  erected  by  Bonnett  Bros. ;  in  the  Catholic  Cem- 
etery one  to  John  Toohey,  aud  one  to  J.  W.  Hayes,  in  the  Bloomington 
Cemetery.  In  fact,  fine  monuments  and  gravestones  from  these  works 
beautify  nearly  every  cemetery  and  graveyard  in  Central  Iilinois. 

In  the  celebrated  Scotch  granite  an  extensive  business  is  done,  import- 
ing direct  from  the  factories  in  Scotland,  having  facilities  unsurpassed.  A 
fine  monument  of  the  red  Scotch  granite  from  this  house  stands  in  the 
Bloomington  Cemetery  to  the  memory  of  Mrs.  M.  Travis  Also,  one  in 
Hudson  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Lewis,  deceased.  And  in  White  Oak 
Grove  one  to  the  daughters  of  Mr.  M.  E.  Denmann. 

In  marble  mantles  these  works  are  justly  celebrated,  having  furnished 
some  of  the  finest  residences  in  Bloomington,  among  which  are  those  of 
Col.  Routt,  Mr.  Dodson,  M.  Swann,  R.  Kruni  and  others. 

From  the  above  sketch  it  will  be  seen  that  no  further  commendation 


is  necessary 


E 


APPENDIX. 
GERHARD     FREESE  II6  N-  Centre    Street,  two  Doors   South  of 

SADDLE  &  HARNESS  STORE,     blooming'ton,'  ill. 

The  house  of  G.  Freese,  harness  and  saddle  stove,  has  never  undergone  any  change. 
Mr.  Freese  came  to  America  in  the  year  1850,  having  previously  finished  his  apprentice- 
ship as  harness  maker,  in  Oldenburg,  Germany.  In  1853  he  established  himself  in  busi- 
ness in  Blooinington.  The  first  shop  he  occupied  was  at  the  corner  where  the  People's 
Bank  now  stands,  in  1870  the  People's  Bank  Block  was  erected,  and  Mr  Freese  secured 
one  of  the  lots  of  that  block, on  which  he  built  his  store  in  symmetry  with  the  edifice 
called  the  People's  Bank.  Mr.  Freese,  like  most  men  twenty  years  ago,  commenced 
his  business  on  a  small  scale,  and  to  what  degree  he  has  walked  up  his  trade  every 
citizen  of  Blooinington  and  every  farmer  in  McLean  County  know.  It  is  not  necessa- 
ry to  count  up  the  many  good  qualities  which  Mr.  Freese  possesses,  as  they  have  been 
the  means  of  his  success.  Strict  integrity,  straightforwardness,  and  the  supply  of  a 
No.  1  article,  ha^e  gained  the  confidence  of  his  numerous  customers.  Mr.  Freese  has 
turned  out  on  an  average  two  hundred  and  fifty  spans  of  harness  per  annum.  He  has 
constantly  on  hand  the  greatest  variety  of  harness,  saddles,  bridles,  collars,  whips, 
&C,  and  does  all  kinds  of  repairing  neatly  and  with  dispatch. 

UNION  FOUNDRY  &  MACHINE  SHOPS. 

This  establishment  is  owned  by  N.  Diedrich  and  Henry  M.  Koon,  who 
transact  business  under  the  name  of  N.  Diedrich  &  Co.  Their  works  are 
situated  on  the  line  of  the  I.,  B.  &  W.  Railroad,  at  Nos.  407  and  409  South 
Centre  Street,  Blooinington,  111. 

Messrs.  Diedrich  &  Koon  are  both  practical  moulders.  The  firm  is 
provided  with  patterns  of  beautiful  designs  in  house,  fence  and  bridge 
castings,  and  are  prepared  to  do  all  work  in  their  line  in  as  good  style  and 
finish,  and  at  as  low  prices  as  any  foundry  in  the  West.  They  are  also 
manufacturing  steam  engines  and  every  description  of  machinery.  All 
kinds  of  repairing  are  also  done  with  dispatch.  The  best  material,  and. 
the  most  thorough  workmen  are  employed  in  the  different  departments  of 
the  business. 

In  1S69  they  commenced  business  at  their  present  site,  and  they  have 
since  furnished  the  iron  work  for  the  greater  number  of  new  stores,  dwel- 
ling houses  and  public  buildings  erected  in  Bloomington  and  neighbor- 
ing-counties. In  1S71  they  prepared  by  sub-contract  under  E.  Gehlman, 
the  iron  work  of  the  State  University  at  Champaign;  the  iron  work  of 
the  store  occupied  by  Harms  &  Wagenfuehr,  at  the  Western  Depot ;  the 
front  of  the  store  occupied  by  Mr.  Melluish,  watchmaker,  on  east  side  of 
the  Square,  North  Main  Street;  the  hardware  store  occupied  by  G.  H. 
Read  &  Brother,  205  N.  Main  Street;  the  store  belonging  to  John  Magoun, 
occupied  by  J.  H.  Merrick,  N.  Main  St. ;  and  the  iron  work  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  University  under  contract  of  Hayes  &  Evans.  Also,  during  the  same 
year,  the  bank 'building  and  two  stores  at  Chenoa;  and,  besides,  three 
stores,  under  contract  of  Fisk  &  Fox.  In  1871  they  furnished  all  the  iron 
material  for  all  the  stores  erected  by  Dr  Crothers  of  Delavan.  In  1S72 
they  furnished  the  iron  material  for  three  new  stores  in  Urbana;  for  a 
new  bank  and  block  at  El  Paso,  under  direct  contract  from  Sbure,  Tomp- 
kins &  Co.;  for  the  iron  work  of  a  new  hotel  in  Clinton,  111.,  belonging 
to  Magill  &  Co. ;  for  the  McClun  block  (seven  stores) on  Main  St.,  Bloom- 
ingtoni  ;  for  two  stores  on  Madison  Street.  (Ives'  Block)  under  contract  of 
Hayes  &  Evans;  for  the  National  Bank  in  Clinton,  lib;  for  the  store  in 
Davis  Block  belonging  to  Mrs.  Allin,  (occupied  by  Haggard  &  llewett,) 
under  contract  of  Hayes  &  Evans.  In  1873  they  furnished  the  iron  work 
for  four  stores  belonging  to  Swann  &  Smith,  on  North  Main  St.,  under 
direct  contract;  for  one  store  engaged  as  a  billiard  hall,  (by  John  Toohey 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death)  belonging  to  M.  X.  Chuse,  on  N.  Main  St.; 
for  two  stores  in  Atlanta,  belonging  to  B.  F.  Gardener;  and  for  a  store 
belonging  to  Mayers  &  Son,  on  South  Main  Street. 

Henry  M.  Koon  became  a  member  of  the  firm  in  1873,  when  A  B.  Ives 
retired.  '  He  is  an  important  acquisition,  in  consequence  of  his  well-earned 
reputation.  Mr.  Koon  has  made  during  the  last  six  years  all  the  car- 
wheels  for  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railway  Company. 

F 


APPENDIX. 

W.  B.  HENDEYX, 

Justice  of  tie  Peace,  Coroner  of  McLean  County,  Notary  PnMic 

AND  GENERAL  COLLECTING  AGENT, 

Office  in  Court  House  Basement,  BLOOMINGTON,  ILL. 

We  direct  the  attention  of  our  readers  to  the  above  card.  Squire  Hendryx.  by  his 
worth  and  reliability,  has  secured  many  friends.  He  is  liberal  in  his  opinions,  and 
the  decisions  he  has  given  in  the  most  intricate  cases  brought  before  him,  have  given 
generally,  great  satisfaction.  Squire  Hendryx  is  in  every  respect  worthy  of  commend- 
ation. He  served  three  years  and  a  half  as  a  soldier  during  our  late  war — was  deputy 
sheriff  for  five  years,  during  the  last  year  of  which  he  also  officiated  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  Squire  Herr,  on  his  retirement  as  justice  of  the  peace,  placed  all  the  unfinished 
business  in  his  care,  a  true  token  of  the  confidence  and  trust  which  this  old  veteran 
lias  in  him,    4®-Collections  of  all  kinds  solicited. 

Squire  Hendryx's  grandfather,  John  Hendryx,  was  the  first  settler  in  McLean  Co. 

Squire  Hendrix  war  immer  ein  Freund  der  Deutschen. 


WAGON  &  CARRIAGE  MAKER, 

COR.  OAK  ANO  MARKET  STREETS, 

BLOOMINGTON,    ILLINOIS. 


Mb.  Flinspach  is  exceedingly-careful  in  the  selection  of  material  for 
his  carriages  and  wagons.  His  lumber  is  kept  for  several  years  before 
use,  in  order  that  it  may  be  thoroughly  seasoned.  He  is  exceedingly  rea- 
sonable in  his  prices  and  the  quality  of  his  work  is  unequalled.  His  car- 
riages and  wagons  have  obtained  a  great  reputation  and  are  widely  known 
for  their  good  construction  and  perfect  finish.  He  commenced  business 
in  1860  and  has  continued  with  increasing  success  until  the  present  time 


FUNERAL   OUTFITS. 

PlilNSPACH  &  Deneen  are  also  prepared  to  furnish  Metallic,  Mahog- 
any, Rosewood  and  Gloss  White  Caskets,  and  Coffins  of  every  style  and 
price.  Their  New  Hearse,  which  is  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  any  in  the 
city,  will  be  furnished  on  application,  at  the  most  reasonable  rates. 

Warerooms :  Corner  of  Oak  and  Market  .Streets,  opposite  the  old  Gas 
Works,  Bloomiugton,  Illinois. 

,T.  L.  KECKLSY. 

%iwMQB8E8 

Also  Proprietor  of  the 

SALE  AND  FEED  STABLE, 

Vale's  Old  Stand,  Front  Street, 

BLOOMINGTON,  :  ILLINOIS. 

The  best  turnouts  and  buggies  in  the  city.  This  commodious  stable,  which  will  ac- 
commodate one  hundred  head  of  horses,  has,  since  Mr.  Keckley  has  become  the  pro- 
prietor, undergone  an  entire  renovation,  and  has  become  the  great  trading  center  of 
horses  for  McLean  and  neighboring  counties. 

The  trading  in  leases  is  carried  on  under  the  style  of  Light  &  Keckley.  They  buy 
horses  of  any  weight  from  one  thousand  pounds  and  upwards.  Their  shipments  to 
Eastern  markets  amount  to  about  one  thousand  horses  per  annum,  or  a  carload  week- 
ly. Those  having  horses  to  sell  will  here  find  purchasers  at  fair  prices.  Terms  always 
cash.  Mr.  Keckley  will  also  pay  the  highest  market  pricesfor  oats,  corn,  hay  (timothy 
and  prairie,)  and  straw  :  and  farmers  will  find  his  stable  the  best  place  to  feed  horses 
in  the  city.  Mr.  J.  O.  Gurley,  the  noted  Boston  horse  dealer,  has  made  tills  stable  his 
business  place,  where  farmers  can  find  him. 


APPENDIX. 


STROPE'S  PALACE  OF  MUSIC. 


D 


The  largest  and  best  assortment  of  Pianos  and  Organs  in  Central  Illi- 
nois, and  at  prices  as  low  as  can  be  offered. 

Pianos  and  Organs  sold  on  monthly  instalments  until  paid  for.  Old 
Pianos  and  organs  taken  in  exchange. 

All  kinds  of  repairs  made  promptly  and  at  a  moderate  rate. 

The  best  tuners  are  kept  constantly  on  hand,  and  they  call  at  any  time 
in  the  city  or  country. 

Evrery  instrument  is  guaranteed. 

Mr.  Strope  is  the  sole  agent  for  the  Hallet,  Davis  &  Co.  Pianos. 
These  are  the  best  Pianos  now  in  use  and  have  won  the  admiration  of  the 
leading  masters  of  music.  The  following  are  extracts  selected  from  a 
large  number  of  letters  from  German  masters  whose  names  are  immortal 
and  whose  professional  opinions  stand  for  the  highest  modern  author- 
ity in  music : 

"  It  is  the  most  admirable  instrument  ever  made.'' 

FRAN/  LISZT,  First  of  living  pianists. 
"  I  pronounce  the  instrument  the  best  and  richest  in  sound  I  have  ever  heard." 

Prof.  F.  R.  RICHTER. 
Composer  and  Teacher  Leipzig  Conservatory. 
"The  best  pianos  I  ever  saw  in  my  life.    They  far  excel  all  other  manufactures." 

H.  SARO,  Royal  Prussian  Musical  Director. 

"Thev  perfectly  satisfy  every  demand  made  regarding  touch,  delicacy  of  expression 

and  power  of  tone."  FRANZ  BENDEL,  Pupil  of  Liszt. 

In  addition  to  these  explicit  and  concise  testimonials  by  foreign  mas- 
ters, which  would  seem  to  place  the  Hallkt  &  Davis  Piano  above  all 
question  of  precedence  and  superiority,  similar  professional  endorsements 
of  its  general  superiority  are  given  in  the  written  opinions  of  the  leading 
pianists  and  organists  of  the  United  States,  including  the  names  of  a 
thousand  teachers  and  professors  of  music  in  our  leading  acadamies  and 
seminaries. 

These  Pianos,  both  Grand  and  Square,  can  be  seen  in  Bloomington  in 
large  numbers,  with  a  variety  of  other  manufactures,  at  the  Piano  and 
Organ  Warerooms  of  Strope's  Palace  of  Music. 
Mr.  Strope  is  agent  for  the 

SMITH  AMERICAN  ORGAN  CO. 

150  First  Premiums 

HAVE  BEEN  AWARDED  FOR  BEST  ORGANS. 


II 


60,000   OHG-A.1TS 

we  bcetf  ^adc-  mid  nrq  now  h\  J/se, 

Illustrated  Priced  Catalogue  sent  free  upon  application. 

Palace  of  Music,  Davis  Block.  Main  Street,  BLOOMINGTON,  ILL. 


MEAT    MARKET. 

COR.  LEE  AND  MARKET  STS. 

JACOB     STOUTZ 

Came  to  Bloomington  in  the  spring  of  1854.  During  the  first  four  years 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  old  pioneer,  A.  Washburn.  In  1858  however 
he  set  up  for  himself  at  the  above  mentioned  place,  where  by  steady  in- 
dustry, fair  and  upright  dealing  he  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  large 
business  second  to  none  in  the  city. 

His  shop  is  well  known  throughout  the  country  and  city,  as  he  keeps 
only  the  choicest  articles  in  his  line.  Farmers  and  dealers  here  find  a  ready 
market  for  stock,  at  fair  prices. 

W.  A.  GERKEN, 

Manufacturer  of  and  Wholesale  and  Retail  Dealer  in 

CRACKERS,  BREAD, 

AND   ALL   KINDS    OF  CAKE, 

118  EAST    FRONT   ST.,  BLOOMINGTON,  ILL. 

Mr.  Gerken's  Cracker  Factory  was  established  in  1870  and  he  has 
brought  to  perfection  the  manufacturing  of  crackers.  He  makes  crackers 
of  all  kinds,  and  is  ready  to  supply  them  by  the  wholesale  and  retail.  All 
retail  dealers  in  uroceries  in  the  country  will  find  it  to  their  advantage  to 
trade  with  him.  He  has  had  about  twenty  years  of  experience  in  making 
crackers.  All  of  his  crackers  and  cakes  are  guai'anteed  and  all  orders  are 
punctually  attended  to.     No.  118  E.  Front  Street,  Bloomington,  Illinois. 


»•  vf 


/ 


jacob  schlegel  &  bro., 

arness  &  Saddle  Store, 

103  N.  Main  Street,  opposite  Gridley's  Bank. 

The  Brothers  Schlegel,  although  not  long  established  in  the  city  of 
Bloomiugton,  have  already  gained  an  enviable  reputation  in  their  line  of 
business.  This  they  fully  deserve,  because  they  are  honest  and  straight- 
forward in  all  their  dealings  with  their  customers,  use  the  very  best 
material  and  sell  at  prices  which  defy  competition.  Their  motto  is: 
"Small  Profits  and  Quick  Sales." 

They  have  constantly  on  hand  the  greatest  variety  of 

Trunks,  Traveling  Bags,  Whips,  &c. 

AU  kinds  of  repairing  done  at  the  shortest  notice  neatly  and  promptly. 
Do  not  forget  the  place!     No.  103  North  Main  Street,  opposite  Gridley's 
Bank,  Bloomington,  Illinois. 


APPENDIX. 


Uli  Btoiiiigon  BMery  anil  Blank  Bool  Manufactory. 


AMOS    KEMP,  Proprietor, 
216 1  (Vutre  St.,  West  of  Square,  BLOOMINGTON,  ILLINOIS, 

The  Bloornington  Book  Bindery  was  started  in  Jan., 
1S54,  by  Hanee  &  Taylor.  In  December,  1857,  these 
gentlemen  sold  out  to  R.  O.Warinner,  who  transferred 
the  business  in  April,  1858,  to  W.  E.  Foote,  of  the 
Bloornington  Pantagraph.  In  January,  1860,  Mr. 
Foote  sold  out  to  A.  J.  Merriman,  who,  on  the  same 
day,  transferred  the  business  to  Amos  Kemp,  the  pres- 
ent proprietor,  who  had  come  to  Bloornington  in  1855, 
to  work  for  Hance  &  Taylor.  Mr.  Kemp  has  carried 
on  the  business  ever  since,  increasing  it  until  it  is  now  one  the  best  bind- 
eries in  the  West.  Mr.  Kemp  commenced  business  under  difficulties,  hav- 
only  a  small  capital  at  his  command,  but  he  gradually  gained  the  good 
will  and  confidence  of  the  public,  as  gentlemanly  conduct,  honesty , straight- 
forwardness in  all  his  transactions  and  good  work  were,  and  are  still,  the 
rules  and  motto  of  his  life.  His  establishment  is  furnished  with  all  the 
machinery  of  modern  invention  In  manufacturing  blank  books  for  our 
banks  and  mercantile  houses,  the  business  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation. 
A  specimen  of  the  book-binding  of  Mr.  Kemp  is  this  work,  "  The  Good 
Old  Times  in  McLean  County."  Any  job  entrusted  to  this  establishment 
will  be  executed  with  neatness  and  dispatch.  Mr.  Kemp  stands  high  in 
the  esteem  of  the  citizens  of  Bloornington,  and  his  word  is  reliable.  His 
prices  are  uniform  and  as  low  as  any  of  his  competitors  in  the  State. 
Patronize  him  ! 


MARBLE  WORKS. 

J.  K.  Moore  &  Co  ,  Marble,  Stone  and  Granite  Workers,  importers  of 
Scotch  Granite,  and  dealers  in  American  Granite.  All  things  fashioned 
from  these  materials,  such  as  mantels,  grates,  cabinet  work,  gravestones 
and  monuments.  The  firm  of  J.  K.  Moore  &  Co.  was  established  in  185!) 
under  the  name  of  Moore  Brothers.  Since  the  year  I860  their  place  of 
business  has  been  at  No.  215,  and  now,  311  W.  Washington  Street,  second 
block  west  from  the  Court  House.  The  business  of  this  firm  had  a  small 
beginning,  as  has  been  the  case  with  many  of  the  most  successful  firms  ; 
but  by  fine  workmanship  and  fair  dealing  it  has  obtained  its  present  envi- 
able reputation.  This  firm  did  the  stone  work  for  the  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity in  1809  and  '70;  the  Livingston  Block,  south  of  the  Public  Square; 
Phoenix  Bank  and  Block ;  the  stone  work  for  McClun  Block,  on  Main 
Street,  and  as  sub-contractors  for  Hayes  &  Evans,  they  furnished  the 
stone  for  the  new  court  house  at  Williamsport,  Indiana.  J.  K.  Moore  & 
Co.  have  the  contract  for  building  the  new  Methodist  Church  in  Bloorn- 
ington, with  the  exception  of  the  brick  work.  This  firm  has  made  many 
monuments  and  has  shown  in  this  line  the  finest  taste  and  the  most  skill- 
ful workmanship.  They  built  the  Dietrich  monument;  also,  the  monu- 
ment of  John  Geltmacher,  George  Bohrer.  the  late  William  Hanna,  Di\ 
Noble,  John  Greenman,  Dr.  Martin,  Alfred  Bozarth,  at  Brown's  Grove. 

The  mantels  made  by  this  firm  are  seen  in  some  of  the  finest  residences 
in  Bloornington,  viz:  those  of  Dwight  and  Daniel  Harwood,  William 
Flagg,  Hon.  W.  C.  Watkins,  Judge  McClun,  James  Hayes  of  the  firm  of 
Hayes  &  Evans  ;  and  many  others.  They  also  made  a  granite  monument 
for  Oliver  Ellsworth  ;  one  for  Darwin  Haines,  and  a  tine  family  monu- 
ment for  Hon.  John  L.  Routt. 

All  persons,  dealing  with  them  may  be  assured  of  the  most  honorable 
treatment  and' the  most  skillful  workmanship.  311  West  Washington 
Street,  second  block  west  from  the  Court  House. 


ALTKNMX. 


agle     Machine    Works, 

R.  LOUDON,  Proprietor. 

NOS.  610  AND   612    NORTH   MAIN   STREET, 
BLOOMINGTON,  ILLINOIS. 


Mb.  Loudon  has  over  twenty  years'  experience  as  a  practical  engineer 
and  mechanist.  In  1S64  he  came  to  Bloomington,  and  took  charge,  as 
foreman,  of  the  machinery  department  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad 
shops,  which  position  he  relinquished  for  the  superintendence  of  the 
Bloomington  Foundry,  of  which  J.  Ollis  is  proprietor.  Whilst  here,  there 
were  built  under  his  supervision  among  other  work  the  following  :  The 
engine  in  the  Hudson  Mills  ;  the  engine  in  the  North  coal  shaft ;  and  the 
engine  in  the  woolen  mill  of  Jacob  Mayer,  lately  destroyed  by  fire;  the 
engine  in  connection  with  Ellsworth  Station,  belonging  to  A.  B.  Ives. 
In  1870  he  commenced  business  for  himself  at  the  above  mentioned  stand, 
where  he  has  machinery  and  facilities  for  doing  all  kinds  of  machine 
work.  He  employs  a  number  of  experienced  workmen,  and  he  is  prepared 
at  all  times  to  undertake  any  kind  of  work. 

In  1870,  immediately  after  he  commenced  business,  he  fitted  up  the 
iron  work  at  the  coal  shaft  in  Minonk,  "Woodford  County.  In  1871  he  had 
the  contract  for  the  fire-proof  addition,  and  all  the  iron  work  of  the  Pon- 
tiac  Court  House ;  also  that  of  the  Wesleyan  University,  under  contract 
of  Hayes  &  Evans,  In  1872  he  built  all  the  machinery  in  the  Blooming- 
ton Shoe  Factory  ;  also  the  iron  work  in  connection  with  the  elevator  of 
E.  H.  Rood,  at  the  I.,  B.  &  W.  Depot,  Bloomington  ;  and  also  the  sheet- 
iron  and  wrought-iron  work  in  the  roundhouse  of  the  L.,  B.  &  M.  R.  R., 
in  Bloomington;  the  iron  work  in  connection  with  the  elevator  at  Arrow- 
smith  Station,  belonging  to  A.  B.  Ives.  In  1873  he  had  a  large  contract 
for  furnishing  iron  work  for  the  Illinois  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home,  at 
Normal ;  the  iron  work  in  the  oil  mill  of  Waddle  &  Moore,  opposite  the 
L.,  B.  &  M.  Depot ;  the  sheet-iron  work  of  the  Ciiuton  Bank,  at  Clinton, 
De  Witt  County  ;  additional  iron  work  at  Schroder's  Opera  House;  work 
for  the  building  occupied  by  Norris  &  Howard,  in  Minerva  Block  ;  and 
for  the  store-house  occupied  by  Maxwell,  Batchelder  &  Co.,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Square  ;  also,  for  the  Catholic  Church,  as  far  as  it  has  been 
built,  under  the  contract  of  Hayes  &  Evans.  In  187-1  he  put  up  a  veranda 
at  the  new  residence  of  Mrs.  Allin  Withers  of  Bloomington. 

At  the  request  of  many  friends  he  has  been  induced  to  start,  in  connec- 
tion with  his  machine  shop,  the  business  of  Plumbing  and  Steam  Fitting, 
and  is  prepared  to  put  water  into  private  residsnces  and  attend  to  all  job 
work  and  repairing.  Will  have  on  hand  and  make  to  order,  Copper  and 
Zinc  Baths,  Cast  Iron  Sinks,  Wash  Bowls,  Copper  Boilers,  Water  Closets, 
Lead  Pipe,  Iron  Pipe,  House  Pumps — Force  and  Lift,  Sheet  Lead,  and 
everything  pertaining  to  Plumbing  and  Steam  Fitting. 

All  work  warranted  and  all  orders  by  mail  promptly  attended  to. 

He  also  owns  the  right  for  the  County,  for  Van  Tassell's  Patent  Piston 
Packing.  He  keeps  Babbitt  metal,  and  iron  fencing  of  every  description ; 
and  does  sheet-iron  of  all  kinds. 

Tne  various  contracts  which  Mr.  Loudon  has  executed  have  invariably 
given  satisfaction,  and  as  he  guarantees  all  work  to  be  first-class,  aud  at 
the  very  lowest  prices,  we  commend  his  establishment  to  the  public  for 
their  patronage. 

K 


APPENDIX. 


The  Buckeye  Grocery 

508  N.  Main  St., 

.T.  Ml.   L.OJStGr.  PROPRIETOR. 


Mr.  M.  J.  L,oxg  is  one  of  those  young  men  wno  combines 
with  excellent  business  qualifications,  principles  which 
must  lead  to  success.  Although  he  has  not  been  established  as  long  as  many  other 
firms  of  this  kind,  still  his  store  has  become  already  the  stopping  place  of  the  farming 
community.  By  keeping  only  the  best  goods  in  his  line  of  business,  and  by  dealing 
honorably  with  every  customer,  he  has  secured  the  patronage  of  a  large  number  of 
customers.  If  a  good  cup  of  tea  is  wanted  and  light  biscuits,  Mr.  Long  is  the  man 
who  can  accommodate,  as  he  makes  Teas  a  specialty.  If  ladies  desire  Long's  "  Favor- 
ite Baking  Powder,"  Mr.  Long  is  at  hand  to  supply.  If  it  is  wished  to  replenish  the 
supplv  of  Family  Groceries,  Mr.  Long  will  sell  the  best  article  at  a  small  margin  of 
profit!    The  ladies  of  the  city  will  also  find  in  his  store  choice  No.  1  Country  Butter. 

Fanners"  produce  bought'  at  all  times  at  the  highest  market  value.  Goods  delivered 
to  ail  parts  of  the  city.    Give  him  a  call ! 


NOT  TO  BE  OVERLOOKED. 


The  American  Submerged  Pump,  made  upon  honor  and  sold  upon  its 
merits.  It  has  been  tested  for  ten  years  in  wells  from  10  to  160  feet  deep. 
It  never  freezes  ;  has  no  leather  valves  or  packing— all  metal— works  easi- 
er and  will  last  longer  than  any  other  pump.  The  smallest  size  will  throw 
a  stream  60  to  75  feet  from  the  end  of  fifty  feet  of  hose,  and  it  is  valuable 
in  case  of  fire  or  for  watering  gardens,  &c.  In  proportion  to  its  capacity 
or  durability,  it  surpasses  all  others  in  economy  by  at  least  one-half.  Each 
pump  is  guaranteed  to  do  all  that  is  claimed  for  it.  Call  and  examine  this 
valuable  pump  before  purchasing  elsewhere,  or  address, 

318  NORTH  CENTRE  STREET, 

BL00MINGT0N,  ILLINOIS. 


T.  P.  POWERS, 

PROPRIETOR  OF 

Gity  Livery,  Sale  &  Feed  Stable, 

ON  EAST,  NEAR  NORTH  STREET,  ONE  BLOCK 
SOUTH  OF  NOVELTY  MILLS, 

BLOOMIMGTON,        -  -  -  ILLINOIS. 

First-class  turnouts  and  buggies.  This  fine  brick  stable,  which  will  accommodate 
forty  head  of  horses,  was  rebuilt  by  Dr.  Stevenson  and  Mr.  Fisher,  in  1871,  after  it  had 
been  destroyed  by  Are.  In  August  last  Mr.  Powers  bought  the  interests  of  these  gen- 
tlemen and  leased  the  premises.  The  stable  could  not  have  found  a  better  successor. 
Mr.  Powers  is  well  known  to  the  public  and,  therefore,  no  further  commendation  is 
needed.  For  evening  parties,  weddings,  picnics,  festivals,  balls,  and  entertainments 
of  all  kinds  we  recommend  Mr.  Powers"  conveyances. 

Mr.  Powers  will  pay  the  highest  market  prices  for  hay  and  straw,  corn  and  oats. 

Farmers  will  find  this  stable  a  convenient  place  to  feed  their  horses,  when  in  the 
city. 


APPENDIX. 


C.  E.  DALTON, 

DEALER    l.N 

ENGLISH, 

French  ai  Gernan  Fancy  Goods, 

TOTf, 

Children's  Govrians  and  Rocking  Horses, Etc. 

Traveling  Baskets  a  Specialty. 
216  Centre  St.,  Bloomington,  111. 


Go  to  R.  FELL'S 
RESTAURANT 

For  a  Good  Square  Meal. 

Also,  Oysters  in  every  style.    Remember 
the  place,  405  N.  Main.Bloomington,  111. 

OTTO  KADGIHN  &  SON, 

(Successors  to  R.  P.  Smith  &  Son.) 
Wholesale  and  Retail  Dealers  in 


W.  D.  Hunter. 


W.  II.  Wright. 


118  Centre  St.,  Next  to  People's  Bauk, 

BLOOMINGTON,    :     ILLINOIS. 


Kstablished,  January,  1851. 


Louis  Matern, 

Manufacturer  of  Superior 

CARRIAGES  AND  BUGGIES. 

Manufactory  and  Repository : 

Nos.  306  and  303  West  Front  St. 

BLOOMINGTON,  ILLINOIS. 

M 


ffuNTERft  Wright, 


'9 

AND  C9CARS, 

116  Corner  of  Front  and  Center  Streets, 
BLOOMINGTON,  ILLINOIS. 

CHAS.   H.  GMEHLIN, 

Gmi  MaiHifaedu'or  and  Dealer  in 
All  Kinds  of 

FIRE  ARMS,  AMMUNITION, 

And  Sporting  Apparatus. 

Stencil  Cutting,  Locksmithing,  Key  and 

Baggage  Checks  made  to  order.    Stencil 

Paste  and  Brushes  always  on   band. 

309  W.  Washington  St., 

BLOOMINGTON,   ILLINOIS. 


P.  S.  Mr.  Graehlin,  having  purchased  a  new 
lathe  and  steam  engine,  he  is  prepared  to  do  all 
kinds  ol  machine  work  with  dispatch. 

Woolen  Goods. 

W,  &  C.  D.  PERRY, 

Dealers  in 

WOOL,  HIDES  AND  PELTS, 

Al<o,  Woolen  Goods,  Flannels,  Jean^, 
Blankets,  Yarns,  Cassimeres,  Tweeds,  Ac. 

Their  Goods  are  of  fine  quality  and  sat- 
isfaction is  given  to  all  customers.  Their 
place  of  business  is 

207  S.  Centre  Street,  Bloomingrton,  111. 


eTOHK  Q.  M I&LEB, 

the  well  known  blacksmith  is  to  be  found 
on  the 

Corner  of  Market  and  Main  Streets, 
Near  the  Novelty  Mills, 

where  he  has  been  located  during  the  last 
seven  years.  His  work  is  done  with  the 
greatest  care,  and  satisfaction  is  guaran- 
teed. 


APPENDIX. 


THE  LEADER. 


The  success  of  the  Leader  newspaper  is  almost  unparalelled  in  the 
history  of  western  journalism.  From  the  publication  of  its  first  number 
it  has  been  awarded  a  place  in  the  front  rank  of  newspapers,  and  has  grad- 
ually worked  its  way  more  and  more  into  the  confidence  of  the  people 
until  it  has  become  a  leader  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name.  The  daily  is  a 
lively,  newsy  sheet,  with  a  large  city  and  country  circulation,  and  the 
weekly  is  the  largest  paper  printed  in  the  West,  brim  full  of  interesting- 
reading — a  paper  for  all. 

The  Leader  was  established  in  1868  by  J.  S.  Scibird  and  Orin  Waters  ; 
afterwards  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  "  Leader  Company,"  of  which 
Mr.  Scibird  was  Secretary,  Mr.  Waters,  Manager  and  Treasurer,  and  Mr. 
C.  P.  Merriman,  editor.  A  few  months  ago  Mr.  Waters  bought  out  the 
entire  business  and  became  publisher  and  proprietor.  Mr.  Merriman  re- 
tired from  the  chair  editorial,  May  9th,  1874. 

Under  the  present  proprietorship  of  Mr.  Waters,  we  find  Mr.  Charles 
P.  Hunter  occupying  his  old  position  as  cashier  and  book-keeper;  Mr.  J. 
W.  Nichols  is  editor,  and  Mr.  M.  F.  Leland  controls  the  local  columns. 

In  the  printing  rooms  the  author  of  this  work  has  found  that  in  Mr.  Hen- 
ry Sturges,  manager  of  the  book  and  job  department,  the  firm  has  gained 
a  valuable  acquisition.  Mr.  Sturges  is  a  gentleman  by  education  and  in 
manners,  and  is  extensively  known  as  a  man  of  ability  and  taste  in  job 
work,  to  say  nothing  of  his  business  qualifications,  which  are  of  the  high- 
est order,  and  he  is  ably  assisted  by  a  corps  of  first-class  book  and  job 

printers. 

Mr.  Waters  is  a  public  spirited  man,  and  his  paper  is  always  ready  to 
help  along  matters  of  public  interest.  He  carries  this  spirit  into  his  bus- 
iness to  the  extent  of  buying  new  material  required  for  any  work,  thus 
enabling  him  to  turn  out  anything  in  the  line  of  printing,  from  a  small 
card  to  the  largest  volume 

The  'Old  Settlers  of  McLean  County"  have  all  passed  through  the 
hands  of  the  Leader  printers,  and  received  their  impressions  from  t Ik- 
Leader  presses,  and  ive  suggest  that  if  any  there  are  who  do  not  patron- 
ize the  Leader  office,  they  should  do  so  from  this  time  henceforth. 

Taking  the  establishment  as  a  whole  and  in  its  various  departments,  the 
public  will  find  a  genial  lot  of  gentlemen,  with  whom  it  is  a  pleasure  to 
transact  business.  _.x 


APPENDIX. 


Aarcn  0.  Karr.  Henr?  L.  Earr,  Nctarj-  Public. 

KARR  &  KARR, 

Attorneys  at  Law, 

N.W.  Cor.  Washington  and  Centre  .8b., 

0 

Bloomington,      -      Illinois. 


C.  S.  HOHMANN, 

Proprietor  of 

The  Ashley  House  Barter  Shop, 

AND  BATHING  ROOMS, 

One  [toor  South  of  the  East  Entrance  to 
Ashley  House. 

Fine  Brands  of  Cigars  and  Gents'  Furnishing  Goods, 

BLOOMINGTON,    -    ILLINOIS. 


WM.  W.  MARMON, 

Late  Paist  .i  MarmoD, 
Wholesale  and  Retail 

115  North  Main  Street, 

BLOOMINGTON,    :     ILLINOIS. 
Eight  Years  in  Bloomington. 


Whulesale  and  Retail  Dealers  in 


Established  1843,  where  now. 

lymOere 


Manufacturer  of 


Carriages  &  Wagons, 

Blacksmithing,    Repairing,    Re-irimming 
and  Repainting  Dour  to  Order, 

106  k  108  Centre  St..     BLOOMINGTON,  ILL. 


D 


RY 


J 


OODS 


Carpetings,  Ready-made  Suits. 
FITZWILLIAM  &  SONS. 


First-class  work  a  Specialty!      Cheapest  House 
in  the  West ' 


SWICIv'S 

a.RTGALLBRYI 

Over  Home  Bank,  S.  of  Court  House, 


The  Old  and  Reliable  Firm  of 

J,  W,  k  G,  TROTTER, 

Dealers  in  r^ 

Lumber,  Lath,  Shingles 

Poors,  Sash,  Blinds,  Grain,  Etc.,  Etc.. 

Market  St.,  West  of  C.  &  A.  R.  R.  Bridge, 

BLOOMINGTON,  ILLINOIS. 


li 


H.   S.   HERR, 


\ 


BLOOMINGTON,      -       ILLS. 

Pictures  Copied   to  any  sitse.    Painting  of  all 
kinds. 


jht$iu;ai|rc  -.-igcnt, 

J  V 

Conveyancer  I  Notary  Public. 


fla,Office,  South  East  room.  Court  House 

Basement. 
Makes  Collections  a  Specialty. 


Al'l'KNDlX. 


JNO.  F.  WINTER, 

Attorney&  Counselor  at  Law, 

N.  E.  Cor.  Court  House  Basement, 
BLOOMINGTON,  ILLINOIS. 


ESTABLISHED    1866. 

Kiileiitlall,  Pierpont  &  Co., 

The  only  exclusively  Jobbing 

DRY  GOODS, 

NOTION  J±NT> 

CLOTHING  HOUSE  IN  THE  CITY. 


Loans  negotiated  on  real  estate  security 
Collections  promptly  made. 
Herr  Winter  hat  viele  deutsche  Clienten 
uiul  ist  des  allgemeinen  Zntrauenswerth.   I   BLOOMINGTON, 


No.  no  Front  Street, 


ILLINOIS. 


JDJ±.3ST-  OSWALD 


:» 


Under  People's  Bank, 

South-west  Cor.  Centre  and  Washington  Sts., 

BLOOIyIII>T(3-TOiT,  ILLS. 


THOS.J.BARNETT    V,  W.  AUDRTTS, 

Manufacturer  of  all  kinds  •>( 
\n  old  residentor,  and  one  < ■  C"  tho  founders  of 

l.-R'iv.  now  attends  to  the  -»--r      1        1      i  l       /"I  if 

r(11  ,.    0T1  1T1J    „  Upholstered  Goods! 

Collecti  &  Rsai  Estate  Business.    *  A11, ,, , , ,,,,  ., 

FURNI11 I  ]  IT  JK  ., 

412  N.  Main  St.,        BLOOMINGTON,  ILL. 


Letters  promptly  answered. 

LeEoy,  McLean  County,  Illinois 


Mi' will  not  be  undersold.   All  repairs  promptly 
attended  to  and  done  with  dispatch.    Come  and 
'  examine  his  goods 

R 


U^M 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 
977  359D88G  C001 

THE  GOOD  OLD  TIMES  IN  MCLEAN  COUNTY.  ILL 


3  0112  025394211 


HHB^h 


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